CENTAURA FARM

Centaura Farm exudes warmth and comfort. But Centaura comfort is more than furniture and hammocks and the pool and Jacuzzi. Centaura comfort is the inner tranquility you get when you bond with the land, when you get in sync with the rhythm of nature.

The egalitarian attitude of Centaura's owners energizes everyone working at the farm - from the people cleaning stalls and cutting grass to the girls who clean the bedrooms and fix meals to the professional trainers and montadors who exercise the horses. When we're working together we all sit down for lunch together. There's a pioneer attitude in Centaura Farm.... where everyone knows what needs to get done, and each of us knows we can depend on everyone else.

It is so obvious the huge pride we have in Centaura Farm. Every area is immaculate, even the stalls. You won't smell anything except fresh sweet grass. No bugs or flies, even in the stalls.

And the sounds are beautiful. There's animal noises -- soft horse neighing contented sounds. Our pet sheep Mincho and Mincha baa as they wander through the gardens and the stables, trying to find the dog or sharing grain with one of the horses. Even our pet pig Frijolito makes fun squealing sounds. Peluca, the Grapefruit Retriever. will harass you to play catch with some ripe fruit. We have over 300 fruit trees, so Peluca has year round selections (but her favorite is grapefruit).

The mechanical noises are the ancient tractor, or equally ancient Land Rovers Beelzebub and Fantasma. Or when the farrier comes to shoe the horses - you'll hear the hammer on the anvil forming the correct shape.

In the background are the famous noises - Toucans and oropendula, and even howler monkeys, frogs and crickets, gecko and warblers.

While most people first come to Centaura just for our horses, most come back because of the whole enchantment of Centaura Farm - fine horses for riding, comfortable rooms and accoutrements for eating and sleeping. Most people come back for the farm itself, for what it does to your soul.

 

THE TACK ROOM

We have a selection of Spanish, Western, and Costa Rican McLellan saddles, but no English saddles). We have sizes from kid's single saddles (down to about 40 pounds) to adult extra long saddles (for large adults and in Costa Rica these long saddles are used to carry young children - a popular way for Costa Ricans to transport their families).

We have the bits (called “frenos” in Spanish), but most horses use Hackamore systems.

Centaura's saddles are lightweight fiberglass covered with top grain leather. The cinch, stirrup straps are leather with interior nylon webbing reinforcement. The quality of workmanship is surpassed only by their comfort. The saddle flap covers the cinch strap, eliminating chafing on the inner thigh.

Some of Centaura’s guests bring their own saddles. But a lot end of buying one of the exquisite saddles our saddlemaker creates for us. It is usually only about a week from start to finish for a custom saddle.