A Simple Napkin
Strathbury’s didn’t begin with a business plan.
It began with a napkin in a small bar in Valencia.
Wayne and Nicole had spent years travelling across Spain and Portugal, following their shared passion for Iberian horses. Those journeys had taken them down dusty tracks to quiet family stud farms, into centuries-old breeding programmes, and into arenas where some of the finest PRE and Lusitano horses in the world were being produced.
They had seen extraordinary horses. Horses with beauty, intelligence, and movement that could take your breath away.
But they had also seen something else.
They had seen horses rushed into sales.
Horses moved from yard to yard too quickly.
And buyers back home discovering problems long after the excitement of the purchase had faded.
The Iberian horse deserved better than that.
And so did the riders who dreamed of owning one.
One evening in Valencia, after a long day visiting breeders, Wayne and Nicole sat down together in a small bar tucked away from the busy streets. With a Tinto Verano in hand and the sound of Spanish conversation humming around them, they started talking about what they had seen over the years.
If they were ever going to do this themselves, they agreed, it had to be done differently.
They didn’t have a notebook.
So they wrote their ideas down on a napkin.
The Rules We Still Follow Today
On that napkin they wrote a handful of simple principles.
Only exceptional horses would ever carry the Strathbury’s name.
Every horse would be selected with patience and experience, never rushed and never chosen simply because it was available.
And once a horse was selected, it would be given the time it deserved.
Time to travel.
Time to settle.
Time to adjust to a new country, a new climate, and a new way of life.
Because a horse that has travelled across Europe cannot simply be taken off a lorry and expected to perform.
It needs time to relax, regain confidence, and show its true nature.
Only when a horse had been properly settled and understood would it ever be offered to a rider.
What It Means to Be a Strathbury’s Horse
Not every horse becomes a Strathbury’s horse.
In fact, most never do.
Across Spain and Portugal Wayne and Nicole see many horses every year. But only a small number ever possess the combination of temperament, soundness, and ability required to meet the standards they set that evening in Valencia.
When a horse does earn that name, it represents something very specific.
It represents careful selection.
Patience in preparation.
And respect for the horse itself.
Because the goal at Strathbury’s has never simply been to sell horses.
It has always been to introduce riders to horses that will bring them years of enjoyment and partnership.
The Napkin on the Wall
The napkin from that evening in Valencia still exists.
Today it hangs framed on the wall at Strathbury’s.
It’s a small reminder of where everything began, and of the standards Wayne and Nicole promised themselves they would always follow.
Those principles still guide every decision they make — from the horses they select across Spain and Portugal to the way those horses are prepared for their future riders in England.
It’s a slower way of doing things.
But it’s the right way.
And it’s why only a very small number of horses ever become a Strathbury’s horse.
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Our Guiding Principles
At Strathbury’s Stables, our philosophy has never changed — it was written down long before we ever imagined how far this journey would go.
Every horse has something special.
We don’t buy in bulk. We don’t buy on trend. We select on feel, presence, and potential.
Each horse must offer something distinctive — in movement, temperament, expression, or soul.
Top-class horses, honestly priced.
Exceptional Iberians without inflated exclusivity.
Quality, transparency, and value sit at the heart of what we do — typically sourcing elite horses in the £20,000–£30,000 range that rival far higher price brackets.
From beasts to teddy bears — with love.
We believe in the transformation that happens through correct management, patience, and partnership.
Strength and spirit are part of Iberian heritage — we refine that power into rideability, trust, and connection.
Embracing Iberian ruggedness.
These horses are bred for intelligence, resilience, and presence.
We celebrate their strength — and shape it into softness.
We love lineage.
Bloodlines matter. History matters. Proven genetics matter.
A Strathbury’s Horse is selected with deep respect for breeding, heritage, and future potential.
Diamonds in the rough.
We see what others overlook.
With careful evaluation, structured production, and correct integration into British life, we reveal the horse within.
Iberian souls, British countryside.
From the sun-baked landscapes of Spain and Portugal to the rolling fields of the UK — our horses are carefully acclimatised, professionally produced, and thoughtfully introduced to their new environment before they are ever offered for sale.
And above all…
If you aren’t sad to sell the horse, you bought the wrong horse.
We build relationships with every horse that passes through our gates.
When one leaves as A Strathbury’s Horse, it carries our name, our standards, and our pride with it.