Aventura Doma Natural S.R.L.

I stayed at Finca Soley for a week, and it’s hard to put into words how much it meant to me (especially with a 1500 character max)!

The riding and horsemanship lessons were absolutely wonderful. Isa is an incredibly patient, knowledgeable teacher. I'm physically disabled, and she was so patient with me, and offered guidance and adjustments whenever and wherever I needed, and she never made me feel guilty for needing them. What stood out most to me during the lessons was not just how well the horses are trained, but the calm, respectful relationship Isa has with them. Being able to see (and feel) that connection was very inspiring, especially as someone who wants to ride with trust and awareness rather than force a horse to just 'listen' to what I want.

But what made this place truly special for me went far beyond the lessons. The environment is peaceful and grounding, and the surroundings are so beautiful. I loved watching the clouds come up between the hills every morning, and hearing the birds and other surrounding animals wake up while the volunteers and I did our morning stretches at the yoga deck. The food was fresh, delicious and nourishing, and the cook is so kind, just like everyone else I've met at Finca Soley.

For me, Finca Soley was a place where I could breathe and reconnect with myself. I arrived exhausted, and left feeling lighter, calmer, and more hopeful than I've been in a long time.

I'm very grateful for this experience and can't wait to return someday!

Isa and Milton are very welcoming and accommodating. I was at Finca Soley for one week and was well taken care of. I'm a novice rider in my mid 50s and was matched with a beautiful mare, Lumi, that was very tolerant of my mistakes. Each riding lesson was different and fun, and the horses seem to appreciate the diversity of activities as well. Before each lesson, the horses are mobilized and stretched and Isa always ensures horse and rider end on a positive note. All animals are well taken care of, have daily pasture or free roaming time, and health checks. The meals were delicious, the accomodations and location beautiful. Friday afternoon we all went into town and had a lovely meal together. I travel alone, and had the honour of meeting and bonding with four amazing volunteers. I wish I would have booked a longer stay.

Isa and Milton were great hosts. I loved the farm tour, jungle hike, and all the yoga sessions. The housing was very nice, and I loved being around the dogs, cats, and farm animals. Very grounding and healing trip. I’m really glad I booked it!

I had such an amazing time. The location is gorgeous and very relaxing, the horses are really well taken care of and friendly and Isa and her family make such wonderful hosts. My goal with this retreat was to get better at riding (I'm a beginner), learn more about horses and also to get away from the NYC craziness and this was just perfect. Every day had just the right amount of activity and down time. The food was humble and yummy (I usually have stomach problems and had no issues at all the whole week). I would definitively come back!

We loved the location, horses and the family!

Everything about our experience was wonderful. My 10 and 11 y/o daughters are begging to go back!

Everything was fantastic! If I had to pick, it was Isabelle’s enthusiasm and kind encouragement, Milton’s genius architectural construction, the friendly 3 children, the beautiful healthy horses, the garden and medicinal plants, the farm to table food and the way they treat their animals! I’m planning to return!

The yoga in the morning was excellent. Over an hour long. Food was almost all from their homestead. Location is beautifully remote, toucans, multiple types of hummingbirds, tayra, armadillo and dawn chorus is amazing. The 11 horses are gorgeous and Isa ignited a dormant passion in me and I felt like a teen again riding!! Her knowledge of natural horsemanship is inspiring and her and her horses will provide you with groundwork and saddleback tools to maintain a more natural gait when you return home. As a result your equine will have less injuries, you will have better connection of trust and love and riding will be a whole lot easier. Milton is awesome and is a solid cook, builder, driver, dad! Isa, Milton and their kids are all lovely! The ranch is on 14 acres. Some of which is protected jungle. Views abound and I took myself off for walks in the paddock to hang out with the horses. The hot mineral springs were a highlight for all of us who were there!

Super Pferde, super Kursleiterin mit unglaublich viel Erfahrung mit der Arbeit mit Pferden, wunderbare Yogalehrerin

The stay at Finca Soley truly provided an outstanding week connecting with horses. The morning yoga provided a great start to each day. The staff welcomed us and the meals were so good. Not only did we have riding lessons, we had ground work and liberty training. Isa is so knowledgeable and I learned so much. We connected with one horse throughout the week. The trips from the farm were so fun. There is not one thing I would change in the week long retreat!

Joined onto the natural horsemanship programme as a volunteer rather than booking as a holiday, best decision ever made- got the perfect balance of work and play. Learnt a lot about the Costa Rican culture with helping Anna in the kitchen, enjoying her delicious cooking & learning some dancing and enjoying community living with all the volunteers, Isa & her amazing welcoming family and all the employees on the farm. Such a beautiful setting to immerse yourself in eco friendly sustainable living and learning from Isa about a whole new prospective way of training horses, plus how to really connect with your horse, even thou I grew up on a yard - never too old to learn new techniques. If you’re willing to put some effort in and listen, you will get the rewards of karma. Loved it so much, looking to rebook as an annual trip, so can rejoin the herd of horses so many wonderful characters- there’s a horse for every equine enthusiast and opportunity to learn more if you’re willing.

All aspects of this trip were outstanding! First and foremost, the horses. Isa is an outstanding horsewoman, expert in classical and natural horsemanship. Her horses are so well trained and cared for. The mix of ground work and riding was excellent with the added bonus of being able to spend as much time in the barn, watching Isa and others ride and enjoying the beautiful farm - up to individual preference.

The yoga instruction was on the same excellent par. Both Analia and Steven were fantastic. They expertly tailored the instruction to the level of the participants. With the skills and confidence I gained I am now able to carry on my own practice at home. Priceless!

At Finca Soley the food, accommodations and activities were excellent. 3 meals were provided daily, delicious and vegetarian based (with addition of meat and fish depending on mix of guests and preferences). Much of the food comes fresh from the finca! Centrally located in the beautiful mountain region outside of San Jose, a multitude of activities and tours were available, both half and full day. Isa and the team worked with each guest individually and as a group to plan and tailor the week’s itinerary. The pace of activities each day were also well planned, with just the right mix of breaks and transition time between activities.

For me this was THE perfect retreat, leaving me feeling so rejuvenated physically and mentally. Thank you Isa and Finca Soley team!

It was amazing to learn how much you can achieve with how little impulse!

Isa and her horses are great teachers!

This was true for ground work as well as for riding! Thank you very much to the whole team at Finca Soley!!!

I really loved the quality of the natural horsemanship lessons. I learned how to truly connect with my training horse and form a partnership. I really liked how Isa teaches her methods to students of all levels. I really want to go back and continue the learning journey.

Hosting by the family is really top notch . The catering to my diet along with the organic foods was so wonderful. It was everything I expected and more.

The Villa accommodations were also excellent. The back balcony facing the farms is an amazing place to hammock and de-compress. The place really felt like a home with all the necessary amenities provided for. Also the ability to exchange culture with housemates was really wonderful, I will never forget these memories.

The excursions were also a great part of the trip. They are well planned and coordinated by the family. Its a great way to bond with the other members staying at the farm and go on some adventures exploring what Costa Rica has to offer. I really enjoyed every single one immensely.

Finally, the yoga classes with Analia were really amazing. She is able to craft really powerful yoga sequences, and demonstrate them to students of all levels. Even if you're a seasoned yogi , Analia has the ability to "slow down" our yoga practice and show us where we can find room for improvement whether it be posture cues, breathing , alignment, etc... Highly recommend the yoga!

Rather than just getting on a horse and riding, Isa taught me how to understand the horse’s personality, as well as how to communicate with them using body language and other cues. Without any formal riding lessons and limited exposure to horses, learning “horsemanship” was really helpful for me.

Having yoga classes twice a day in combination with horsemanship lessons was perfect. I’ve taken many yoga classes and found the yoga teacher to be amazing. She prepared classes for the entire week to cover the main Chakras, and her ability to break down the technique for certain poses was magical!

I am a polo player who is new to riding (<3 years). As I learned to ride on the polo pitch I admit my riding style needs significant work! I came to Isa to truly learn the art of riding. I was not disappointed. The lessons were amazing. My riding significantly improved in just one week. If I'm being honest, I had little interest in horsemanship/ground work. But I found this to be hugely helpful in improving my riding. Now I understand how and why the horses are cued certain ways and have built a bond with the horse. Not only will I be a better player, I will be a safer rider.

Also, it was very easy to customize my holiday experience to exactly what I wanted. This was a huge perk as I had specific goals and I was remote working during the experience.

Breakfast was a highlight! Highly recommend.

The location is absolutely wonderful! And the buildings are incredible. It was all very clean too - especially considering it’s a farm! The hosts were friendly - and Milton was a fantastic tour guide; we gained so much local knowledge. The volunteers were all really lovely too. The home cooked food was delicious! It was nice not having internet too - although they provided a SIM card that we could hotspot off to call family. Isa was incredibly knowledgable about all her horses, and you can see how passionate she is about them and the project. It is an amazing project and we are looking forwards to returning with more family members!