Touring Historic Portuguese Bend Riding Club

Tucked away on a beautiful hillside of the Palos Verdes Peninsula, you’ll find Portuguese Bend Riding Club. The 15 acre property is located on Narcissa Drive. Breathtaking views of the Pacific ocean can be seen driving up the winding road to the stable within its shared gated community.

There is so much history surrounding the stables,  visited this past weekend to learn more and capture some of the beauty through my camera lens.

In 1913, wealthy Frank Vanderlip Sr. purchased the entire Palos Verdes Peninsula with a group of investors. Vanderlip fell in love with the views, the land reminded him of the Mediterranean and Italy. A summer home for the Vanderlip family was built on the Portuguese Bend area. Frank and his wife, Narcissa also built a stunning stable they called “the farmstead”. Today that is the Portuguese Bend Riding Club (PBRC).

If only these walls could talk, the stories they would tell us. Inside the courtyard of the well maintained stables you’ll take in a bit of history. The tiled roof and massive courtyard reminds you of a simpler time.

The Spanish courtyard offers ample storage, a place to gather, and is well decorated with old trees and greenery. Above the stables there are several apartments for caretakers and permanent residents.

Fresh blue paint gives a pop of color against the neutral Mediterranean pallet.

A potting station for plants and trees inside the courtyard.

While it was my first time visiting the property, it was clear that beauty and function is important here.

There are lots of drought tolerant plants thriving and PBRC is surrounded by trees, flowers, and greenery.

The exterior of the main stable is shaded by old trees.

Portuguese Bend Riding Club offers boarding, lessons, and training for riders of all ages and levels of experience. There are about 80 stalls available for boarders. Additional barns and riding arenas are spread throughout the property.

While a majority of the boarders are english riders, there are plenty of western riders as well.

Each barn has it’s own dedicated space for tack and grooming.

Everything was neat and orderly.

Covered individual grooming stalls.

Despite visiting on a hot day, the ocean kept a nice breeze coming and made temperatures feel much more mild.

Happy horses in their stalls.

PBRC offers several outdoor arenas for riding and there as also lots of trails nearby.

You can sit and watch a lesson in a covered viewing area.

To learn more about Portuguese Bend Riding Club, visit their website online or keep up with them on Facebook.

All photos taken by Raquel Lynn