July is often warm in Asturias, though sunshine is never guaranteed. Rain and cooler spells are possible, and mountain conditions change quickly. In the high pastures, summer is also a busy season for livestock and the people who care for them.

The month: summer between coast and mountains

Long days invite us outside, but the landscape changes considerably over just a few kilometres: coastal breezes and clouds differ from a warm valley or cool mountain summit. Mountain pastures support a livestock tradition that forms part of Asturian rural history.

An Asturian horse: the Asturcón

The Asturcón is not a legendary being: it is an indigenous Asturian horse breed, small and adapted to mountainous terrain. Its presence tells a real story of animals, pastures and people. Protecting it means supporting its care and respecting its habitat, not treating it merely as a tourist emblem.

Equos: a word, not a festival

Equos appears in the Coligny calendar, an ancient Gaulish inscription found in France, and is linguistically related to “horse.” This does not prove it was the name for July or that an Asturian festival dedicated to the Asturcón took place that month. This page brings them together as a literary association.