Menorcan native celebrates new beginnings at Winbak

Gemma Alcaraz has reinvented herself. 

The 43-year-old Menorcan native, who now lives and works in Maryland, has made the shift from Spanish island sport horse rider to Winbak Farm’s vet assistance. 

Born and raised on Menorca—which means “smaller island” in Latin—Gemma grew up on a  Mediterranean isle, one of the four Balearic Islands in the Spanish archipelago. The island is divided into eight small municipalities that travel east to west, with an approximate population of 99,000. 

Gemma’s home is the beach town of Son Bou, located on the south side of the island in the municipality of Alajor, 12 kilometers from Maó, the capital. Son Bou offers up the longest beach found anywhere on Menorca.  

“My father had horses and animals when we were growing up,” Gemma offered. “My two older brothers and I grew up in an environment where the economy is derived mainly from tourism. My father had a tram business that takes visitors around the island. He had eight trams, and we learned English early because we always had a lot of visitors from Great Britian and Germany. That has changed a bit in the past years as we now also get a lot of French tourists and some Americans.

Gemma attended her local high school and Menorca’s university, before studying in Barcelona and receiving a degree in graphic design and marketing in 2003.  

 “I was working as a graphic designer in marketing and decided to rescue horses and one of the best horses I rescued was a Standardbred,” Gemma offered. “This is an official rescue center in Menorca, and we have more than 200 horses. We have many breeds, but the best ones are Standardbreds. My idea was to have people with disabilities work together with the horses. My brothers Tony and Jose work there, and the farm is by a protected wetland, where many people come to birdwatch.” 

Besides the protected wetland, which contains numerous species of birds, fauna, amphibians, and insects, nearby is the “Cami De Cavalls,” a 185 km trail that follows the island’s coastline, which can be traversed via horseback, on foot, or mountain bike.  

“This historic path goes all the way around the island and was originally used by the military as a sentry road,” Gemma explained. “Now it is for tourists, for riding a bicycle, walking, and on horseback. Our business is mostly tourism, and even though we are a small island, we are rich in culture—from our art, our buildings, and our food. Besides horses, we have a lot of cows, pigs, chickens, goats, and ducks. The local farmers promote their foods and pure produce and there are a lot of traditions here, such as our mothers who teach their children how to cook the traditional foods.” 

Working at Winbak was not Gemma’s introduction to harness racing, as the island does contain two harness tracks—the Hippodrome Torre del Ram in Ciutadella, located in the far northwestern corner of the island, in the region known as Ciutadella de Minorca, which was the ancient capital of the island until 1722. The other, known as the Hippodrome Municipal De Mao- Mahón, is on the opposite side of the island.  

“In Menorca the racehorses are more like a hobby for people,” Gemma noted. “It is not like it is in the US, where it is a big business. This was a big difference for me, to see these differences here in the US; not just the racetracks, but the passion of the fans and how the people who are taking care of the horses really love their animals. 

“Our tracks are about a half mile,” she continued. “Hippodrome Torre has a more traditional surface, but Hippodrome Mao- Mahón, which is the smaller of the two tracks, has a much deeper surface.” 

Menorca does have a breed indigenous to the island—the “Cavall Menorquí” or Purebred Menorcan Horse (PRMe) who is a pure black, although splotches of white are allowed. While not extremely tall (the permissible height is 14.3 for mares and 15.1 for stallions/geldings), this breed is mostly used for dressage and for the traditional Menorcan summer festivals known as “festes.”  These festes honor the local towns and village’s patron saints, where the locals gather for three days, celebrating and drinking the “Pomada,” a Menorcan gin made from wine alcohol (eau de vie de vin), also known as Gin de Mahón.  

The purebred Menorcan Horse is a large part of these festivals, who have their roots in 14th century celebrations which incorporate Christian, pagan, and Moorish rituals. The “Doma Menorquina” is traditional dressage that utilizes half-passes, flying changes, piaffe and the courbette or “bot.” 

Menorcan’s believe that touching the horses, who have been blessed by priests, will bring good luck to them. Riders bring the horses into town, among throngs of people, and the horses stand on their hind legs as the crowd puts their hands on the horse’s chest and flanks. 

Rosettes and ribbons are braided into the horses’ manes and tails, and riders, knowns as “caixers” are dressed in unique costumes which signify their family. Menorcans believe that by touching the horse, they will receive blessings upon their fall harvest. These festivals are held in the summer, before the fall harvest.  

“We do this for 13 weeks every summer,” Gemma explained. “We go into different towns, and I’m doing this with a stallion, and the first year I used a Standardbred. A lot of the horses are used by the farmers for work. It’s a chance for them to display their horses for the people of the town, as the stallion is a symbol of the prosperity of the island, which is basically catholic. Once the priests give the blessing to the animals, we can start celebrating so we can have a good harvest. The riders wear traditional clothing with ties to their family and each one is unique, and the horses wear decorations. It is a very proud time for us and is a way for every family to show the pride in their animals. I was the first in my family to do this. And you have to understand that that every family has a horse or a pony. When you’re driving around the island you can see horses everywhere.” 

So, with all of her activities and business in Menorca, what brought Gemma to Maryland? 

“In 2023 we were looking to promote Menorca, and because of all the connections with Maryland, we thought to invite ten people from the United States to discover the racetracks here,” Gemma said. “I had been to the US once before, but never to Maryland, and we invited some folks from Winbak (including future husband Jack Burke) to visit us in May of that year.” 

It is important to note the long historical ties that Menorca and Maryland share. For instance, Maryland has more horses per square mile than any other American state, while Menorca claims to have more horses per square kilometer than any other European country. Jousting, Maryland’s official state sport, is performed by the Menorcan horses on the third day of the summer festivals.  

As well, America’s first Navy rear admiral, Admiral David Farragut, was the son of Menorcan immigrant and merchant captain who fought in the 1776 War of Independence. Farragut is renowned for his participation in the Civil War’s 1864 Battle of Mobile Bay, and the United States Naval Academy is located in Annapolis. 

In 1953 Farragut was named Ciutadella, Menorca’s “most favorite son,” as Ciutadella was where Farragut’s father Jordi Farragut was born. The Naval Academy Museum in Annapolis honored the elder Farragut in 2017 with a plaque announcing the 200th anniversary of his birth. And, every May, Menorca honors Admiral Farragut with a celebration. It is also worth noting that America’s first overseas Navy base was established in Menorca’s capital city of Mahón, from 1815 to 1848.  

In the fall of 2023, Maryland reciprocated by hosting a group of ten Menorcans.  

“It was terrific,” Gemma recalled. “We stayed at the yearling section of our farm, and it was an amazing place to see and an amazing house to stay in. We had people from all aspects of the Menorcan equine industry and were there for ten days. We wanted to establish a friendship with Maryland horse people because we felt we already had a deep historical connection. 

“Besides Winbak, we also got to visit Ocean Downs and Rosecroft Raceway, where we got to sit in a double jog cart and do a couple of races with American Standardbreds which was simply amazing experience,” she continued.  

When romantic sparks began to ignite between Gemma and Jack, she extended her stay in the United States, and in December 2024 she began working full time at Winbak as a vet assistant.  

“Jack and I were spending every day on the phone, and then I was traveling back and forth here every month, and finally we had to make a decision of what we were going to do, and we got married in January 2024,” Gemma explained. “In December of last year some of the Mexicans who work at the farm had to go back to their home country and stay for two months, so I got the opportunity to work here full time, and it’s been terrific. Joe and JoAnne (Thompson) have taken me in like family, so it is easy to feel at home here, and I have the opportunity to learn so much, and am thankful to Winbak for that opportunity. This is huge farm where people really love their animals. 

“I am a person who appreciates what I have,” Gemma continued. “The US is a great country with a lot of cultures, a mix of different ideas and diverse ways to work together. In Menorca, because we are a small island, we have a lot of rules and not many options like you have here in the US. So as Menorcans, have to find another way to enjoy our island. For instance, there are things you take for granted when you see them every day—for me, it is really different not to see the ocean, to smell the sea breeze, and see the sea. But I have a different landscape now of foals, and the farm, and I appreciate this so much. 

by Kimberly Rinker, for Harnesslink