OIA, Spain — Since medieval times, the people of Galicia have ritually rounded up the horses that roam wild in the green forests and hills of northwestern Spain.

At least once a year, during the Rapa das Bestas, or Capture of the Beasts, the short and sturdy Galician mountain horses are corralled.

Ranchers, who let their horses roam free for most of the year, track them down to cut their manes and tails, which were once sold to stuff mattresses and shoulder pads. Nowadays, the ranchers disinfect the horses, and sometimes vaccinate them. New foals are branded before being returned to the wild.

Some ranchers also earn a small income by selling their animals for meat, even though few Spaniards eat horses.