22 May 10 Celebrating Portugal’s Equestrian Gift to the World: The Lusitano
Portugal’s centuries of equestrian tradition took off from from a long time and in the 17th and 18 century with the royal houses taking interest in the sport with a mix of European and Arabian as well as the local horse breed. Some inbreeding must have taken place and the result is a sturdy breed that has enjoyed world patronage as a fast and easily trainable horse in the Lusitano. The tradition lives on with several major annual sporting events celebrating the Lusitano breed throughout Portugal.
The Breed’s Roots
The Lusitano breed is one of the most distinguished horse breed in the world. It is believed to have come from inbreeding of the native Iberian Berber horse that have been a product of inbreeding with various European breed that came with the conquering Carthaginians, Romans and Germanic tribes. With the conquest of the Iberian Peninsula by the Muslims in the Middle Ages, the inbreeding with the Arabian horse gave the Lusitano new breed characteristics.
But it was only in the 1940s that a serious concerted effort by the National stud farm to come up with a thoroughbred to distinguish it from the Spanish breed came to fruition. The Lusitano as the world knows it today was officially distinguished as a Portuguese breed in 1962 from a similar horse from other Spanish breeders. The Lusitano horse breed is a Portuguese horse highly appreciated amongst equestrian aficionados the world over. They can be found in abundant numbers notably in Brazil, France and Mexico and often seen in shows and equestrian events.
Tags: Equestrian, Equitation
09 Nov 09 Horse riding in Portugal
Beautiful Alto Minho in the Paredes de Coura district of Portugal offers one of the best sights for a memorable and thrilling horseback riding experience. With an expansive 20,000 square meters of riding area, the Alto Minho Center provides various riding trails raging from the easiest to the most challenging trail. This is offered as a 3-4 day horse back riding program for local and foreign tourists.
Most of its programs have handicaps in mind for a therapeutic horseback riding course alongside its TREC or Techniques of Equestrian Randonee for competitive sporting events. The equestrian and wildlife school is focused on educating riders about cartography, horse grooming, basic horseshoeing, first aid for horses as well as environmental orientation. The Center’s programs are not just for those who wish to learn about riding horses but also for those who just love horses and find riding them an excellent way to commune with nature while getting the marvelous countryside air through the majestic Minho regions.
Food & Accommodation
Local and foreign guests get billeted in a rural hotel, like the Casa Paz do Outer with typical Minho comforts and a provincial kitchen. The hotel is situated 8 km from the center’s riding stables.
Many of the quaint provincial hotels have limited facilities for a few guests. It offers two twin bedroom accommodation, another two double bedrooms and one suite, with private baths each. They all have the basic hotel amenities except air conditioning. It has a pool, laundry and babysitting services.
Guests are treated to a daily breakfast made from its rural kitchen. Lunch is served picnic style at various spots along the program’s riding trail as guests would already be in the great outdoors on horseback. Then, when they end the day’s ride, they get treated to a local restaurant that features countryside delicacies with the Portuguese cooking flare.
Tags: Horse riding
