Lusitano - horse of kings - horse of modernity

Origin

The Lusitano comes from one of the oldest countries in Europe, the once Roman province of "Lusitania", now Portugal, and is considered to be the first noble horse breed in history to be ridden. In the 17th and 18th centuries they were valued as splendid riding horses at all European royal courts. At the same time, riding schools were established in which these horses elevated riding to an art form. With the Spanish P.R.E. common roots connect the Lusitano. Today Iberian blood flows in every modern breed of horse.

Breed characteristics

A medium-sized horse, which fits into a square with its rounded, harmonious shapes and sub-convex silhouette. His movements are smooth, raised forwards and upwards, off a good shoulder, expressive, soft and very comfortable for the rider to sit on. The good, almost straight back connects harmoniously between the withers and the loins, which in turn are short, broad and muscular.

The strong, well-proportioned, slightly sloping croup with a low-set tail, low-lying hocks and relatively long but dry pasterns form hind limbs at a desired closed angle. Such a hindquarters enables the horse to step far below and below the center of gravity, a natural uphill, and is manifested in its talent for balance, agility and collection.

Fitness

In addition to his traditional use on the Iberian Peninsula as a horse of the high school and the mounted bullfight, the Lusitano conquered enthusiastic recreational riders with many demands and in addition to baroque horse riding, he also found access to the world of equestrian sports. His character, his high intelligence, his athletic suppleness and his courage make the classic, strong moving Lusitano a versatile, baroque and modern horse.

Lusitanos have always provided exceptional performances: For France, “Orphee” won team silver at the Olympic Games in Barcelona. The stallion “Novilheiro” jumped to 12th place in the “top twenty” of the world rankings under John Withaker, and Felix Brasseur won the individual and team world championship title in 1996 with his team.