The history of the Lusitano

The Lusitano horse originated in the hilly and rough areas of the Iberian peninsula. In the mountainous terrain he evolved into an agile horse, able to leap and keep his footing like a mountain goat. He had to learn not to panic - no use running blindly over a 1000' drop! He also had to be hardy, to survive the extremes of weather and the rough surroundings.

Thousands of years ago, men noticed these characteristics and began to prize him as a war horse. He could out-manoeuvre the opposition and could be relied upon to keep his head. The mountain horse was refined into an animal that could anticipate his rider's wishes and, crucially, keep his rider as far as possible out of danger, whilst exposing himself to the risks of battle. Subsequently, he was used as a dignified and responsive mount upon which courtiers refined their equestrian skills in the movements of the High School.

In time, the Lusitano was used less as a war-horse as battle tactics turned to charges of heavy cavalry rather than skilled close-contact warfare.

As the appeal of the Lusitano has broadened in recent years, he has turned his hoof to many different pursuits. He is still highly-valued as a mount for classical dressage, and he has enjoyed some success in the competitive arena also. (See, for example, the achievements of Orphée with Catherine Durant).

His athleticism lends him to be a talented jumper - John Whitaker's horse Novilheiro was a Lusitano. Novilheiro in particular demonstrates the versatility of the breed - he wasn't a "special strain" of Lusitano bred specifically for jumping - his full brother Opus II was one of the most famous bullfighting horses of his day. He can excel in Western disciplines. He is an impressive and responsive driving horse, and the sports of working equitation and horseball could have been made for this quick and agile breed

Lusitano horses are extremely skilled in the art of high school dressage or ‘haute ecole’ which is the classical form of dressage. This form of dressage includes learning the “airs above the ground”, the most difficult of equestrian movements to master for both horse and rider. These include movements like the capriole, ballotade, levade and courbette; these movements were actually used during battle in the pre-gunpowder era and have now been adopted into high school dressage. The Lusitano is one of the main breeds considered capable of learning and performing these movements.

Today, quality Lusitano breeding in Portugal is represented through three main bloodlines, the Alter Real (or royal) line from the National Stud established in 1748, the renowned Veiga line and the formidable Andrade line particularly prized for the bullring