The Portuguese School of Equestrian Art: Classical Foundations for Modern Riding
As one of the four great classical riding academies in the world, the Portuguese School of Equestrian Art aims to preserve and pass on the classical riding principles of the 18th century, that were refined and practiced in Portugal’s royal court. These principles, developed across European courts during the baroque era, have laid much of the foundations of riding today. And, while the School focuses on preserving and performing 18th century court riding, many of its riders have also gone on to become some of Portugal’s top international riders in dressage and working equitation.
Based in and around Lisbon, with its main performance stable located in Belém, and a second training stable at the beautiful National Palace in Queluz, the School is one of the few remaining places left where one can see riders perform up to the highest levels – including all the airs above the ground of haute école.
Whether visiting the School at the stunning Queluz Palace, or at the School’s more central location in Belém for a performance, it is a unique opportunity to see traditional riding, explore the equestrian culture, techniques, and art of 18th century Portugal, and discover how the School has been instrumental in forming Portugal’s national breed, the Lusitano. If you have the chance, there is also an Equestrian Library at the Queluz Palace, which is dedicated exclusively to equestrian books and pieces of art, which is well-worth a visit.
The School itself – far from simply reflecting the habits of a bygone age – works to preserve the now-rare classical knowledge and expertise from the 18th century, which enables its riders to train and perform at the highest levels. In doing so, the School demonstrates that the knowledge and experience required to master the 18th century riding principles not only enables its riders to train to exceptionally high levels, but can also prepare them for success in competition.
Riders including Daniel Pinto, Miguel Ralão, Gonçalo Carvalho, Pedro Torres, and Nuno Palma are some examples of dressage and working equitation riders who, having trained at the Portuguese School, went on to compete and win international titles, or represent Portugal at the Olympic Games.
“I think that what helps riders of the School first is our normal riding; teaching horses to do passage, piaffe, pirouettes, tempi flying changes… the difference with other riders is that they have the knowledge of a degree of collection that others don’t have.
Why? Because, when you do a capriole, a levade, a courbette, you reach the maximum [levels] of collection, and you don’t normally achieve that level of collection with the German horses outside, because they don’t learn it.”João Pedro Rodrigues
Thus, the Portuguese School of Equestrian Art serves as an important link between past and future; preserving some of the most foundational principles and extensive knowledge of riding, continuing its tradition, and so providing a strong foundation for riding in Portugal today.
During a visit to the training stables at the National Palace in Queluz, after walking through the sprawling gardens and seeing the riders demonstrating their skills with their characteristic bay Lusitano stallions, I had the opportunity to sit down with the Headmaster of the Portuguese School, João Pedro Rodrigues.
Reflecting on the School, it’s history, work, and horses, João Pedro provided insight into what makes the school unique, and has enabled many of its riders to be successful in competition.
Some History
João Pedro began speaking about the School by first describing its history:
“Picaria Real was the name of the [original] Royal Academy; and our King John V was married to the Austrian princess, Maria Anna of Austria […]. Portugal at that time [in the 18th century] had a lot of wealth, with gold coming from Brazil, so the king at that time in Europe was a king with a lot of power […], and he wanted, like the other kings and royal courts in Europe, to have a big academy in Lisbon. They say that he was also influenced by his wife to develop the academy – by the princess Maria Anna of Austria, the Queen, because she was used to seeing the Lipizzaner horses in Vienna.”
Of course, the Lipizzaners Maria Anna had been used to seeing were those of the famous Spanish Riding School, another of the four great classical riding schools in Europe.
“The School [existing today] was created in 1979 with the purpose of being the continuation of the Royal Academy that was existing in Belém, where there is now the Coach Museum, which was the [original] riding hall… […] The purpose of the School is to keep the tradition of the equitation of the 18th century, adapted to our days.”
And so, King John V first established the Royal Academy at the National Palace in Queluz, where the School now maintains its secondary training stable. However, in order to expand the Academy, it was then moved to Belém, where the Portuguese School now primarily trains and performs. Just around the corner from these more central stables is the National Coach Museum João Pedro mentions, where the original riding hall of the academy can be seen with its spectacular frescoed ceiling.
When he formed the Royal Academy, King John V also required excellent horses. This led him to establish Portugal’s iconic national breed – the Lusitano. As João Pedro explained;
“…to develop the Academy, he needed a breed to support the Royal Stables. So, in 1748, he founded the stables and the [royal stud] Alter do Chão, and the breed; the Alter horses as Lusitano horses. People sometimes think that it is another thing, the Lusitanos and the Alter; no, the Alter is a bloodline within the Lusitano breed, and it is the oldest line.”
This Royal Alter stud farm continues to breed its characteristic bay Alter Real Lusitanos, with the School selecting the most talented stallions for its stables. It also remains one of Portugal’s most important and iconic Lusitano breeders.
What makes the Portuguese School unique?
The Portuguese School stands out among the 4 great riding academies in Europe in that it focuses on remaining particularly faithful to preserving and showing the classical riding and equestrian culture of the 18th century. João Pedro explained;
“We try in our school to be the closest to the equitation of the 18th century. But in all the schools, Vienna, […] Saumur and Jerez, we all adapt to modern times. However, the things that we show that are close to the traditional, classic ways of riding – it’s for example the numbers we call Picaria Real, where the horse does piaffe, courbettes, low courbettes like in the old times; we do caprioles, have horses in the pillars, horses around an isolated pillar making pirouettes, circles with the haunches inside, so we try to show the public what [it was like] in the 18th century, and we also have the games of the court. These are the old games that were in all the academies of the 18th century.
The other schools for example, they don’t show that; these two numbers we want to show to the public are close to the way of riding in the 18th century. Our school has a focus; that is, we try to show the maximum of what was existing in the 18th century.”
The Portuguese horses, tack, and traditional costumes used by the school are also kept close to what was present in the original Royal Academy; even the horses being selected from the same original and founding royal stud farm, the Alter Real.
However, what allows the school to remain most faithful to the riding of the 18th century is perhaps the source of its training methods: a book from the original Royal Academy, called the Luz da Liberal e Nobre Arte de Cavallaria, by Manuel Carlos de Andrade.
This book outlines the complete training of the horse from the original Royal Academy, and makes the Portuguese School unique among all the other schools in Europe in that it is the only one whose methods are codified in a single, original written source. João Pedro explained;
“In 1790, Manuel Carlos de Andrade made the fantastic book, or treatise, the Luz da Liberal e Nobre Arte de Cavallaria (The Light of the Liberal and Noble Art of Riding) and in that book he explained all the work from the time the horse was born at the Alter [royal stud], and came at a young age to the Royal Stables where he was started, until he could achieve all the dressage that was normal in all the academies in Europe in the 18th century, including the airs above the ground which was the maximum [level] of the equitation of the 18th century.”
Thus, the Portuguese School has something unique; a written source for training, which allows it to remain close to the original techniques and style of riding of its 18th century court.
What helps the School’s riders become so successful in competition?
“I think that what helps riders of the School first is our normal riding; teaching horses to do passage, piaffe, pirouettes, tempi flying changes… the difference with other riders is that they have the knowledge of a degree of collection that others don’t have.
Why? Because, when you do a capriole, a levade, a courbette, you reach the maximum [levels] of collection, and you don’t normally achieve that level of collection with the German horses outside, because they don’t learn it.
Outside of these schools, of these academies, there aren’t too many people that do this. So, the difference between Pedro Torres, Gonçalo Carvalho, Nuno Palma, Carlos Pinto, Miguel Ralão that went to the Olympic Games most of them, [and other riders] is that they have a degree of knowing in riding that is more sensitive than the others, and they need to have that experience.”
And more sensitive to the horse; you’re talking about changing the balance of the horse.
“Everything; the relationship between legs and hands, and the balance of the rider because you need to be very sensitive. You can be a very good rider but a little hard, which you see sometimes in dressage tests; some are hard, and you see others [where it seems that] the horse goes and does everything freely.
So, what is nice when you see someone riding? It’s to give the most freedom to the horse, and you see the rider on top but you don’t see how he works, with the leg, hand and stick as quiet as possible. So, that is what we call a sensitive rider.”
Classical Foundations for Modern Riding
Whether visiting its second stable within the gardens at the National Palace of Queluz, or seeing a classical performance at the School’s main stable in Belém, the Portuguese School of Equestrian Art presents a unique opportunity to see riding up to the highest levels, and experience the classical riding and culture of 18th century Portugal.
If you find yourself in Lisbon, it is well-worth a visit to both of the School’s sites, as well as the Equestrian Library and the Royal Academy’s original riding hall – now housing the National Coach Museum.
The School, by preserving the principles of its original Royal Academy, enables not only the preservation of classical training, but provides a classical basis that has led several of its riders to go on to succeed internationally in modern competition. In this way, the Portuguese School is not only instrumental in preserving the traditions of Portugal’s history, but providing the classical riding knowledge to maintain Portugal’s strong riding culture today.
