Page 86 - WINE DINE AND TRAVEL SPRING 2023 SPECIAL CRUISE EDTION

Joao is a tall, lean, graying man whose accented
English is fluent and whose outfit – including a
kind of Napoleonic-looking hat -- would have
been recognized in the 18th century.
“The horses here are only for show,” Joao told
us as we walked past a series of stalls, each with
an equine nameplate. As Joao explained it, the
horses are bred, born and broke in the Alter Real
stud farm, some 125 miles northeast from Lisbon.
Then, after four years or so, they’re brought into
town for daily training. Like everything involving
The Equestrian School, the stud farm has a long
history, being founded in 1748.
It turns out this question of breeding is a big
deal in classical riding circles. The Equestrian
School doesn’t just have horses, it has “Lusitanos”
– a breed that’s been refined for centuries.
According to Joao, Vienna’s famous Lipizzaners
are stronger but not as agile as Lusitanos. “Lipiz-
zaners are bad for bullfighting,” he said. “In bull-
fighting you must be flexible.” Not to mention:
calm.
“Villages all around Portugal have bull rings,”
said Joao. When it comes to a Lusitano vs. a bull,
“It’s like two boxers,” he said. By the way, the bull
isn’t killed in Portuguese bullfighting. “If you kill
one,” said Joao, “you go to jail.”
Horses have grazed Iberian grass for thousands
of years. They’re featured in cave paintings. The
more modern version is partly a mix of this origi-
nal strain with Arabians brought in by Muslims
who invaded from North Africa in the 700s.
The Lusitanos aren’t particularly big, generally
around 62-64 inches tall, (or 15.2 to 15.3 “hands”
in horse parlance) and the ones bred at Alter Real
and used at The Equestrian School are usually
completely brown (“bay” in horse talk). In fact, at
one point in our tour, Joao felt the need to apolo-
gize because a couple of them had white markings
on their legs. In addition, The Equestrian School’s
Lusitanos are all stallions, meaning unneutered
males.
We spent a half-hour or so with Joao in the ex-
hibition room as he outlined the history of the
Lusitano, The Equestrian School, and the connec-
tions between riding and Portuguese royalty.
Then we followed him outside to the long, multi-

86 WINE DINE & TRAVEL MAGAZINE SPRING 2023