Lusitano horses enjoyed a high profile at the show this year thanks largely to the hugely popular displays by a small group of Portuguese riders and their horses daily in the main arena. These displays were designed to introduce the breed to the world at large (as opposed to the ever growing band of committed devotees of the breed in the UK) and to demonstrate the unique talents of the Iberian horse in general and the Luso in particular.

The eight horses and their riders had travelled to England specifically for the show and were all skilled exponents of the ‘gineta’ form of horsemanship as traditionally practised in the cattle farms of Portugal. Huge estates producing cattle, horses and cork occupy much of rural Portugal to this day and it is sometimes possible to see the cattle being herded and controlled by mounted farmhands when travelling through these regions. The cattle area reared largely for bullfighting (the bulls are fought by mounted horsemen and are not killed) or at least the prime specimens are selected for that purpose. It is part of a lifestyle that has hardly changed over the centuries and the control of the bulls, which are so quick and powerful is still dependent upon the skill in the saddle of the herdsmen.

These same skills form the basis of a popular equestrian discipline known as Working Equitation. Virtually all shows in Portugal have Working Equitation classes and attract huge numbers of entries. The competitions combine dressage, obstacles, speed and cattle penning and, not surprisingly, the Portuguese have become such masters of this discipline that their team has been Working Equitation European Champions three times and in 2002 won the World Championships. The display team included three national champions and two women riders.

One time changes and no hands

The horses were all entire as is the norm in Portugal although quite unusually there was one mare who was particularly stunning and a personal favourite! Performed to music the group staged a well choreographed display before each horse and rider had the opportunity to give a private ‘show’. As always the work with the long pole (used to manage cattle) was so impressive, the rider controlling his horse one handed and largely with his body as he manoeuvred his horse with ease while performing intricate movements around the pole. All the horses performed high school movements and stunned the crowd with their amazing sliding halts and lightning fast turns. The highlight had to be the rider who, using no hands at all (he held his hat in one and a birch stick in the other) proceeded to perform piaffe, passage, fantastic canter pirouettes and one time changes – much to the amazement of the spectators, most of whom had never seen anything of this nature before and could be heard talking about it hours later. A well known show producer even confessed that it brought tears to his eyes!

All in all it was a highly successful promotion of the Lusitano breed and will have attracted many new supporters to the discipline of Working Equitation. These spectacular shows come about thanks to the sponsorship provided by “Wines of Portugal” and coordinated by the Lusitano Breeders Association in Lisbon and Sussex Lusitanos.

© Sue Wingate - The Joy of Horses 2004