The Escola Portuguesa de Arte Equestre (''Portuguese School of Equestrian Art'') is a
Portuguese
Portuguese may refer to:
* anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal
** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods
** Portuguese language, a Romance language
*** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language
** Portu ...
institution dedicated to the preservation of the equestrian arts, in the Portuguese tradition. It is one of the "Big Four", the most prestigious classical riding academies in the world.
History
The school's origins as an institution trace to 1726, during the reign of King
João V of Portugal
João is the Portuguese equivalent of the given name John. The diminutive is Joãozinho and the feminine is Joana. It is widespread in Portuguese-speaking countries. Notable people with the name are enumerated in the sections below.
Kings
* ...
, as the ''Real Academia Equestre da Corte'' (Royal Equestrian Academy of the Portuguese Royal Court), which served as the riding school of the
Portuguese Royal Family
The Most Serene House of Braganza ( pt, Sereníssima Casa de Bragança), also known as the Brigantine Dynasty (''Dinastia Brigantina''), is a dynasty of emperors, kings, princes, and dukes of Portuguese people, Portuguese origin which reigned in ...
and the
Portuguese nobility
Portuguese may refer to:
* anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal
** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods
** Portuguese language, a Romance language
*** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language
** Portu ...
. However, prior to its formal creation, the riding school of the Portuguese Royal Family had long been one of the most respected in Europe, since the publication of the seminal "''
Bem Cavalgar
''Bem cavalgar'', fully ''Livro da ensinança de bem cavalgar toda sela'' ("Book on the instruction of riding well on every saddle"), is a book written by Edward of Portugal, left incomplete as Edward died of a plague in 1438. It is one of the old ...
''" by King
Duarte I of Portugal
Edward ( pt, Duarte (; 31 October 1391 – 9 September 1438), also called Edward the King Philosopher (''Duarte o Rei-Filósofo'') or the Eloquent (''o Eloquente''), was the King of Portugal from 1433 until his death. He was born in Viseu, the son ...
in 1438.
During the reign of King
José I of Portugal
Dom Joseph I ( pt, José Francisco António Inácio Norberto Agostinho, ; 6 June 1714 – 24 February 1777), known as the Reformer (Portuguese: ''o Reformador''), was King of Portugal from 31 July 1750 until his death in 1777. Among other acti ...
, the 4th
Marquis of Marialva {{for, the Condal title, Count of Marialva
Count of Cantanhede (in Portuguese ''Conde de Cantanhede'') was a Portuguese title of nobility created by a royal decree, dated from 6 August 1479, by King Afonso V of Portugal, and granted to '' D.'' P ...
served as the ''Estribeiro-Mor'' (
Master of the Horse
Master of the Horse is an official position in several European nations. It was more common when most countries in Europe were monarchies, and is of varying prominence today.
(Ancient Rome)
The original Master of the Horse ( la, Magister Equitu ...
) of the royal household and the Equestrian Academy of the Court. Marialva pioneered the Portuguese tradition of equestrianism (sometimes called the Marialva Tradition or ''Arte Marialva'') and is considered a founding father to the school and the Portuguese tradition. Likewise, his 1790 work "'' Luz da Liberal e Nobre Arte da Cavallaria''" is considered the magnum opus of study in the school to this day.Dr Joao Costa Ferreira dans
In 1807, the Equestrian Academy of the Court was transformed into the ''Real Picaria Portuguesa'' (Royal Portuguese Riding Academy). In 1821, the school and its property nationalized and made into an institution of the state and not of the royal family. Samuel Lupi became Director of the Real Picaria Portuguesa in 1855 and later the private instructor to King
Carlos I of Portugal
''Dom'' Carlos I (; English: King Charles of Portugal; 28 September 1863 – 1 February 1908), known as the Diplomat ( pt, o Diplomata), the Martyr ( pt, o Martirizado), and the Oceanographer ( pt, o Oceanógrafo), among many other names, was ...
. However, it was during the reign of King Carlos I that the Real Picaria became dormant, at the end of the 19th century.
Throughout the dormant period of the school's history, the Portuguese tradition was practiced and maintained in private equestrian academies and ''picadeiros''. The school's history restarted in 1979, with the founding of the ''Escola Portuguesa da Arte Equestre'' as the successor institution of the Real Picaria Portuguesa.
Mission
The primary directives of the Portuguese School of Equestrian Art are the conservation of the Lusitano horse, also known as the Pure Blood Lusitano, and the maintenance of classical Portuguese Baroquehorsemanship. The Lusitano is an
Iberian horse
The Iberian horse is a designation given to a number of horse breeds native to the Iberian peninsula. At present, some breeds are officially recognized by the FAO,dressage and
Portuguese-style bullfighting
Portuguese-style bullfighting differs in many aspects from Spanish-style bullfighting, most notably in the fact that the bull is not killed in front of an audience in the arena. The ''cavaleiros'' and the ''forcados'' are unique to the Portuguese ...
. It is the goal of the Portuguese School to preserve
classical dressage
Classical dressage evolved from cavalry movements and training for the battlefield, and has since developed into the competitive dressage seen today. Classical riding is the art of riding in harmony with, rather than against, the horse.
Correct ...
(Haute ecole) of the Portuguese tradition.
Administration
The academy and training grounds of the Portuguese School are based at
Queluz National Palace
The Palace of Queluz ( pt, Palácio de Queluz, ) is an 18th-century palace located at Queluz, a city of the Sintra Municipality, in the Lisbon District, on the Portuguese Riviera. One of the last great Rococo buildings to be designed in Europ ...
, in
Sintra
Sintra (, ) is a town and municipality in the Greater Lisbon region of Portugal, located on the Portuguese Riviera. The population of the municipality in 2011 was 377,835, in an area of . Sintra is one of the most urbanized and densely populat ...
, on the
Portuguese Riviera
The Portuguese Riviera (Portuguese: '' Riviera Portuguesa'') is a term used in the tourist industry for the affluent coastal region to the west of Lisbon, Portugal, centered on the coastal municipalities of Cascais (including Estoril), Oeiras ...
, outside of Lisbon. The school also maintains the ''Picadeiro Henrique Calado''
riding hall
A riding hall, indoor arena, indoor school (UK English), or indoor ring (US English) is a building (part of an equestrian facility) that is specially designed for indoor horse riding. Smaller, private buildings contain only space for riding, whi ...
in Belém, Lisbon, originally built in 1833 for Queen
Maria II of Portugal
, image = Queen Maria II by John Simpson.jpg
, caption = Portrait by John Simpson, 1835
, succession = Queen of Portugal
, reign =
, predecessor = Pedro IV
, successor = Miguel I
, reg-type = Regents
, regent ...
's Lancers Regiment.
The academy consists of 17 riders, called ''cavaleiros'' ("horsemen" or "knights"). The Director of the Portuguese School is Lt. Col. Paulo Candoso. The school's ''Mestre Picador Chefe'' (Chief Master Rider) is currently João Pedro Rodrigues.
Horses
The Portuguese School of Equestrian Art exclusively uses Lusitano horses bred from the Alter Real State Stud, established in 1748 by King
João V of Portugal
João is the Portuguese equivalent of the given name John. The diminutive is Joãozinho and the feminine is Joana. It is widespread in Portuguese-speaking countries. Notable people with the name are enumerated in the sections below.
Kings
* ...
to provide horses for use by the
Portuguese Royal Family
The Most Serene House of Braganza ( pt, Sereníssima Casa de Bragança), also known as the Brigantine Dynasty (''Dinastia Brigantina''), is a dynasty of emperors, kings, princes, and dukes of Portuguese people, Portuguese origin which reigned in ...
and by the Royal Equestrian Academy. Lusitanos were used by the royal family for performing classical dressage and competing in the ''Jogos da Corte'', the Royal Court Games (tournaments held between the 16th and 19th centuries to commemorate festivities).
See also
*
Lusitano
The Lusitano, also known as the Pure Blood Lusitano or PSL (''Puro Sangue Lusitano''), is a Portuguese horse breed. Horses were known to be present on the Iberian Peninsula as far back as 20,000 BC, and by 800 BC the region was renowned fo ...
Spanish Riding School
The Spanish Riding School (german: Spanische Hofreitschule) is an Austrian institution dedicated to the preservation of classical dressage and the training of Lipizzaner horses, based in Vienna, Austria, whose performances in the Hofburg are also ...
of Austria
*
Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art
The Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art (Spanish: ''Real Escuela Andaluza del Arte Ecuestre'') is an institution dedicated to the preservation of the equestrian arts, in the Spanish tradition, based in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain. It is o ...
of Spain
*
Cadre Noir
The Cadre Noir (; en, Black Cadre) is a corps of ecuyers, or instructors, at the French military riding academy École Nationale d'Équitation at Saumur in western France, founded in 1828. It also performs as an equestrian display team. Its na ...