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''" 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 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

Queluz Palace horses approach (9180978620)

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 Baroque horsemanship. 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

to provide horses for use by the

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).

References

External links