anos are extremely powerful and athletic, with an uphill balance and great stamina and speed. These qualities not only make them supreme mounts for bullfighting, but also make them fine sport horses for multiple disciplines.
One of the most famous Lusitanos is the grey stallion Novilheiro, who was ridden by Grand Prix show jumper John Whitaker of Britain during the 1980s. Novilheiro, out of a Veiga mare and by an Andrade stallion, was a top competitor during his day.
Novilheiro has gone on to sire a great many exceptional sport horses. Not to be outdone, Novilheiro’s full brother Opus II was one of the most famous bullfighting horses of his day, proving that the breed is truly versatile.
Lusitanos also make a fine light driving horse. At the 1996 World Driving Championships in Belgium, a team of Lusitanos won the four-in-hand class.
Photo: Pics of You; Courtesy of JCAndalusians.com
While developed for centuries to be the ultimate bullfighting horse, the Lusitano’s agility, athleticism, and willing temperament make him an excellent mount for a number of different disciplines, including dressage.
Of course, Lusitanos, like the PRE horse, still excel at dressage, especially collection and the high school manoeuvers. Many Lusitanos were present at the 2008 Olympics in Hong Kong in the dressage competitions: the Portuguese and Brazilian teams were mounted entirely on Lusitanos, and Australia’s Hayley Beresford rode the Lusitano Relampago Do Retiro.
More recently, Lusitanos have been used for Western events such as cutting and reining.
Dr. Paulo Gonzaga, founder of Brazil’s Interagro Farms, the largest Lusitano breeding farm in the world, perhaps describes the Lusitano the best in his book O Cavalo Lusitano: “They are strong, vigorous horses, obedient, generous of character, agile, and articulate, elegant, distinct and arrogant, proud, lordly and noble of spirit; they are also docile, intelligent, and submissive, easy to teach for every horse activity. Such characteristics make the Lusitano the best saddle horse in the world.”
Main article photo: Courtesy of Carlos Lara - The PRE horse should be well balanced, with a well set neck, medium length head with straight or subconvex profile, and strong back and hindquarters. This stallion is owned by Carlos Lara of the Cuatro L Andalusian Breeding Centre in Wainwright, Alberta.
This article originally appeared in the February 2010 issue of Canadian Horse Journal.