The famed and fearsome Iberian horse triumphed in battle. Iron pieces such as bits, horseshoes and weapons, dating back to the Celtic invasion in X and V Centuries BCE, indicate the continuous use of cavalry in the Iberic Peninsula. Thucydides and Xenophon wrote about the Iberian Horsemen sent by Dyonisius of Syracuse to help the Spartans during the Peloponnesean Wars in IV BCE.

This breed was carefully selected for centuries as the ultimate mount for the battlefield. Horsemen depended on the Iberian mount for its keen intelligence, nobility, courage, sensibility and maneuverability in small areas and it became a powerful influence in the establishment of the independence by the Iberian countries of Spain and Portugal. Known as the supreme war horse, the Iberian was sought out by many armies from many countries.

Today we recognize that the Iberian horse is really two separate breeds: the Andalusian of Spain and the Lusitano of Portugal. The Lusitano differs from the Andalusian in having a more convex profile reminiscent of the old Iberian horse, whereas the Andalusian developed a more Oriental head shape.

Since setting up their own Stud Book, the Portuguese have been able to make great strides in monitoring and improving the breeding program. Having been

sought after over the centuries as a war horse, the same genetic abilities enable the Lusitano to be the perfect horse for mounted bullfighting in Portugal. In Portugal the bulls are not killed in the bullring so the horse must be very agile and still remain calm.

According to Sons of the Wind, "Today, both the Andalusian and the Lusitano are finding success in the sport horse arenas. Their genetic heritage allows them to perform collected movements with ease and expressiveness, including Spanish walk, Spanish trot, lead changes, piaffe, passage, and airs above the ground.

"Their especially supple, shock absorbing joints and body structure allow them the ability to successfully perform a wide range of tasks including the bullfighting of Portugal, cattle-cutting, jumping a Grand Prix course, and the high level of collected work in the dressage ring.

Sons of the Wind was established in the fall of 1997 by Vitor J. Silva. Now headquartered in Merrimac, Massachusetts, the School of Equestrian Arts provides every rider a venue in which to expand their abilities in a progressive manner on equine schoolmasters, many of which perform to the Grand Prix level.

The Lusitano horse has inspired powerful descriptions: "a horse for a King in days of victory," "a horse that combines beauty and harmony with a generous and docile temperament and easy, comfortable and brilliant gaits." A more clinical definition would be the official breed standard. Here we learn the Lusitano basics.

Lusitano horses are generally between 15.1 - 15.3 h.h but there are some that make over 16 h.h. Often gray or bay, they may be any true color, including dun and chestnut. Their most recognizable characteristics include:

• a long noble head, most typically with a convex profile, narrowing to a finely curved nose

• a powerful arched neck with a narrow hairline, deep at the base and set at a slightly wide angle to the shoulder, giving the impression of being fairly upright

• a high wither leading smoothly from the neck to the back

• a short-coupled body with powerful shoulders, a deep rib cage and broad powerful loins

• a gently sloping croup with the tail set rather low and an unobtrusive hip

• fine clean legs with excellent dense bone- the hind leg positioned well underneath the body axis, producing the hock action so suited to collection and impulsion

• agile elevated movement coupled with a smooth and comfortable ride

• an abundant, silky mane and tail

Sources and References:

Sons of the Wind
Sarah Beaumont
Hendricks, Bonnie L., International Encyclopedia of Horse Breeds, Univ of Oklahoma Press, 1995.
Mason, I.L. 1996. A World Dictionary of Livestock Breeds, Types and Varieties. Fourth Edition. C.A.B International. 273 pp.
interago lusitanos
Jose Fontes-Lusitanos

For more information about Lusitanos, contact Sons of the Wind School of Equestrian Arts
84 Birchmeadow Rd..Merrimac, MA 01860
Phone: 978-346-8882 cell: 978-423-9619
website: www.lusitanofarm.com