Best of Portugal

Portuguese horses

In the ancient times, there were no automobiles or vehicles for commuting from one place to another and in order to cover long distances, people mainly used the various domestic animals. Not only goods, even humans were carried from one place to the destination upon horses and camels. Moreover, at the time of warfare, the animals came of great use and aided in chasing. However, with the progress of time, civilizations advanced and while it is true that now animals are no more used predominantly for this purpose except in villages and remote areas, horse riding has continued to remain as a passion among many and in Portugal, equestrian has been adopted as one of the significant sports.

The origin of equestrian in Portugal can be traced back to the remote times of the ancient past and the prevalent horse breeds in Portuguese equestrian activities are known to have evolved from the Iberian horse types. The Lusitano is the most popular horse breed in Portugal and it is to be noticed that it owes the origin of its name to Luso who was the son of the roman god Bacchus and also it should be mentioned that under roman subordination, Portugal was known as Lusitania. Apart from the Lusitano, there are two more important horse breeds in Portugal, namely the Garrano and the Sorraia. The Garranos are believed to have evolved from the Iberian ponies and are distinguished by their concave profiles while the Sorraias have convex shaped heads and it is even regarded by many that the Lusitano horse breed has evolved from the Sorraias. These three are the indigenous horse breeds in Portugal and are prominently involved in their equestrian activities. In fact, the horse saddles, bridles and horse riding attires are native to Portugal. Equestrian activities have been greatly enhanced by these horse breeds and are a tourist attraction.