Quinta da Portela, dating from the eighteenth and sent century to rise by Castle Best Marquis, Count of Ribeira Grande, a large landowner in the region, is only 15 minutes from Lisbon Airport and is located in full wine region of Bucelas. Here you can learn classical dressage on well-trained Lusitano horses, and at the same time enjoy full board accommodation at this lovely old place that always makes you feel just like home.
By Therese Alhaug Photo Lena Saugen, Therese Alhaug & Morgado Lusitano
All rooms at Morgado include a living room with fireplace, decorated in an old authentic Portuguese style. The main building hosts a nostalgic library and a giant fireplace, just perfect for social evenings, or a time-off reading or studying.
The beautiful garden, swimming pool and the lovely nature that surrounds the property stimulates all your senses – either you like to go for a swim, enjoy a walk, or head for a run in the mountains – always with the unique view over the Tejo River.
The well-educated stallions of Morgado Lusitano are the heart of the center, as they are trained to a level that is rarely available in the vast majority of riding schools, offering a unique learning experience in a classical way.
Classical riding is interwoven in the culture of Portugal, still, at Morgado Lusitano, classical dressage is not only the standard by which horses are trained, it is employed daily by the practitioners of the Art.
The horses appear happy and willing, due to the many years of classical and careful training that they have received which allows them to be relaxed and supple, even while a novice rider hesitatingly asks for complex lateral movements. I would say –a visit to Morgado should be in every dressage lovers calendar.
www.morgadolusitano.pt
