The Lusitano horse is a breed that originates in Portugal, and is known for its athleticism, elegance, and spirit.
Lusitanos make great horses for dressage, combined driving, and other horse sports, and the name of the breed derives from the Roman name for the territory that is now Portugal – Lusitania.
If you’re interested in learning more about the Lusitano Horse, keep reading!
This article will provide you with everything you need to know.
Lusitano Breed Info
Here are some of the key things you need to know about the Lusitano:
| Height (size) | 15.0 – 16.0 hands high |
| Colors | Any solid color is allowed, but they are most commonly bay, chestnut or gray, but buckskin and palomino are also seen. Often, grey Lusitanos are born black or bay and turn white with age. |
| Country of Origin | Portugal |
| Common Uses | Dressage, cattle work, working equitation, combined driving, mounted bullfighting |
Lusitano Facts & Information (Breed Profile)
Horses have been present on the Iberian Peninsula (modern-day Spain and Portugal) since 30,000 – 20,000 BC.
These horses were known as Iberian horses, and in the course of the rise and fall of different civilizations, as well as the trading and migrations that took place between them, they were influenced by horses from many different areas of the world.
By the year 800 BC, the Iberians were well-known for their war horses and their skill on horseback.
When the Roman Empire conquered portions of Iberia, they were fascinated by the Iberians’ way of equestrian warfare, so they established stud farms where Iberian horses and equitation were developed for the Roman cavalry.
Then, from the 8th through the 15th century, Moorish conquerors from Morocco and Algeria controlled the Iberian Peninsula, bringing with them their horses – predominantly Barbs, but some horses also had oriental ancestry.
The Iberian made the Barb stronger, and the Barb made the Iberian more refined, docile, agile, and beautiful.
The Iberian horse evolved into the ideal all-arounder, one that was just as comfortable working on farms as it was in the royal courts.
The expansion throughout Portugal and Spain eventually led to the development of different varieties like the Lusitano, Andalusian and the Menorquín.
It is generally agreed that the Lusitano is the breed that most closely resembles the original Iberian horse.
Lusitano in the ‘New World’
The Lusitano traveled to South America with the Portuguese people where it proved to be an essential asset to the settlers as they worked to establish themselves in the new world and learn how to live there.
Over the course of the years, some Lusitanos were set loose, escaped or got lost, which resulted in them crossing with other free roaming horses in the area.
These crosses led to development of the Criollo, the Spanish Mustang as well as the Mangalarga Marchador, which is still a very popular mount of the Brazilian gauchos.
Meanwhile, the art of riding and equestrian combat in Europe had evolved into classical dressage.
It was believed that the Iberian horse, which had not yet been separated into the several breeds that exist today, was the most suitable mount for this purpose.
The Iberian horse was regularly used to enhance and develop other breeds, and also there was a lot of interbreeding between the Iberian horses of Spain (eventually to become Andalusians) and those of Portugal.
Modern Development of the Lusitano Breed
In 1889 Portugal established a list of domestic horse breeds.
When it came to horse breeding in Portugal, the emphasis was on dressage cattle work and mounted bullfighting.
In Spain, on the other hand, there was a greater focus put on breeding horses who exhibited elevated and flashy movements.
As a result, the power and courage of the Iberian horses of Portugal became widely renowned.
The Iberian horse was crossed with heavier breeds in the 19th and 20th centuries in an effort to enhance its height and pulling strength; however, the end consequence was a decrease in quality rather than an improvement.
Fortunately, the Iberian’s ancient genetic roots proved too strong, and the only noticeable long-term change was an increase in height.
At this point in time, all horses from the Iberian Peninsula were often referred to as Andalusians.
This was due to the fact that the region of Andalusia in Spain was historically recognized as an well-known area for horse breeding.
Since then, the Lusitano has been a symbol of Portuguese national pride.
Portugal created the first official Lusitano Studbook in 1942.
In 1966 Spanish and Portuguese studbooks standardardized their terminology so that horses born in Portugal would be named Lusitano and horses born in Spain would be called PRE (or Andalusian).
This allowed the two breeds to develop into separate and distinct types.
In this period, a number of Spanish PRE horses were transferred to the Portuguese Studbook.
The Colorado Ranger horse breed was developed between 1980 and 1987 using Lusitano animals as the foundation stock.
The breed registry, however, no longer permits these crosses.
Lusitanos are still used in Portugal in a type of mounted bullfighting where the bull is not killed and it is considered a disgrace for the rider if the horse is injured.
Today’s ‘Alter Real’ horses are in fact a strain of the Lusitano horse developed in the middle of the 18th century, exclusively in Portugal’s ‘Alter Real State Stud,’ which was established by the Portuguese royal family for the national riding school and royal usage.
The contemporary Mangalarga Marchador breed from Brazil may trace its roots back to a Alter Real’ stallion that was sent to Brazil before the invasion of Napoleon in 1807.
At the World Equestrian Games in 2006, the whole Portuguese dressage team rode Lusitanos.
At the same competition, a Belgian driver Felix-Marie Brasseur won the gold medal for four-in-hand driving with a team that consisted entirely of Lusitanos.
If you’re interested in learning more about this fascinating breed, keep reading!
Alternative Names
“Pure Blood Lusitano”, “PSL (Puro Sangue Lusitano)”
Temperament/Personality
Intelligent, courageous, gentle, obedient, but can be difficult to handle and “hot”
Physical Characteristics
The head is well-proportioned and narrow, with mostly a convex profile.
The eyes are almond-shaped and expressive.
The arched neck is strong, and it is well attached to withers that are positioned higher than the rounded and sloped croup.
The chest is wide and deep.
The shoulders are sloped and the back is strong and short.
The legs are straight and powerful with tough hooves.
They have thick and long manes and tails.
Their movements are elevated and active, but smooth for the rider.
It is a baroque type of horse with a proud carriage and a powerful presence.
Colors
Any solid color is allowed, but they are most commonly bay, chestnut or gray, but buckskin and palomino are also seen.
Often, gray Lusitanos are born black or bay and turn white with age.
Height (size)
15.0 – 16.0 hands high
Stallions
n/a
Mares
n/a
Weight
900 – 1,100 lbs (400 – 500 kg)
Blood Type
Warm
Common Uses
Dressage, cattle work, working equitation, combined driving, mounted bullfighting
Health
n/a
Popular Traits
n/a
Feeding/Diet
n/a
Country of Origin
Portugal
Ancestors
Sorraia horses, Barb