The Lusitano Horse Association of Australasia is affiliated with the Associacao Portuguesa de Criadores do Cavalo Puro Sangue Lusitano(APSL)
A short introduction:
The Lusitano Purebred is one of the two Iberian breeds which are the oldest saddlehorses in the world. It is a "hot blooded" horse and has been ridden for about 5000 years. It is a versatile horse whose gentleness, agility, trainability and courage permit it to take part in almost all modern equestrian trials.
The Lusitano has a natural aptitude for dressage, driving, jumping and Working Equitation. In Portugal, the cradle of the breed, there are approximately 2000 mares of breeding age. In Brazil approximately, 1500 and France perhaps 500. Other countries throughout the world add to this.
Lusitanos are a newly introduced breed in Australasia and New Zealand. However the imported bloodlines are equal to any in the world.
The LHAA has two Studbooks and one Register.
Briefly-
1. The Lusitano Purebred Studbook.
Horses within this Studbook have been registered or are eligible for registration in the mother APSL Studbook.
2. The Purebred Spanish/ Portugese Studbook.
A mating of Pure Lusitano and Pure Spanish, once again uniting the Iberian breed
3. Lusitano Crossbred Register
Outcross, with a. Pure Lusitano or PSP Stallion or mare. No grading up.
The four main Lusitano bloodlines are briefly as follows. I will discuss them more fully in further newsletter.
1/ VEIGA.Coudelaria Veiga was founded over 180 years ago and has achieved. world renown for the agility, sensitivity, and courage of it's bullfighting horses. Veiga horses are high ranking in all performance disciplines.
(2) ANDRADE. Founded in'-1894 by Dr.Ruy Andrade. The ultimate saddlehorse. Tall, athletic, with a calm, gentle temperament.
(3) COUDELARIA NACIONAL. The National Stud. The program is designed to lease stallions to breeders interested in breed improvement. CN also acquires exceptional horses to stand for reproduction purposes. Recently the management of CN and Couledaria de Alter was unified.
(4) ALTER REAL. Alter horses are always bay, tall and vigorous, with noble character and very functional. Ideal for dressage and High School exercises.
WELCOME TO THE FOLLOWING YOUNGSTOCK
ZEFIRO PSL 013. Grey Purebred colt DOB 14.8.2002. Bred bY Kellie Pearson, New Zealand. Zefiro's sire is the superb U.K based LUXO by Xaquiro. Luxo is currently competing Prix St George and has qualified for the winter finals at Solihull. His dam is the imported mare Paloma PSLO 12 sired by Diabo.
CHAPELHOUSE AMAZONA PSLOII Bay Pure Andrade filly DOB 5.1.2005 Bred by K. Howard Olsen., Australia. Sire.- The imported stallion Irreal PSL002. Classical Pure Andrade Stallion currently competing Advanced and training PSG- Dam: Timida PS1,005, Imported Andrade mare.
CHAPELHOUSE ANDANTE PSLO14 Grey Pure Andrade Colt. DOB 22.1.2005. Breeder as above. Sire: Irreal, Dam: Obcecada PSL003 Imported Andrade mare.
CHAPELHOUSE ARIEL CR001 Cruxado bay colt DOB 23. 1.2005 Breeder as above. Sire: Irreal Dam: Marble Hill Road(TB)
Katherine Howard-Olsen, President Lusitano Horse Association of Australasia (02) 488-11042
A Trip to Portugal and Spain
I recently returned from a flying trip to Portugal where I attended the 5 Day Festival Internacional de Puro Sangue Lusitano at Cascais near Lisbon.
The 1,2 and 3 year old colts and fillies shown were particularly interesting as they exhibited the development of a distinct Lusitano 'type", which was not as evident on my visits several years ago.
Until Spain and Portugal separated their studbooks some 50 years ago, stud horses were freely used both ways across the border. In fact, certain very fine stud animals were absorbed into the opposite country's studbooks into the 1990s. Now, although instantly recognizable as Iberian, a sub-convex profile, a longer head, tapering more at the muzzle, a sloping croup distinguish the younger generation of Lusitanos.
Wonderful memory: A beautiful grey one year old filly with the most amazing floating movements I have ever seen. She mesmerized the spectators. Her handler gave a lengthy perhaps too much so, demonstration. She made the finals but didn't win. Our close inspection in her stall showed puffy fetlocks, a sure sign of overwork. Descendants of the Quina Sire Zaquiro still stand out in the lineup.
Highlights:- Meeting the Presidents of many of the International Lusitano Associations. The newly appointed President of -the APSL, Eng. Manuel Campiho, ( and ardent driving man invited all the internationall presidents and their partners to a magnificent dinner at his incredible family home on the Cascais waterfront. Think white-gloved butlers, superb wood paneling in every room, family portraits covering the walls, spectacular silverware, and you have the picture. I spoke with representatives from the U.K, Holland, Germany, Switzerland and Columbia. Dr. Enrique Guerrero, head of the Lusitano Association in Spain and the owner of the 0lympic horse Guizo, was particularly helpfuI
Another Highlight:- Once more watching Working Equitation classes in their home country. Working Equitation is now an International Sport and is designed to showcase the unique athletic abilities of the lberlan horse. Collection is a must. Flying changes also. Held over 3 or 4 days it is a distilled version of the obstacles and events a working horse in the country would be likely to face. In Australia, stock and reining horses would also enjoy it. A number of divisions are possible depending on the age of riders and horses.
Day 1 - Dressage. No actual test but certain movements and gaits to be shown. Approx. our Elementary - Medium Dressage.
Day 2 - Obstacle course. Must be done with great grace and harmony between horse anal rider. Gate, bridge, small jump. Full pass over poles .... about 14 obstacles in all. Favourites - The Chicken Coop Run. A small round pen which may contain chickens, sheep or pigs with a small fenced laneway, around The rider enters at collected canter, exits voltes, flying change, and repeats the circle the other way! The Slalom ancl Double Slalom. Executed with the long cattle goad in one hand.
Day 3 - Obstacle course, not necessarily in the same order, at -SPEED. This is thrilling. Forget grace, harmony and flying changes. THIS IS AGAINST THE CLOCK. You can't believe the ways they use the goad in the slaloms.
Day 4 - Working the cows. A cutting competition.
Final Highlight: A return visit to the Vihena d'Andrade Stud at Torres Vedras. Several of my horses were born there and it was interesting to see. two years on, how the young stallions and mares had grown and progressed.
All to soon it was time to head towards Spain in company with my Dutch friend Saskia Mesdag. She is, as many of you know a top-level Spanish judge and her knowledge of the Iberian horse must rank with the best in the world. "Now" she said as we crossed the border 'NOW, I'm going to show you some serious SPANISH horses".
SPAIN
"And now I'm going to show you some serious SPANISH horses!" Saskia with a glint in her eye, drove over the Alentejo border and into the Spanish countryside. Freestone walls and huge straw coloured fields. Sunflowers, more cork trees, more olives. The famous silhouette of a black bull, relic of an advertising campaign for a brand of liquor. Within half an hour we arrived at Ignacio Bravo's stud near Zafra. Ignacio was riding his magnificent bay stallion Atiza amongst the mare herd. No fuss. What a lovely big gentleman.
Even though the temperature was over 40 degrees Celsius, Ignaclo insisted we watch Atiza and his other stallion the tall grey Christiano perform. Both horses compete internationally at Grand Prix. Eva, Ignacio's partner rode Christiano. A pleasure to watch not just one but two top horses with such beautiful temperaments, so well trained and with movement to burn. The stallions worked happily side by side. Only if thev were ridden into the mare herd together were they Jealous of each other, we were told.
Then on into the real Andalucia to a spacious airy "farmhouse" near Ronda, with views from the terrace over straw coloured hills and valleys. Huge bare mountains loomed blue in the distance. Favourite memory -Riding over the farm one evening about 8pm to a friend's finca on top of the hill. We sat on his terrace with a bottle of chilled white watching the full moon of the solstice rise over the mountains. Horses tethered to a nearby tree. Homewards (slightly tipsy) down through the moonlit hills and trees. The mares were surefooted and knew their way.The mare I rode was built LIKE A TANK ... yet her responsiveness to the lightest of seat and leg aids would put many a Grand Prix horse to shame.
Ignacio Candau was my host over the final two days. First, out into the fields at Gaena to see the famous grey Candau mares. All tall., with beautiful faces. As like as peas in the pod. No they weren't all grey At San Jose, the Candau stallions were exhibited in the indoor arena.Again mainly grey, tall and with eye-catching movement. Two of the premium stallions had just returned from Madrid where their semen had been collected and frozen.
The Royal School at Jerez
Enjoyed renewing my acquaintance with Rafaei Soto, who was working Invasor on one of the outdoor arenas when we arrived. Invasor is now 16 and this will probably be his final year competing on the European circuit. He is much taller than he appears on film and shows a wonderful maturity and joy in his work. Such a pleasure to watch the combination. Nobody,, but nobody, rides like Rafael. An astonishing technique, but so effective.
Rafael then worked his next international hope, the Candau stallion Urdidor. Yes he is gray and over 170cm. Trot that barely touched the ground.
So much has been written about the Royal School already. I'll only touch on a couple of items. The founder, Alvaro Domecq, brought many of the original trainers from Portugal. The joke goes that there are two ways of ensuring success in Andalucia. Have the surname Domecq or be a horse.
Astounding circular tack room, about two storeys high. Saddles arranged., Classica, Vquera, rider's saddles with brass nameplates. Hooked device on long pole to hoist the bridles up to their racks in the heights. Grooms everywhere, The Palace and grounds are very beautiful with a must visit new museum and another excellent museum of harness and driving conveyances.
My visit was over far too soon. Perhaps next time I will be fortunate to make it to Sicab. But why oh why is it always in foaling season?
Katharine Howard-Olsen.
