Horseback Riding Vacations in Portugal

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Portugal: Landscape diversity for horseback riding

Located in Southwestern Europe, on the Iberian Peninsula, it is bordered to the east by Spain and by the Atlantic Ocean, to the west. Portugal’s territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of Madeira and the Azores.

Much to the delight of nature lovers, this small country offers an extraordinary variety of landscapes and outdoor activities.

From the mouth of the Minho River, in the north, to the Carvoeiro Cape, along its coastline, we can find some of the most amazing white sand beaches. Only to the south of this cape, beaches alternate with impressive cliffs.

There are many horse riding holiday options here and you can ride around the most spectacular cliffs and sea caves in Europe, and contemplate a breath-taking sunset.

Mainland Portugal is divided in two by its main river, the Tagus. To the north of the Tagus River, the prevailing landscape is mountainous, while the south features mostly rolling plains.

Besides its natural beauty, Portugal stands out for its history, its culture and its cuisine, which includes its excellent wines. Thanks to the hospitality of the Portuguese people, you can enjoy all this and much more.

Lisbon , the capital of Portugal, is known as “the white city” thanks to the sunlight reflected over the Tagus. Porto, located in the north of the country, is the second-largest city.

This country combines the beauty of its paradisiacal beaches and cosmopolitan cities with its traditional rural areas. That is why Portugal is referred to as "the garden by the sea".

Equestrian tourism on the back of a Lusitano horse

Portugal includes, within its Equestrian Tourism offer, the renowned coastal, which are rides on secluded beaches or trails along mountainsides.

Among the trails, there are beach options and a highly recommendable region is Alentejo.

Another interesting option may be a visit to the farming lands and model farms. Rural activity in Portugal has an exquisite cultural richness.

We will do all this riding a Lusitano horse, the heir to the Iberian horse. Today is one of the favourite and most famous horse breeds in Portugal.

Meet the Lusitano horse

The Lusitano is one of the oldest saddle horses in the world.

For centuries, it was considered the ideal breed for war, parades, high-school dressage and bullfighting. That is why this breed has strongly influenced horsemanship, art and universal literature.

This medium-sized horse usually stands 150-160 cm, and its compact and muscular body is combined with a short and slightly convex back.

It has a well-proportioned head with a profile that is slightly convex. The ears are thin and small, and the eyes are small and very expressive. The neck is thick and arched, with a narrow but long mane.

The legs are sturdy and muscled.

As for his character, they are calm and good-tempered, although they are very sensitive and, therefore, capable of working in close coordination with riders.

We can say that this breed is notable for its toughness as well as its sure-footedness and stamina.

Riding holiday operators in Portugal

Ampascachi Horse Riding Holidays has selected some suppliers of Equestrian Tourism that should be taken into consideration to know the best of Portugal on horseback.

Quinta do Rol

Located in the centre of Portugal, north of Lisbon, and they offers excellent dressage instruction in well-schooled Pure Blood Lusitano horses. They are dedicated to rural tourism, wine making and the fine art of dressage.

You will stay at the ‘Monte’, the main building of the farm that dates back to Roman times with several additions throughout the years, a traditionally famous country house in Alentejo.

The Equestrian Centre of Quinta do Rol aims at contributing to the promotion of horse riding activities in this region, by combining an innovative comfort concept and rural modernity with the renowned Portuguese equestrian tradition.

Here you can choose a riding clinic (one or two lessons a day), riding lessons with rides in trails, or you can just enjoy their self-guided rides.

If you attend one of their Riding Clinics, they include accommodations, all meals with full board in the main house of the estate.

Their rides

This area of Alentejo is gorgeous and has a perfect climate. You will be pleased with its peace and seclusion.

On the tours that take you along the old trails of the farm, you can visit an nature reserve and several neighbouring farms.

This is a natural area, you travel around large extensions of land covered with grass, many beautiful lakes, and through trails that go into the cork plantations.

This 30-minute ride is one of the most popular and it takes us on horseback to the city of Évora, which was declared a UNESCO Heritage Site.

Their beach rides are a must and they are included in their programs.

Another activity that they propose is Wine Tourism; the quality of their wines is their outstanding feature. Together with Quinta do Rol and their well-regarded wine experts you can increase your knowledge of Portuguese wine making.

If you want to know more about them please go to their web site: quintadorol.com.

Raides Vicentinos

Located in Alentejo, Raides Vicentinos has offered the best horse riding holiday programs in Portugal since 2002.

Their team is responsible for your safety and all aspects of your horseback riding vacations. Your guide Miguel and the support team have a special kind of knowledge and skill that includes matching riders to the right horse, ensuring the food and accommodations are top quality and providing the opportunity to learn about Portugal and its culture.

This, combined with their professionalism, horsemanship and dedication, makes their horse riding holidays perfect, fascinating and memorable for their clients.

All their guides speak perfect English and French.

Their good-tempered and surefooted Portuguese Lusitano horses have been specially trained for these trails. They use sheepskin Portuguese military saddles, which are very comfortable and safe.

Their rides

They offer rides from Sunday to Sunday; there are more than 8 different possibilities to see real Portugal on horseback.

Their trails begin south of the capital city of Lisbon, in Alentejo. It is a region filled with beautiful landscapes and wide-open spaces to ride. Whether you ride inland or near the coast, this area is mostly free of highways and traffic.

These equestrian trails are the best way to enjoy the scenery as you traverse quiet country roads, trotting and cantering your way through the Mediterranean oak, pine, cork and eucalyptus forests.

Sandy trails near the coast provide lots of opportunity to explore at a free canter.

Their beaches are deserted with kilometres of beautiful sand to have our horse gallop on them. Here you will get to know beautiful, sunny Portugal.

Discover their equestrian routes at ridingholidaysinportugal.com and come enjoy a horseback riding holiday with them in Portugal.

Monte Velho Stud Farm

In this stud farm, located 7 km from Arraiolos, they breed Lusitano horses and offer riding lessons and horseback tours around their equestrian centre.

Here you can explore the Alentejo scenery on horseback with a guide or arrange a riding lesson with a specialist if you request it in advance.

Integrated in a true ecological Paradise, Monte Velho Stud Farm has dedicated to Lusitano horse breeding since 1994. Constituted from a group of five Alter Real mares, which were crossed initially with the stallion Xaquiro, they obtained their herd.

They have always had the goal of creating well-conformed horses morphologically and, especially, with very good gaits, to guarantee that they are suitable for riding in all kinds of trails.

They have an excellent infrastructure for horse riding at the highest level, including a Carriere with Olympic dimensions (60mx30m) and two arenas both indoor and outdoor.

Their rides

There are plenty of riding possibilities in this equestrian centre because, on the trail rides, you can set off from the farm onto the 250-ha estate which lies inside an ecological reserve and also onto neighbouring properties.

In fact, you can ride for several hours without ever crossing paved roads, going through various dams and experiencing a typical Alentejo’s landscape, with its cork trees and holm trees, the various herds of cattle, in an hundred percent natural environment.

They offer 7 day/6 night horse riding packages with 5 days on horseback:

• Dressage Program (1-hour lesson daily)
• Intensive Dressage Program (2 x 1 hour lesson daily)
• Mixed Program (1 hour lesson and 1.5 hour trail ride)
• Trail Riding Program (1.5 hour daily)
• Intensive Riding Program (2 x 1.5 hour trail ride daily)

With these programs, riders can perfect their skills and then, put them in practice in their trails.

If you want to learn more about them, please go to their web site www.montevelho.pt.

Portugal, a country with an extraordinary natural variety that includes mountains, rivers, rolling plains and an immense beach that can be enjoyed on horseback, either on the shore or on its spectacular cliffs. Combine all that with its cultural and gastronomic richness, and you have the perfect horse riding holidays.

Do you also love the idea of exploring Europe on horseback?

Download our free eBook on equestrian tourism in Europe and choose where you’d like to spend your next horse riding holidays. It includes countries, tour operators and horseback tours of the European continent recommended by the Ampascachi team.