agile, noble & generous

O U R L U S I T A N O B R E E D I N G S T A N D A R D

IN THE PURSUIT of BREEDING excellence.

Today’s Lusitano horse has it’s origins in Portugal, but their many wonderful attributes have led to them being found around the world.

Cave drawings suggest that there were horses present on the Iberian Peninsula as early as 25,000 to 20,000 B.C. Evidence shows that cross breeding and various influences went into developing what became the specific breeds of each region, most notably the Lusitanos of Portugal and the Andalusians of Spain.

One of the uses for the ancestors of the Lusitano were as war horses, as well as bull fighting horses. To us this explains the high bondability that the Lusitanos have; after all one wouldn’t want to ride a horse into battle that they didn’t trust, and likewise a horse would not be willing to enter battle with a rider that they didn’t trust. For 2 creatures of different species to trust one another with their lives (literally!) must have required such a relationship that is rarely considered in today’s world.

One modern hypothesis suggests that the bond between the Iberian humans and horses was the initial inspiration for the CENTAUR, and experiencing what it is to ride these horses one can certainly see that connection.

The Associação Portuguesa de Criadores do Cavalo Puro Sangue Lusitano, APSL for short was founded in 1967 to provide breed criteria for the Lusitano, as well as a Stud Book to document their lineages. Only horses whose parents have been registered and revised with APSL are eligible for registration and to be presented for revision.

Revision happens at 3 years and up for mares, and 4 years and up for stallions. The horse is presented to a qualified judge, and evaluated based on conformation and movement. This helps to ensure the quality of the breed, while also providing a publicly available assessment of each individual.

These standards give a consistent guideline for breeders to strive towards. Aside from the physical attributes which give rise to agile, elevated, forward, smooth movement, which provides a great comfort to the rider, the horses should also display a noble, generous and ardent, but always gentle and able to long suffering temperament. They should display a natural ability for concentration, with a great disposition for High School Work, with the courage and enthusiasm to excel in combat, hunting, bullfighting, cattle work, and so on. We have seen these qualities in the Lusitanos that we have been fortunate enough to interact with, and they are a part of what has inspired our commitment to this breed.

Breed guidelines pulled off the APSL website: Lusitano Horse Breed | APSL - Lusitano Horse (cavalo-lusitano.com)
One modern hypothesis suggests that the bond between Iberian humans and horses was the initial inspiration for the centaur,[1] "Lusitano". International Museum of the Horse. Retrieved 2009-11-13.