Relax by the swimming pool after riding

A guest sitting room


Lunch is served on the large, shady terrace



The peaceful gardens

Horsemanship
Question to Rodrigo:

Is there an important message you want to communicate to riders?

"To have respect and love for horses. Allow time for the horse to evolve and work with harmony, balance, lightness and impulsion.
It is important to give horses time - in their minds and bodies - to mature and to evolve the muscles. Don't train them too fast. Respect them."
Rodrigo Matos

I first heard about Rodrigo da Costa Matos when he visited the South West of England for a series of Classical riding clinics in 2008. He is a Principal rider at the legendary Escola Portuguesa d' Arte Equestre (Portuguese School of Equestrian Art) and a director of Morgado Lusitano, a top class classical riding facility just outside Lisbon.

Rodrigo Matos is a true horseman who puts you immediately at ease and genuinely wants you and your horse to improve. He teaches empathy and horsemanship and at the forefront of his training is kindness and respect for the horse, with no forced outlines. For someone like me, from a natural horsemanship background, this was the perfect way to experience Classical riding. After two first class riding sessions with Rodrigo on my own horses, the clarity of the instruction stayed with me and enabled continued improvement. I had to learn more and organised a short trip to Morgado Lusitano for further training on the Lusitano stallions.

Arranging a visit to Morgado Lusitano
It was easy to arrange a visit as both Joao Carmona, the manager, and Ana Terese are two of the most helpful people you could ever hope to meet. They carefully - and tactfully - find out what you want to achieve so they can organise the perfect break for you. There is no trail riding at Morgado Lusitano. This is a top class facility for people who want to improve their riding, are willing to learn and would like to experience the feel of advanced high school stallions. So it's best to be totally honest about your riding ability and aims. Having said that, from a classical point of view, I'm a novice and although at the low end of their ability level, I was warmly welcomed, as I wanted to learn.

Easy to get to
The flight from Bristol is only 2.5 hours and Ana Terese was there to pick me up like a long lost friend. Morgado Lusitano is about 20 minutes from the airport and enjoys the advantages of being a stone's throw from the culture and excitement of Lisbon, while situated peacefully in its own considerable land overlooking the beautiful Tejo estuary. A couple of years ago Morgado Lusitano moved to this new location which centers around the beautiful Quinta de Portella estate house - and much work has gone into creating a quality, purpose built riding facility.

For the Guests
Guests enjoy comfortable accommodation in rooms adorned with antiques and have the run of the house, which includes a fabulous library, perfect for gathering after the day's riding - and an enticing swimming pool in the gardens, overlooking the Estuary. Dress is casual and you can be very much at ease here.

The other guests at Morgado are a truly international mix, with people from across the globe united by their love of good riding and Lusitano horses. During my visit, I met delightful people from Finland, New Zealand, the UK, South Africa, Australia and the UAE.

Morgado only accepts up to six riding guests at any one time - and lessons are with a maximum of two people, and most often, one to one - which was a huge bonus. Additional non-riding partners and friends can be accomodated, but the numbers are kept small. You therefore have the feeling of enormous space and a peaceful pace, in which you can both concentrate on your riding and truly relax. There is always a sun lounger free by the pool here!

The food at Morgado
The food at Morgado is healthy, fresh, home-cooked regional cuisine. Breakfast is served in the dining room, lunch outside on the huge terrace in the shade of an enormous tree, and dinner inside again. Drink the red wine - it's great. And you can help yourself to port, wine or soft drinks any time of the day. Other than arrival day, when you don't ride, I didn't spot any riders drinking at lunchtime though, in anticipation of their afternoon lesson! Later on, things are more relaxed.

The Riding instructors
Lessons are given by either Rodrigo Matos, or his wife Charlotte Wittbom. Charlotte trained under classical maestro, Luis Valenca, and also appeared in Apassionata. Both Rodrigo and Charlotte have a busy schedule of international clinics, so it is worth checking which instructor is going to be resident at Morgado when you book.

Lusitano Stallions and the team
Morgado is home to around 25 elegant Lusitano stallions, schooled to Grand Prix level, some of whom are made available to guests and others who are there on behalf of international clients keen to have their horses schooled to perfection. There are sometimes one or two horses being prepared for sale - so if you're looking for a Lusitano, it is well worth checking out the gems being produced by Rodrigo and Charlotte.

It’s professional and friendly, with enthusiastic working students from all over the world, keen to progress under Rodrigo’s world class tuition. I met Rachel from the UK who already rides very well, so look out for her in the dressage arena when she returns after six months at Morgado! Regina from New Zealand had left her horses at home to pursue equestrian excellence and will reap the rewards for sure. The team is approachable and friendly and always encouraging.

Other Activities
As the centre of Lisbon is so accessible from Morgado, it is easy to head off there for shopping, a meal or a visit to see the Picadores of the Portuguese School of Equestrian Art – a fantastic experience not to be missed!

My visit
During my stay, I rode three different stallions and watched numerous other lessons and training sessions. My reason for visiting Morgado was to establish exactly where I am with my riding and obtain clear objectives on what I need to work on, so I can progress. Once again, the clarity and quality of the instruction was superb and you cannot fail to improve. There is no doubt that Rodrigo Matos is a master trainer and anyone interested in riding beautifully should try to spend some time with him while he takes a two year sabbatical from the Portuguese School of Equestrian Art to teach at Morgado and at clinics all around the world. I'm certainly intending to make a return visit - but only after I've done my considerable homework – ‘Hours and hours of experience – it’s the only way to get your seat.’ says Rodrigo.

CLICK HERE for the Morgado Lusitano web page