Portuguese Equitation is already considered as Intangible Cultural Heritage, according to the inscription published at April 28, in Diário da República by the Directorate-General for Cultural Heritage.
The application resulted from a joint protocol signed by Parques de Sintra, as the managing entity of the Portuguese School of Equestrian Art, by the Portuguese Association of Purebred Lusitano Horse Breeders (APSL), and by the Municipality of Golegã, as promoter of the National Fair of the Horse, and had APSL as its proponent.
According to the PCI Matrix, which is responsible for the National Inventory of Cultural Heritage, Portuguese Equitation presents itself as a strongly identifiable manifestation for the universe of all those who practice it and which expands to an unquantifiable number of riders, from professionals to the most amateurs, from those who do it more or less regularly, to those who do it only in informal contexts for the sake of leisure.
He also stresses that the question of identity is reflected in the way in which, in certain contexts, riders care for and care for the way they present themselves and present their mount, wearing “Portuguese style” and fitting their “Portuguese style” horse, referring that the its most visible side is present when the Portuguese riders present themselves publicly or privately, whether for sporting, representation or just leisure purposes.
Of note in this context is the important role that the Portuguese School of Equestrian Art plays as a historical-cultural repository of the secular Portuguese Equestrian Art.
It should be remembered that the Portuguese School of Equestrian Art, managed by Parques de Sintra since September 2012, was created in 1979 by the Portuguese Government with the aim of promoting the teaching, practice and dissemination of traditional Portuguese Equestrian Art. It recovers the tradition of Real Picaria, an equestrian academy of the Portuguese court of the 18th century, which used the Picadeiro Real de Belém, today part of the installations of the National Coach Museum, and exclusively rides Portuguese Alter Real horses.
Their performances, namely the Galas, recreate the atmosphere that was experienced in the Court at that time and are usually performed to the sound of music from the Baroque, pre-classical and classical periods. In these shows, the horses come with period harnesses and the riders wear costumes that recreate those that were used at the time by the royal Picadores.
The next Gala of the Portuguese School of Equestrian Art will take place this Friday, the 30th, at 7 pm, at the Picadeiro Henrique Calado (Calçada da Ajuda – Belém – Lisbon). During the week, from Tuesday to Saturday, the Portuguese School of Equestrian Art opens its doors to, during the “Mornings of Equestrian Art”, to show the daily work of teaching, preparation and rehearsal that is developed by riders and horses.
@ Alto Alentejo
