Sunday Surprise

This weekend I stayed in the city with some friends to spend a (at least I thought it would be) completely horseless weekend! However it turned into a surprisingly pleasant time with some great horsey moments!

It all started Saturday with a chill out visit to my yard after spending all morning shopping with my good friend AF. We had the pleasure to watch my trainer schooling his newest Alter Real stallion. It made sometime since last time I saw it and what a difference… he is turning in to a gorgeous horse and a stunner mover!

Sunday morning a couple of friends defied us to visit the National Coach Museum.

This museum hosts an impressive collection of some of the richest and most important coaches from the latest Portuguese monarchs and from the first Presidents as well.

The highlight of this museum is the building itself. Actually the museum is standing on the original Royal Arena next to the “Belém Palace”, one of the last Royal houses built in Lisbon. This is a very beautiful and classical arena and hopefully in some years it will turn into the Portuguese School of Equestrian Art headquarters, an old dream of its director Mr. Filipe Graciosa.

Is also possible to see some of the tack used at the time, and one of the curiosities is the saddle and tack that belonged to the 4th “Marquês de Marialva” D. Pedro António de Meneses. He lived between 1658 and 1711 and was the chief rider of the Portuguese Royal Stud, known for his equestrian skills.

And for a perfect ending… as soon as we left the museum we found the National Republican Mounted Guard Band performing in the Belém gardens… the only mounted band in the world that is able to play music while cantering their lovely grey Lusitanos!