For 25 years the Escola de Equitação de Alcainça has been providing first class dressage instruction. The senior instructor Georges Malleroni studied classical dressage under Nuno Oliveira, the great Portuguese Master.

The centre has beautiful pure-bred and part-bred Lusitano horses, including geldings and stallions. The 16 school horses are trained to a high level of performance and are able to do shoulder in, half pass, flying changes, piaffe and passage. Some are very highly trained horses for experienced riders and there are also school masters for those starting out
in dressage.

The centre specialises in dressage instruction and one and a half hour lessons are scheduled for the morning and again in the afternoon. Riders are split according to their ability and the lesson size is normally two or three to a group. There is a spacious indoor arena and also a large outdoor arena which is partly covered.

You can choose to ride twice a day, which will mean that most of your day will be taken up with horses and riding; or to have one lesson which leaves time to relax by the lovely pool, watch horses and riders in training or to go on a sightseeing trip. Your holiday can include a mixture of both and in fact we would recommend that you allow at least one afternoon off to relax. A driver is available to take you to places of interest in the area, including the Portuguese School of Equestrian Art at Queluz; Mafra or Lisbon (extra charge).

The village of Alcainça is 25kms northwest of Lisbon and 5kms from the palace of Mafra. Being close to the coast helps assure a nice even temperature throughout the year so that even in July and August it never gets too hot.

There are four en suite twin rooms at the riding centre and a further three rooms just across the road. The rooms are simply decorated, clean and comfortable. The dining room overlooks the indoor arena and you are served traditional Portuguese dishes with house wine.

Whatever your level of riding, the combination of these wonderful horses and the high quality of instruction available is sure to develop your dressage skills.