Portugal is located in the south western part of Europe and is flanked by Spain in the north and east and the Atlantic Ocean in the south and west. Once a part of the Roman Empire, Portugal came to be recognized as an independent territory with its victory in the battle of Ourique in the 12th century. The country has always promoted the practice of different kinds of sports and the results have been promising with Portugal winning many major world championships or performing impressively in them consolidating their position in the sporting world. Since antiquity, if one looks back through the pages of history, one will find that in the very beginning equestrian activities and horse riding was mostly used for traveling long distances and for military purposes and warfare. But now, it is also extended as a past time and sport and equestrian has become a popular form of spending leisure time in Portugal.

Pictures from Portugal Web, more can be seen: Portuguese saddles

Historically speaking, Portugal had been confiscated within the Roman Empire as early as 138 BC and it was then called Lusitania. This is the source from were the Lusitano horse breed has derived its name and it is the most well known breed of horses in Portugal followed by the Garrano and Sorraia horse breeds. In fact, in order to realize the importance of the Baroque horse tack and the Portuguese horse tack which are prevalently used today, it is extremely necessary to keep in mind the historical point of view. There are various kinds of conventional Portuguese saddles which include Ribatejo saddle, Relvas saddle, Portuguese Equitation, D.Dinis saddle, D.Dominigues saddle. Some of these are recent innovations. Portuguese bridles are usually handmade. The horse riding attire in Portugal consists of the traditional chaps and these chaps have been used for several centuries.