Equestrianism sports in Portugal
Portugal is a country which has established its economic prowess in the world map and has consolidated its position to being one of the most prominent among the fist world nations. In Portugal, a lot of encouragement is meted out to those who wish to participate in sports and the country has been an active participant in various sports championships world wide. The most popular sport in Portugal is football. The football stars are worshipped like heroes in this country which has Spain as one of its neighbours, while being surrounded on two sides by the gigantic Atlantic Ocean. Despite its inability to win the world cup ever in the history of the game, football continues to be the premier sport in the country.
However, despite the overriding popularity of the other sports in the country, one sport which has been able to carve its unique niche amidst the others is the art of horse riding or equestrianism. The origin of this sport has strong historical roots. In the primitive times, as part of the Roman Empire, horses have been important means for transportation. But it was in the times of warfare that the significance of horse riding and training came to the forefront. This is from where equestrianism evolved in Portugal. Also another important factor that can be noted here is that the premium horse breed used in this sport is the Lusitano horse breed which derives its name from Lusitania which was the name of Portugal when it was a principality under the Roman Empire. This is why, even today, equestrian is immensely rooted to the past and everything from the riding attires to the saddles and bridles are modeled on the traditional specimens available. In recent times, the art of equestrianism has modified in the form of equestrian bullfights which are means of depicting the skill and stamina of the horse together with the intelligence of its rider in fighting the raging bull.