Beginner dressage experience in Vale de Santar\u00e9m for anyone who has ever been curious about horses and never known where to start. Led by Jos\u00e9 Carvalho Neto, a production animal engineer, equestrian trainer and 2015 National Open Dressage Champion, this one-hour session introduces you to the most elegant and technically demanding equestrian discipline in a setting at the heart of the Ribatejo, Portugal’s historic horse country. No prior experience needed, just a willingness to try and closed shoes to wear.<\/p>\n
The session is divided into two equal halves. The first 30 minutes are spent on the ground: getting to know the space, approaching the horse, learning how to care for it, brush it and tack it up for the lesson. This is where trust between you and the animal is built, and Jos\u00e9 treats it as a fundamental part of the experience rather than a preamble to the real thing. The second 30 minutes are in the saddle. With constant accompaniment from Jos\u00e9, you experience balance on horseback, feel the first movements and begin to understand the foundations of dressage as a discipline where horse and rider communicate in perfect harmony. Session times are agreed directly with Jos\u00e9 based on his availability and the temperature of the day. On very hot days lessons take place early in the morning or late afternoon for the wellbeing of both horse and rider.<\/p>\n
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\ud83d\udc34 An introduction to the space and an approach to the horse before mounting<\/p>\n
\ud83d\udc34 Hands-on horse care including brushing and tacking up for the lesson<\/p>\n
\ud83d\udc34 30 minutes in the saddle with constant accompaniment from Jos\u00e9 throughout<\/p>\n
\ud83d\udc34 The experience of balance, movement and early communication on horseback<\/p>\n
\ud83d\udc34 The foundations of dressage as a discipline rooted in harmony between horse and rider<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\ud83c\udfc7 Full one-hour guided session with Jos\u00e9 Carvalho Neto<\/p>\n
\ud83c\udfc7 Ground preparation including horse care and tacking up<\/p>\n
\ud83c\udfc7 30 minutes of riding with constant instructor accompaniment<\/p>\n
\ud83c\udfc7 A unique introduction to dressage in the heart of the Ribatejo<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Closed shoes are required. Comfortable clothing recommended. Session times agreed directly with Jos\u00e9 based on availability and weather conditions.<\/p>\n
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An hour spent genuinely connecting with a horse, the foundations of what dressage involves, and an experience that very few people in Portugal have had the opportunity to try.<\/p>\n
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I am Jos\u00e9 Carvalho Neto, a production animal engineer, equestrian trainer and the founder of Jos\u00e9 Carvalho Neto Dressage in Vale de Santar\u00e9m. My career has been dedicated to managing equestrian centres and training sport horses, and my competitive path in dressage includes the National Open Champion title in 2015 and multiple podiums in prestigious competitions including the Ta\u00e7a de Portugal. In 2017 I made my debut in Grand Prix level competition. I train regularly with Olympic rider Gon\u00e7alo Carvalho, a commitment to continuous evolution and the excellence that this discipline demands. I believe the best way to share that passion is to start exactly here, with someone’s very first hour on a horse.<\/p>\n
Schedule subject to availability and weather conditions. Closed shoes required.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1542,"featured_media":35716,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"listing_category":[],"event_category":[],"service_category":[153],"rental_category":[],"classifieds_category":[],"listing_feature":[197],"region":[1093],"class_list":["post-35724","listing","type-listing","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","service_category-sports-fitness","listing_feature-outdoor-workshops","region-santarem"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/handson.pt\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/listing\/35724","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/handson.pt\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/listing"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/handson.pt\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/listing"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/handson.pt\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1542"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/handson.pt\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35724"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/handson.pt\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/listing\/35724\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36112,"href":"https:\/\/handson.pt\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/listing\/35724\/revisions\/36112"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/handson.pt\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35716"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/handson.pt\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35724"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"listing_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/handson.pt\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/listing_category?post=35724"},{"taxonomy":"event_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/handson.pt\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/event_category?post=35724"},{"taxonomy":"service_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/handson.pt\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/service_category?post=35724"},{"taxonomy":"rental_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/handson.pt\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rental_category?post=35724"},{"taxonomy":"classifieds_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/handson.pt\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/classifieds_category?post=35724"},{"taxonomy":"listing_feature","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/handson.pt\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/listing_feature?post=35724"},{"taxonomy":"region","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/handson.pt\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/region?post=35724"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}