Casa do Noble Lusitanos

11/12/2025

❤️🩷🧡💛💚💙🩵💜🖤🩶🤍🤎

𝓒𝓸𝓵𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓲𝓼 𝓪 𝓹𝓸𝔀𝓮𝓻 𝔀𝓱𝓲𝓬𝓱 𝓭𝓲𝓻𝓮𝓬𝓽𝓵𝔂 𝓲𝓷𝓯𝓵𝓾𝓮𝓷𝓬𝓮𝓼 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓼𝓸𝓾𝓵.
ᵂᵃˢˢⁱˡʸ ᴷᵃⁿᵈⁱⁿˢᵏʸ

Each horse, with its unique color palette, creates a portrait of character and spirit, calling forth the passions and dreams of those who look upon them.

Though I am not a "color breeder", I do understand the attraction to certain colors. Even though I do not believe this should be the main focus when you are looking for the perfect partner, I do consider that this can be an important part of "checking all the boxes" and I don't hold it against anyone!

Specific colors can have their own challenges health wise but lets start from the beginning. Black and red are the two base colors in horses that all other colors are based on. They are the foundation, so to speak. Other colors are either a modifier or a dilution. Black is dominant and is denoted on color tests as EE. Red is recessive - ee. It will take a red gene from both parents to give you a red foal; so two recessives coming together. If a horse has one black gene and one red gene (Ee), the horse will be black.

Many things affect the appearance or shade of a color. A black horse with no other dilutions, will have a deep black color that will not fade, especially if nutrition is on point. I have had many black horses out in the Texas sun that have not faded and have had some that fade very quick in the year. Since color is a polygenic trait (meaning more than one gene will affect the phenotype), many genes can jump in to produce what you see. Think of polygenic traits as a dial that can be turned to the highest or lowest intensity - like a dimmer switch for a light.

With so many filters and editing that can be done to photos, it can be very hard to really know what the true color is. With that said, I will give some examples of my horses over the years, as best I can, with descriptions on each photo. I will make more posts about what other modifiers and dilutions affect phenotype.

11/09/2025

ღ 🩷 𝓜𝓪𝓻𝓮 ♡ 𝓢𝓹𝓸𝓽𝓵𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽 🩷 ღ

* Lola DC *

Lola is one of my favorite mares - though honestly it's hard to say I favor one mare over another! She brings the whole package to the table with her classic build and prepotency in breeding. She is a more masculine mare, which I seem to like. In my experience, they tend to have fillies, though when you are blessed with a c**t, they are standouts.

Lolas sire is Ladino MV, from the Manuel Travares Veiga breeding. He was bought by M Jorge Oliveira from M Veiga at the age of three. He was later imported to Mexico, along with a group of mares from Sommer, Veiga and Cadaval lines in the mid 90's. He has 78 descendants in the APSL studbook (himself scoring 74.5). He is sire to the famous Quieto and also Vinho, who are well known in the bullring. Ladino is also sire to our very own Luna DC.

Lolas dam, Altiva RC, comes from the breeding of the famous Arsénio Luís Raposo Cordeiro. His horses were of great importance to the contributions in Portugal and Brazil (exported 55 horses to expand stock; bringing about just under 900 direct descendants in Brazil alone). Altiva was later exported to Mexico, where Lola was born. Altiva scored a 74.5 and has 7 descendants in the APSL studbook. Her sire, Navalheiro, was one of the most important stallions in recent decades. With almost 200 descendants in the APSL studbook, he influences many of the breeding lines today.

Lola scored a 75.5 and so far has blessed us with five foals: Raptora, Savvy, Tequilha, Urquiza and Valor. She and Naperon are definitely a nic and I can't see breeding her to another stallion any time soon. She passes her classic build, intelligence and confident horsonality. We are looking forward to seeing what she has cooking for us next year!

10/06/2025

📐 𝐁a𝐥a𝐧c𝐞d C𝐨n𝐟o𝐫m𝐚t𝐢o𝐧 📐

I focus on balanced conformation for many reasons, but mainly consider two things when looking for general balance. I want the angle of the hip and the angle of the shoulder to mirror each other. I don't want a steep angle in the front and an open angle in the back or visa-versa. I like a straight line from the middle of the wither to the top of the hip (speaking skeletally, not muscle or fat). Another straight line from the point of the shoulder to just below the buttock, creating a trapezoid.

Visually the body cut into thirds rounds out the total picture of a balanced horse. This is my preference to concentrate on as I move forward with my breeding program.

𝐖h𝐚t a𝐫e s𝐨m𝐞 𝐤e𝐲 𝐛e𝐧e𝐟i𝐭s o𝐟 𝐁a𝐥a𝐧c𝐞d C𝐨n𝐟o𝐫m𝐚t𝐢o𝐧?

𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗟𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 ~ a well-balanced horse will distribute stress evenly across joints, muscle and connective tissue, lessening strain on any one part of the body. This leads to fewer structural injuries and reduces the likelihood of injuries over time, giving them a healthier life and supports a longer working life.

𝗘𝗻𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 ~ balanced horses tend to move more fluidly and efficiently, which aids in preventing premature fatigue and compensation. Enhanced agility and control as well, causing ease of movement and changes of direction and gaits.

𝗘𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗛𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 ~ horses with balanced conformation respond more predictably to riders' aids, as they have a better structural foundation to pull from. Behavior is more agreeable, as the horse finds the requests from the rider easier to perform and respond to.

𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗳𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲 ~ Balanced conformation contributes directly to a horse's comfort due to less structural stress. They tend to handle changes in workload and environment with more resilience, maintaining performance under varying conditions. And my favorite thing about a balanced horse is they are much more versatile and can adapt to different disciplines, making them a worthy investment to enjoy competitive purposes as well as leisurely activities.

10/03/2025

⭐️📋 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐬 📋⭐️

There are multiple reasons for each section of the Inspection Scores to consider. First, the judge can only score what he sees in front of him that day. This means if your horse is having an "off" day, then the scores will reflect that. That is a very important reason as to why you need to carefully prepare you horse for Inspection.

Each area has multiple things to consider that have to come down to one score. Just looking at the head, the overall shape, profile, eye placement, eye shape/size and jawline will be looked at. It is no simple task that the judge has while evaluating each part of the horse.

As a breeder, it is very important to know how you will address any areas that can be of issue in the future, whether you are trying to eliminate it or keep it. Remembering that both conformation and movement are polygenic traits (meaning multiple genes are at play to give you what you see before you) is extremely helpful in your decision making going forward.

Think of each trait you are looking at as a k**b that you can turn to higher or lower intensity. Most times in order to remove something from the bloodline, you have to remove that animal all together. This is mainly because the nature of the horse...they don't have litters or multiple babies at once and trying to remove a less desirable trait would take decades of breeding and culling. You cannot look at a group of foals and say, okay, this is the one I need from this breeding going forward. Many times as a breeder, you look back on a filly you sold and sure wish you did not!

Back years ago, I read an article on the King Ranch and how they evaluated their broodmares in production. I cannot find the article and I may have exact numbers wrong, but here is what I remember...every foal was evaluated on a scale of 1-5. They expected each mare to have a foal with a minimal average of 4 - with a 4 or 5 being ideal. If a mare had a 3, she was bred to the same stallion the next year. If she had another 3, she was bred to a different stallion. If her streak continued and she produced yet another 3, she was removed from the program. Any mare producing a 1 or 2 from any stallion was immediately removed.

It can be easy to become stable blind when looking at our own horses, especially because if you are like me, you love for and care for each one. It is easy to write off a reason for this or that and I understand that as well. But one thing I have learned 200+ foals later - that usually what you see is what you get!

10/02/2025

🇵🇹 "...𝒔𝒖𝒃- 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒗𝒆𝒙 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒇𝒊𝒍𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒅𝒚 (𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒖𝒕𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒊𝒍𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒃𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒂 𝒔𝒒𝒖𝒂𝒓𝒆)." 🇵🇹

This is the basis for the Breed Standard for the Lusitano by APSL Cavalo Lusitano. This conformation is best for a versatile, balanced horse, with a propensity for collection.

One of the reasons I choose to concentrate on the Breed Standard is because the goal in my breeding program is to produce horses that are not only versatile but also built for longevity and comfortable for the rider.

Such traits, as pronounced wither, will help keep the saddle in place. An oblong ribcage (as opposed to "sprung ribs") gives space for the riders leg as well as not taxing the riders hips. The front legs coming down from the center of the scapula (instead of toward the front of the shoulder), allows the girth to fall in a correct position under the wither, which keeps the saddle from riding up the neck constantly.

These are some of the things I concentrate on in our breeding program that make up a functional saddle horse.

10/01/2025

🎖 APSL Cavalo Lusitano Inspection Scoring 🎖

There are eight areas that are the main focus during Inspection for approval in the Studbook. Four areas are worth 1.5 times the score, as these are more important areas when it comes to functionality Above all, remember that the Lusitano is a Saddle horse; which means conformation needs to be a solid foundation in order to carry a rider and perform.

As you can see, most are general good conformation points, as it should be with any horse. Some traits, however, are focused more toward producing a unique phenotype that makes up a functional Lusitano.

There are many reasons for scores, especially average or lower scores. When you are talking about phenotype and movement/performance, realize that all these traits are polygenic - meaning that it takes a cluster of genetic material to give you what you have. These are not single traits that you can just breed in or out of a bloodline. Even color is polygenic.

APSL also does a Linear score at the time of inspection, which encompasses more than 60 detailed traits, used to create a "genetic evaluation". This will be information added to past horses in the bloodline to evaluate what your horse will most likely bring to the breeding shed (or not).

Both the general scores and genetic evaluation are available on the APSL Cavalo Lusitano website, under public access to the studbook.

*belows score card belongs to our own Lola DC*

09/30/2025

‼️ Inspection time in North America ‼️

Currently Lusitanos are being inspected by APSL Cavalo Lusitano. I want to wish the best for all getting their horses seen by a Portuguese judge and evaluated for breeding.

The first and foremost requirement, is that the horse being presented has two parents in the APSL studbook that have been inspected and approved for breeding.

Mares are to be presented at the age of three (although some exceptions can be made for two year olds). Ideally the more mature they look, the better they can be evaluated. They are shown loose or in-hand, at all three gaits and stood up for the judge to look over.

Stallions are presented at the minimal age of four. They are shown under saddle, with relaxed forward gaits for best evaluation. Afterwards, they are unsaddled and stood up for conformation evaluation. Male horses must have also presented a semen report from a qualified veterinarian well before inspection.

Horses are scored in conformation and movement, as well as overall type. There are eight areas of scoring, with an average score being a 7. Any animals scoring more than two 6's, more than one 5 or any one score less than 5, shall be disqualified. Scores of 8 are hard won and rarely a 9 will be seen from Portuguese judges; as this had to be exceptional above all.

Stallions approved can cover up to 20 mares per year. In order to produce more foals, they must have Titled recognition by APSL. It is also recommended that breeding stock hold at least a score of 72, though not enforced.

**Check back tomorrow and I will go over the scoring system.**

I am looking forward to more approved Lusitanos from North America to be accepted with APSL Cavalo Lusitano!

09/27/2025

⚜️ 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐚 𝐋𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐨, 𝐚 𝐋𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐨? ⚜️

At it's core, a Lusitano is not like any other horse; it's defined by a mix of physical traits, personality, historical lineage, and strict breed standards that have been honed for centuries. All of this combined, creates that signature elegance and versatility we all love.

Lusitanos are all about that classic Baroque build - strong, compact and athletic, with a look that's both powerful and refined. Highly intelligent, eager to please with an aptitude for collection and high-level riding.

Lusitanos are often described as noble and proud, with a calm demeanor that hides a ton of athletic fire. They are people-orientated, forming strong bonds and they thrive on trust and clear leadership.

All purebred Lusitanos trace back to the official stud book established in 1966. While all foals can be listed in the studbook, their parents must be approved for breeding. Lusitanos are inspected and graded in order to receive breeding papers from APSL Cavalo Lusitano.

In essence, a Lusitano is a blend of ancient heritage, precise physical standards and that undeniable noble spirit that makes a Lusitano, truly, a Lusitano.

Here at Casa do Noble, we concentrate on preserving the Classic Lusitano. Over the years we have carefully chosen and culled our herd; selecting for health, vigor, character, trainability and adaptability. Keep watch on this page for more on the Lusitano and our program...

09/24/2025

⚜️ 🖤 ⚜️ 🖤 ⚜️ 🖤 ⚜️ 🖤 ⚜️ 🖤 ⚜️ 🖤 ⚜️

Valariana is the epitome of Lusitano grace, nobility and power. With her sleek, sporty build, she exudes an air of noble elegance that will turn heads where ever she goes.

Dressage, Working Equitation and Classical riding are all areas she will accel in. Not to mention she carries the genetic blueprint to ensure not just performance ability but gives her outstanding breeding value; making Valariana an ideal investment for those looking to propagate the Lusitanos versatile traits in future foals.

Message for more info.

⚜️ 🖤 ⚜️ 🖤 ⚜️ 🖤 ⚜️ 🖤 ⚜️ 🖤 ⚜️ 🖤 ⚜️

Send a message to learn more

09/13/2025

💛 🤎 💛 🤎 💛 🤎 💛 🤎 💛

More Volare and Valor...why is it so important to have age appropriate peers to interact with?

⚜️ Social Development and Bonding: learning social cues and forming bonds with peers not only benefits the foal in many ways but also makes training and communication easier later in life.

⚜️ Physical Fitness and Coordination: play activities including chasing, bucking, rearing and mock fighting build muscle strength, agility, balance and endurance. Overall this leads to a healthier adulthood.

⚜️ Mental Stimulation and Emotional Well-Being: Play reduces boredom and stress, which prevents behavioral issues. Happy, stimulated c**ts are less likely to develop anxiety and depression like symptoms. Keeping brains active and engaged makes for an easier horse to train later on.

💛 🤎 💛 🤎 💛 🤎 💛 🤎 💛

***ie