Valença Classical Riding

19/06/2024

😊

So excited that Sofia Valença is back with us on Thursday 20th to Saturday 22nd June!
Sofia is an in hand specialist and phenomenal trainer with an incredible understanding of the horse’s body.
To book go to bookwhen.com/brightdressage

15/06/2024

I’ll be @ Stal Prinsenhof until Monday giving lessons.
auditeurs are welcome
Come visit
Times - 8:30am to 6:30pm

05/05/2024

Where to go next ?
We do have openings for worldwide clinics in July 2024 😊

WORLDWIDECLINICS If you desire to organize a clinic in your own country, we teach in all corners of the worls. Equestrian Excellence on Every Continent For over 25 years, the Valença team has been providing clinics worldwide. Our mission is to share our wealth of knowledge and experience to help ri...

29/04/2024

Valença Classical Riding

Classical dressage at its best. Master Luis Valença follows in the footsteps of Master Nuno Oliveira and preserves the teachings of the old masters: Baucher, La Guérinière, Pluvinel. With this knowledge, the Valença Method was born. Today with over 50 years of experience teaching around Europe a...

28/04/2024

When you have a layover of 6 hours in Munique
What can I do, visit?

19/04/2024

17/04/2024

https://www.valencaequestrianacademy.com/we-come-to-you/

WORLDWIDECLINICS If you desire to organize a clinic in your own country, we teach in all corners of the worls. Equestrian Excellence on Every Continent For over 25 years, the Valença team has been providing clinics worldwide. Our mission is to share our wealth of knowledge and experience to help ri...

19/03/2024

Today I have a day off 😊 I will go and visit a little bite around… I’ll visit Newcastle airport and Brisbane airport
I will give you updates to tell you all about it 🤪

14/03/2024

Classical riding
&
international Festival of the Lusitano Horse

26th to 30th June 2024

26th June (Wednesday ) - Arrival at Lisbon airport. The Valença Team will be waiting for you at the airport. Brief introduction of the riders and presentation of the program.
Dinner at the Hotel

27th (Thursday)- 2 Classical riding lessons. Daily work of horses in training
Dinner at the hotel

28th (Friday) - 2 Classical riding lessons.
Afternoon we will go to the Lusitano Show at Cascais (a program will be provide about all the shows and competitions )
Free time enjoying the show and the Village of Cascais by the ocean
The group will be noticed on the time to come back to the hotel

29th (Saturday)- 2 Classical riding lessons Daily work of horses in training. Afternoon we will go to the Lusitano Show at Cascais
Free time enjoying the show diner included at VIP tent at venue
The group will be noticed on the time to come back to the hotel


30th (Sunday) – Morning transfer to the airport

Booking - [email protected]

10/03/2024

You don’t want to miss this out
Book your spot now and be parto of this amazing show
Classical riding
Workin Equitation competition
Gala evening Show
Portuguese gastronomy
Book your spot now
[email protected]

29/02/2024

É com orgulho que a Coudelaria de Alter irá receber uma etapa da Rota Lusitana 2024: entre 22 e 24 de Março, todos os caminhos vão dar à Tapada do Arneiro, onde se irá disputar um conjunto de provas de Dressage, tendo o CDI3* como destaque.

Contamos com a sua visita! 😊

25/02/2024

In Hand Work It is not only useful for gymnastics the horse’s body but also for creating bonds

https://www.valencaequestrianacademy.com/

📸 Satu Lavinen

27/01/2024

Next weekly lesson in our online program we will be talking about long reines

https://www.valencaequestrianacademy.com/online-program/

26/01/2024

When the world meets at the Valenca Equestrian Academy
🇵🇹 🇧🇷 🇩🇪 🇷🇴 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 🇸🇪 🇦🇺

23/01/2024

Dear Valença On-line Members
We are trying to solve asap a problem everyone is having by not being able to open the weekly videos.
We will try to be fast on solving this problem as you can imagine will not be solved by doing In Hand Work or just trying to achieve more suppleness 🤪 it is more difficult then that because requires a lot of humans working together 😜 and does not depend on me 🥴
I only understand how to teach piaffe and stuff like that 🤣
We do apologize and we try to be back very fast with the problem solved
Thank you for your patience

22/01/2024

Valença Gear
The perfect tool to help you in the journey with your horse
You can follow our online program to learn more about it

Order yours now
Worldwide shipping

https://www.valencaequestrianacademy.com/product/valenca-3-ring-cavesson-surcingle-set/

18/01/2024

Any idea of the topic we will be speaking about on our next weekly lesson - online program

03/01/2024

The best way to start the year
Start to take care of your self
You can’t miss this out

Join top professionals in the fields of horsemanship, fitness, and health as they share their knowledge with fellow equestrians.

31/12/2023

Last day of the year,
I woke up thinking about what the beginning of 2024 will be like. It is a time to start developing the young horses.
I love this phase.
Do you know that state of mind where you say; is December my horse is only 3 years old and you pass the new year eve and suddenly your horse has 4 years old!!! 🤪
That phase in which our conscience already says "oh he is now 4 years old now we can tighten it up" Whether we like it or not, 3 years old are still pre-primary school age and many horses are still immature. With those we don't have any problems of conscience as themselves tell us that their rhythm needs more time to progress. The ones we have to be more aware of, are the ones who give us everything and sometimes I even think they watch movies on YouTube at night 😜.
You know those horses that give you the feeling that they learn everything by themselves!
With those horses that give us everything we have to be very smart so that we give them time to lay the foundations well but by that i do not mean that we should not progress in the work. We just need to listen to the horse and they always tell us they are ready to move on.
In Portugal, we often see young horses very advanced in the work phase, not because the horses are forced to do so, but because the facility they often demonstrate for higher collection exercises leads us down that path. The funny fact is that it demonstrates how wonderful this breed is and when we work them on some collection exercises the horse learns better on how to use its body and then develop its motor capacity.
It may seem strange that part for the equestrian world who did not grow up with such a noble, flexible, warrior and passionate type of horse, but the fun fact is that the working progression of these horses is most often done backwards. What I mean is that we do need to make him understand the good use of his body in order to develop is strength.
In other words, when the horse has a good knowledge of the bases in walk, trot and gallop exercises as the beginning of the collection starts to be introduced to them. Not because we want to teach a piaffe because it gives us satisfaction to do it, but because the natural aptitude for these exercises of the Lusitanian horse is almost like part of its DNA (and the piaffe is just one example there are others exercises we can do that work collection)
Be smart, be brave to bring your self out of your comfort zone, trust your horse he will tell you if you are going to fast and he will also tell you if you are going to slow.
Not always is easy to move forward and never be afraid to give one step back if it is needed.
Not fast neither to slow in the middle you will find the perfect balance
By Sofia Valença
Love to all and don’t forget to be happy
HAPPY NEW YEAR 🥂
Valença Classical Riding
Luis Valença Equestrian Art

25/12/2023

Because today is a day to spend with family why not share a story where you can enjoy and listening while you seat by the fire 🔥 or enjoying the sun if you live in another hemisphere ☀️
Merry Christmas
Sofia Valença
Luis Valença Equestrian Art

This is "Duel" by Valenca method on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

15/12/2023

To my horsy friends from North Carolina you should not miss this chance

Join top professionals in the fields of horsemanship, fitness, and health as they share their knowledge with fellow equestrians.

14/12/2023

The perfect Christmas gift https://www.valencaequestrianacademy.com/shop/

12/12/2023

Why is my horse better on one side than the other ?
Well, aren’t we all?? There are few people in the world that are 100% ambidextrous.
There’s a lot of theories that tells why a horse is better on one side then the other.
For me and there is facts that have showened this reality, is the way the horse develops in the mother's womb. Make a lot of sense why they have one side longer and one side shorter. Imagine a banana now try to make the banana become supple on the side it has not the curve! That is what happens with horses. One of their sides do not want to bend and this is not the only difficulty one has to deal with. The side the horse feels more stiff it is the side he is more suspicious, it is the side that nothing will make sense to the horse.
When we start a young horses (and I love this phase because is where I can really see the real horse in is most green state. So pure, so natural, so true) we start to see what are the difficulties in their bodies. How can I help him to feel better in his own body. This is what dressage should always be - respecting the horse and his limits and transforming them in the best athletes they can become. When I say this I do not mean that all horse should be a Grand Prix horse. What I want to say is that any horse in this planet will be amazing on something we just need to discover is best path.
Imagine if the world would only had doctors ??? We would not have houses to live or cars to drives around or imagine no electricians? Well we would not be sick 🤣 but the world would be very boring lol (nothing against doctors we all love them but I believe that you can my see my point) we need to understand the best roll in the life of the horse and he will be the best horse in the world doing what he will be better in.
Coming back to where this moment started (apologize me it is 4am and I’m on huge jet lag 😀 very easy to get distracted)
What I wanted to speak is about how different a horse is from one side to the other and those differences are born with them.
How can we help our horses to make them belive that they do have 2 sides and both side should feel as symtric as possible ? Even when their riders are not symmetric. Not an easy task
But with ground work and the ridden work can be possible. We should always find for suppleness never forcing a position. Remember if you feel that a certain position starts to become a forcing position you are on the wrong way. If you have to force it, is because something is blocking it. Try to find where the blocking is happening unblock that spot and magic will happen. I’m not saying is easy and we all need help from the outside. A good teacher will see what your body can not feel.
This is a beautiful journey but very hard to be by your self.
A small tip, when you ride your horse do you feel you have him on one side with to much bend and the other side not enough ? If your answer is yes m, this is the first sign that you have your horse with to much difference from one side to the other.
Keeping those differences on your journey you will find your self later on bigger difficulties and even injuries can happen from the imbalance in their bodies. Same happens with our body if we use it in an imbalance way.
To help your self to start to pay attention on this uneven feeling try to have the horse with less bend on the side he loves to over bend and help him to bend a little more on the side he is more stiff.
Imagine your horse is naturally bended to left, that means he is short on his left side. When you want him to bend to the right his difficulty is on stretching the left side of his body as an outside part. Instead of being focus on having him looking to the right, bring your focus on how to help him stretching the left side and you will see that he will start to bend better on the right. (Remember where he was having is blocking part, Solve the blocking and magic will happen)
Respect the nature of your horse and love him as a God or a Goddess (if you do have a mare 😃) ❤️