Coudelaria de Alter

Coudelaria de Alter - a big farm where racehorses are bred - is situated nearby the lovely Alter do Chão village, in the wide Alentejo region.

This was a Royal farm founded by king D. João the 5th in 1748 in order to breed Lusitano horses for the Royal Horsemanship, with the aim to protect, preserve and improve this important horse breed. The Lusitano is an ancient Portuguese breed of horse that until the 1960s shared its registration with the Spanish horse, the Andalusian. Lusitano are extremely proficient at the high levels of dressage; including the high-school movements of piaffe, passage, pirouettes, flying lead changes and half pass. The Lusitano is also noted to have very comfortable gaits.

Right until the beginning of the 19th century the Coudelaria lived an prosperous period, having then some difficulties and is now reborn with a new will and strength.

Coudelaria is nowadays constituted by several nucleus, among its 300 hectares of a great beauty landscape, filled with peace of mind.

Nowadays functions in the Coudelaria the Agricultural Training School, the Equestrian Art School, a department of the Évora University, breed research, preservation and improvement researches, equestrian and sport facilities, the Falconry, among others like the interesting Arneiro House: a space reserved for teaches and lecturers lodging.

Coudelaria also offers nowadays Museum and Zoological nucleus of great interest, as well as several pedagogic activities directed for the evolution and publicizing of the environmental, heritage and touristic preservation.


The visits are guided and last about 1 hour and 30 minutes.


Other activities: (Weekends and bank holidays from 2.30pm to 5.30pm): Horse riding (1 hour); Touristic Train Rides (30 minutes).