This June, we are highlighting the Lavish Lusitano on YourDressage!
Did you know that riders who choose a member of this handsome breed as their dressage mounts are eligible for special awards through the Adequan®/USDF All-Breeds Awards program? The International Andalusian & Lusitano Horse Association and the US Lusitano Association Inc. are participating organizations!
A Region 3 adult amateur shares the success she’s found with her Lusitano, and how he’s changed the trajectory of her riding career.
By Maddie Waller
The bond between Diablo DC and me has been one of love from the very beginning.
I knew the second I saw him, that he was the one. It was simply a feeling somewhere deep in me. The only way I can describe it is like two souls finding each other.
My mom agreed to purchase Diablo, but I had to sell one of my hunter ponies to pay for him. I did just that.
We purchased Diablo from Haras Dos Cavalieros, a top Lusitano breeder in the United States.
Under the guidance of trainer Tiago Ernesto, we “clicked” instantly, and the first few months of our partnership were magic. Diablo and I both have very energetic personalities, and only two years after our partnership began, we traveled to Chicago, to contest the FEI Children’s division at Dressage At Lamplight. We finished third in the Individual Test and fourth in the FEI Children’s Team Test.
In 2018, we began spending the winter seasons in Florida, to train with Pamela Goodrich. There, we continued to work hard, moving up to the FEI Juniors, and competing at the Global Dressage Festival.
In 2021, we qualified for and competed at the FEI North American Youth Championships in the Juniors division. On top of this, we were also participating in Working Equitation.
Diablo and I were building a bond like no other I had ever experienced. In 2024, we experienced the biggest challenge we had faced together, when Diablo was diagnosed with melanoma, and he had to undergo surgery to remove it. He handled this setback like a warrior, and we came back stronger than ever.
Within three months of surgery, he had returned to work and was ready to go out and crush the Grand Prix. We had qualified for the Great American/USDF Region 3 Championships prior to surgery, and it was our first time back down centerline. Despite the odds being stacked against us, we earned a 60.435% in our championship class to win the Grand Prix Junior/Young Rider Championship.
Diablo and I plan to compete our Grand Prix Freestyles in the fall, but in the meantime, we are striving to have fun and enjoy our partnership.
The Lusitano breed holds a very special place in my heart. Even though my family breeds and competes with many different breeds, Diablo has impacted and changed my life in so many ways. I highly recommend to anyone interested in finding their very own Lusiatano to seek out some of the top stateside breeders, like Haras, and trainers experienced with the breed, such as Tiago Ernesto, to help you find the one that you can make a soul connection with. It may not happen right away, but keep looking – you’ll know when you find it!
