[4][5] However, prior to its formal creation, the riding school of the Portuguese Royal Family had long been one of the most respected in Europe, since the publication of the seminal "Bem Cavalgar" by King Duarte I of Portugal in 1438.

[6] During the reign of King José I of Portugal, the 4th Marquis of Marialva served as the Estribeiro-Mor (Master of the Horse) of the royal household and the Equestrian Academy of the Court.

[9] Throughout the dormant period of the school's history, the Portuguese tradition was practiced and maintained in private equestrian academies and picadeiros.

The Lusitano is an Iberian horse of Baroque stock famed for its prominence and strength in dressage and Portuguese-style bullfighting.

The school also maintains the Picadeiro Henrique Calado riding hall in Belém, Lisbon, originally built in 1833 for Queen Maria II of Portugal's Lancers Regiment.