Seat of Presence – New Year Reset Retreat

In Partnership with Swallowtail Farm Lusitanos

Free the Seat. Clear the Mind. Ride With Presence.

A 6-Day, 7-Night classical riding and wellness retreat in Portugal, created in collaboration with Swallowtail Farm Lusitanos.

Begin your year immersed in the heritage of the Lusitano.
Train with classical masters, refine your seat through mindful embodiment, and deepen your riding with world-class Lusitanos who elevate feel, softness, and clarity.

Alongside daily classical lessons and wellness practices, this retreat includes private heritage outings to the Portuguese School of Equestrian Art and Veiga Stud Farm, plus curated access to premium dressage-sales horses for those exploring future partnerships.

This is a transformative journey where classical artistry, Lusitano heritage, and mindful presence come together in one powerful experience.

Retreat Highlights

• 10 Classical Dressage Lessons with the Lusitano Heritage team, refining softness, balance, and seat clarity

• Daily Wellness Practices including tai chi, breathwork, body awareness, and journaling

• Partnership with Swallowtail Farm Lusitanos for a curated, high-quality classical experience

• Heritage Visits:

  • Portuguese School of Equestrian Art (EPAE)

  • Private visit to Veiga Stud Farm

• VIP Dressage Horse Viewings for riders exploring premium Lusitano partnerships

• Charming Seaside Accommodation in Ericeira, with spa, ocean air, cafés, and coastal walks

• Organic Farm-Fresh Lunches and nourishing refreshments each riding day

• All Transfers Included: hotel ↔ stables + heritage outings

• Wine Tasting Evening featuring local Portuguese wines

• Fado Lunch on the final day — soulful, authentic, unforgettable

• Connection Circles & Reflection to support integration and presence

Wellness Guide

This retreat is co-led with Ian Lopez, Tai Chi and Qigong teacher, wellness strategist, and board-certified health coach. With roots in the Yang-style Tai Chi form and the lineage of Professor Cheng Man-ch’ing, Ian brings decades of experience in mindful movement, nutrition, and breathwork. His teaching focuses on song — deep relaxation that unlocks strength, softness, and resilience — helping riders connect more deeply to themselves and their horses.

Sample Itinerary

Day 0 – Arrival
Welcome, grounding walk, introduction to Seat of Presence.

Day 1 – Soften the Seat
Tai Chi · Classical Riding · Body Awareness · Journaling

Day 2 – Portuguese School of Equestrian Art
Morning EPAE visit · Afternoon gentle riding · Embodiment with Ian

Day 3 – Feel & Flow
Tai Chi · Seat Refinement · Lateral Awareness · Evening Wine Tasting

Day 4 – Integration
Seat of Presence Session · Video Feedback · Refinement Riding

Day 5 – Veiga & VIP Dressage Viewings
Morning Veiga Stud Farm visit · Afternoon premium horse viewing

Day 6 – VIP Viewing & Fado Lunch
Morning VIP viewing · Fado lunch · Afternoon ride + wellness

Day 7 – Departure
Soft close · Breakfast · Farewells

A master of classical dressage and 35 equestrian practice with 25 of those years- veteran of the Portuguese School of Equestrian Art, Nuno is known for his calm precision and sharp eye. His teaching helps riders find harmony, balance, and lightness with the Lusitano.

Founder of Lusitano Heritage, Teresa blends her deep equestrian knowledge with warmth and vision. She ensures every retreat is more than a holiday — it’s a soulful immersion in Portugal’s equestrian culture.

We begin by softening the seat — the true doorway to connection.

Through tai chi and mindful movement, the body settles, the breath lengthens, and awareness becomes sharp yet gentle. This is the foundation of the Seat of Presence: arriving fully, without force.

As in all mindfulness work, today is about meeting yourself exactly as you are, without judgment. A softened seat doesn’t come from trying harder; it emerges when effort dissolves and the body releases what it no longer needs.
In this space, the conversation with your horse becomes lighter, clearer, and kinder.

With balance-focused riding, journaling, and bodywork, we tune into the subtle messages our horses offer — and to the quiet intelligence within our own bodies.
This is where refinement begins.

Portuguese School of Equestrian Art · Afternoon Riding · Ian’s Embodiment Work ·

Heritage · Artistry · Integration · Connection

The day begins with a deep immersion into Portuguese classical tradition.
At the Portuguese School of Equestrian Art, you’ll witness the precision, softness, and timeless artistry that have shaped Lusitano heritage for centuries.
It’s a moment of inspiration — a quiet imprint that stays with you throughout the week.

Returning to the farm in the early afternoon, you’ll have space to rest and integrate before stepping back into practice.

Later in the day, we return to the saddle for a gentle, attuned riding session.
This is not a demanding workout — it’s an integration ride, giving your body a chance to reflect the harmony and balance seen at the School.

After riding, Ian will guide a short embodiment session to reconnect breath, centre, and awareness — helping the day’s impressions settle in the body with clarity and ease.

Day 2 is a blend of heritage, subtle riding, and warm connection — the perfect bridge between inspiration and embodied practice.

Image Nuno Cavaco riding in the Portuguese School of Equestrian Art

Feel & Flow · Tai Chi · Seat Refinement · Lateral Awareness · Wine Tasting (Evening)

Breath · Balance · Subtle Communication · Celebration

Today we move deeper into feel and flow.

The morning begins with tai chi and breathwork, allowing the body to organise itself around softness and centred presence.
Your Seat of Presence session focuses on early lateral flow — how breath, weight, and intention shape the horse’s balance and rhythm.

The afternoon riding session explores awareness in motion:

• Where you subtly drift

• Where ease emerges

• How the horse responds when you release effort and invite clarity instead

This is the day where riders begin to “hear” the horse more clearly.

As the light softens, we gather for a sunset wine tasting — a warm, joyful moment of connection, reflection, and Portuguese flavour.
A perfect closing to a beautifully embodied day.that presence begins with how we care for our body.

Just as we teach in our mindfulness writing:

Strength is not force; it is the calm centre that allows everything else to move with ease.

After a gratitude lunch, we explore how mindful strength-building enhances the rider’s posture, confidence, and ability to feel the smallest shifts in their horse.
Riding sessions bring it all together with stability, softness, and deep listening.

Day 4 is where everything begins to settle into the body.

The morning Seat of Presence session is dedicated to integration — gathering the feel, softness, and insights from the last two days and bringing them into a clearer, more refined dialogue between seat, breath, and intention.

We work with rhythm, balance, and the quiet micro-adjustments that allow the horse to release into self-carriage.
This is the moment where riders often begin to say,
“Now I can feel the difference.”

Video feedback offers a powerful mirror — not as criticism, but as clarity.
Seeing yourself ride from the outside reveals patterns, strengths, and subtle shifts that can transform your understanding of alignment and communication.

In the afternoon riding session, we revisit key elements with more precision and more softness:

• flow in transitions

• lightness in the rein

• balance through the corners

• and quiet self-organisation of the seat

The pace is calm, steady, and deeply focused — allowing body and mind to absorb, integrate, and refine.

As evening arrives, guests have space to rest, journal, enjoy Ericeira, or simply slow down and let the work deepen from within.

This morning we visit the iconic Veiga Stud Farm, a cornerstone of Lusitano heritage.
Walking among these horses — their presence, courage, and unmistakable Veiga expression — offers a rare opportunity to feel the living lineage behind classical equitation.
It is a place where tradition speaks softly but powerfully.

The visit is private, unhurried, and deeply inspiring.

After returning to the farm for lunch and a short rest, the afternoon takes us into a very different but equally compelling world.

We travel to a VIP dressage facility for a curated viewing of premium riding horses.
This experience is designed for riders who are exploring future partnerships or simply wish to deepen their understanding of athleticism, training quality, movement, and temperament at the highest levels.

You will be guided in evaluating:

• biomechanics and balance

• natural aptitude for classical work

• temperament, expression, and rideability

• suitability for amateur or competitive riders

• how a horse’s personality aligns with your own riding journey

This is not a sales pitch.
It is an educational, elevated experience — an insider’s window into Portugal’s premium dressage scene.

We return in the late afternoon, giving you time to reflect, unwind, and enjoy a quiet evening after a day rich in heritage, insight, and possibility.

The morning opens with a second VIP horse viewing — an exclusive opportunity to meet and observe premium dressage prospects in a calm, curated setting.
Whether guests are exploring a future partnership or simply expanding their knowledge, this session reveals the nuances of quality, temperament, biomechanics, and training at a high level.

It’s an inspiring, elevated experience that closes the loop on the deeper classical themes explored throughout the week.

We return to the farm for a beautifully prepared Fado lunch, where soulful live music sets the tone for reflection, emotion, and celebration.
Fado brings something rare: a sense of authenticity and depth that resonates with the Lusitano spirit itself — proud, expressive, and profoundly felt.

After lunch, the retreat returns to the body with an afternoon riding session focused on ease, expression, and connection.
This final ride is not about achievement — it is about integration: everything softened, everything clearer.

We close the day with a gentle wellness practice led by Ian — breath, awareness, grounding — allowing the week’s insights to settle into a centred, quiet, present place within you.

A beautiful, expansive day that blends possibility, culture, and embodied riding.

Your final morning is calm and unhurried.

We gather for a relaxed breakfast, sharing last reflections, warm conversation, and the gentle sense of completion that comes after a week lived with presence, partnership, and depth.

There is space to breathe, pack, take a final walk, or simply sit with the stillness and let the experience settle into your body — where it now belongs.

As guests depart, we offer a heartfelt farewell and the reminder that the Seat of Presence is not something left behind in Portugal —
it is a way of riding, living, and leading that travels home with you.

A soft ending to a profound week.