Diane Followell

Nuno Oliveira

Nuno Oliveira is considered to be one of the best dressage masters of our time. He regarded riding as a form of art, and his aim was to produce beauty from each horse he rode, riding in harmony with the horse, never asking more than each horse was able to give at that time. A hugely talented rider, he studied the Classical Dressage principals laid down by the great masters, particularly Francois Robichon de la Guérinière, Francois Baucher. He gave lessons to people from all over the world at his school in Portugal and travelled abroad to give clinics. He tried to pass on to his students his riding principals of tact, understanding and, most of all, love.

Nuno Oliveira – piaffer

He taught riders to think and feel for their horses; his lessons were simple, yet some were difficult to learn, such as “the right action in the right moment”. Yet when you do the right action in the right moment, you can feel how correct it is.
 
He knew when to push you and when to let you learn for yourself. As an example he would give you a horse to teach you something, and then, when you had learnt it, move you to a different horse to show you what you had learnt.
 
When I teach I use this simplicity; to ride is not to use force, but to position your horse so that he wants to do the movement with you.