USLA Dressage Clinic
Miguel Ralão Duarte at Haras Dos Cavaleiros
Saturday–Sunday, September 26–27, 2026
Haras Dos Cavaleiros · Magnolia, Texas
The US Lusitano Association is proud to welcome Portuguese dressage Olympian Miguel Ralão Duarte for a two-day clinic open to active USLA members. This is a rare North American opportunity to train with a rider and teacher who has spent decades developing Lusitanos — and Lusitano riders — at the highest levels of sport.
A career built on the Lusitano
Miguel’s foundation is classical. He trained under Guilherme Borba at the Portuguese School of Equestrian Art, then spent formative periods working abroad in Italy and the United States before establishing his professional base near Lisbon. He is a multiple Portuguese National Dressage Champion and is widely regarded as an instructor whose classical theory is paired with a clear focus on encouraging the horse.
His international career is inseparable from the Purebred Lusitano. With the remarkable mare Oxalis da Meia Lua, Miguel helped put Portuguese Lusitanos on the Grand Prix map — competing at European Championships, World Equestrian Games, and representing Portugal at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. In 2018 he again wore the Portuguese colors at the FEI World Equestrian Games in Tryon, competing on the Lusitano stallion Xenofonte d’Atela.
Instrumental in Portugal’s Young Horse Program
Beyond his own competitive record, Miguel has been central to Portugal’s long-term investment in Lusitano dressage talent. Since APSL and the Portuguese Equestrian Federation (FEP) launched the Project for Young Lusitano Horses in Dressage (PCLE), Miguel has served as one of the program’s principal coaches — working alongside Olympic rider Daniel Pinto to select, evaluate, and develop combinations for competition.
That role is not ceremonial. Selected riders and horses receive structured training with Miguel and his fellow coaches across the season; admission trials continue to this day, with Miguel among the trainers assessing new combinations for the program. For Lusitano breeders and sport riders, PCLE has become one of the most important pathways connecting promising young horses to serious dressage development — and Miguel has been instrumental in shaping that pathway.
A teacher riders seek out
Today Miguel continues to ride, train, and teach from his base in the Sintra / Lisbon area. Riders travel to Portugal specifically to work with him, drawn by a teaching style that is precise, horse-centered, and practical: balance, quiet aids, honest throughness, and clear rewards when the horse finds the right answer. He also brings the perspective of an official — as a national dressage judge and an international judge of working equitation — which deepens the way he explains what judges and trainers are looking for.
USLA members who join this clinic will work with a clinician who understands the Lusitano from the inside: breed type, temperament, and the path from young horse to Grand Prix ambition.
How to participate
Clinic participation is open to active USLA members. Sign-up is designed to be straightforward:
- Log in to your USLA account
- Select an existing horse profile — or create a new one
- Tell us why you want to participate and your short- and long-term goals
- Submit your application
Active membership required · September 26–27, 2026 · Magnolia, Texas