Henrique Maia Dressage

 

Henrique Maia is really passionated for the art of riding! He started riding in his home country, Portugal, at the age of 9 years. At the age of 19 he was traveling through Europe doing horse shows and presentations. At the age of 21 Henrique was traveling frequently to England to gain more experience in dressage as a sport. In this way he could develop his riding precision to be able to improve his horses. During that time he also started successfully to compete with lusitanos and warmblood horses in dressage in both countries.

In the year 2002 with the wish to keep developing and learning more, Henrique took the life changing decision to move to Switzerland. He started very actively promoting the more classical dressage and the now very famous Lusitano horse. He started the breading association for the Lusitano horse, the Cavalo Lusitano Switzerland. He trained and successfully competed the first Iberian horse in dressage at Grand Prix level. Further he introduced the discipline working equitation in Switzerland. During all this years there have been countless of initiatives developed by Henrique Maia to progress the Lusitano horse and specially the classical way of riding in Switzerland.  

At the present, Henrique is a FEI international trainer and rider. Together with his wife Päivi, herself an equine veterinary and successful dressage rider, are training and competing from young horse classes up to Grand Prix levels. Never forgetting the classical principles of training levels, always searching for the lightness, self carriage, balance and relaxation in the way to keep the horses happy and healthy. 

Those are the principles that Henrique Maia tries to teach everyday to his horses and his students. 

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Henrique Maia Dressage will welcome you.

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