Carlos Carneiro

Sierra Nevada Lusitanos, LLC is delighted to have Carlos Cameiro in Napa, California, as its resident trainer. Carlos is a dedicated and talented classical dressage trainer firom Portugal.

He has had the amazing opportunity of studying with two of the world's greatest classical dressage masters. Luis Valenca and Joao Oliveira. the son of the revered Nuno Oliveira. Carlos is adept at progressing young horses through the training levels with classical exactitude. The ultimate goal, of course, is to have a happy, light in the hand, eager to please, healthy horse, Carlos achieves this multi-faceted goal by paying particular attention to every training detail from exercises promoting flexibility and strengthening to those oriented towards cadence and self-carriage.

At our equestrian farm, the young horses have a variety of classwork lessons. The horses learn to be lunged on the lunge line and at liberty. They are ground-driven on the trails. They learn to negotiate the obstacles used for Working Equitation competitions. They are ridden out on the trail and into the pond. All these different activities challenge the young horse mind to adapt to its ever-changing human-oriented environment. Our training philosophy i& "The greater the exposure to our world, the safer the horse will be for its future owner." We have had quite a bit of large, noisy farm equipment operating near our training arena this year.

Carlos maintained his training program throughout this time-period and the young horses took it all in stride like it was no big deal. Certainly, this type of exposure will prepare a young horse to stay focused and calm at a future competition!

Carlos teaches clinics in Portugal. Germany, Austria and the United States of America. Carlos is an exceptional instructor. He is skilled in getting the best results from the rider and the horse. Patience is a virtue and Carlos has plenty of patience when he is teaching! He is able to convey his instructions and to encourage the rider every step of the way in a positive manner. 

In Portugal. Carlos has participated in numerous exhibitions showcasing classical dressage in the traditional Portuguese tack and attire. Here in the United Slates, he was one of the participants giving an exhibition at the World Cup for Grand Prix Jumping in Las Vegas.
Nevada. We encourage Carlos to continue giving exhibitions at various venues to promote and showcase the exquisite Lusitano and its Portuguese heritage.

Carlos has an exceptional eye for the correct conformation of the Lusitano horse. He also has a vast knowledge of the Lusitano in Portugal. Needless to say. Carlos also knows many of I he breeders in Portugal! Our mutual goal is to import quality Lusitanos to the United States of America. We will import horses for resell and we will find horses for our clients who wish to purchase a horse in Portugal. We look forward to helping our clients find a perfect Lusitano partner!