Nuno Oliveira

Who was Nuno Oliveira?

Nuno Oliveira is widely acknowledged as a master of the art of dressage. His teachings have inspired riders and trainers all over the world to adopt the 'baroque' or 'classical' style of working with the horse; an art which goes back hundreds of years and encompasses the fundamentals which most 'modern' disciplines can be traced back to.

Nuno was born in Lisbon on June 23, 1925. He studied riding under Joaquim Goncalves de Miranda, in the style of the riding academy of Versailles. A great teacher, he possessed a near-encyclopedic knowledge of equestrian theory that crossed many styles and countries. His principal influences were François Robichon de La Guérinière, Gustav Steinbrecht and François Baucher.

On February 2, 1989 he was discovered dead in his bed in a hotel in Australia. It is said that music by Verdi was playing in the room, music which he often played or sang while riding.