Coudelaria de Alter and Museu do Cavalo

The Coudelaria de Alter is a working horse stud on a big estate outside Alter do Chão, in the northern Alentejo. It breeds the Alter Real, a line of Lusitano horses first raised here for the royal riding academy in Lisbon, and it still keeps about 60 brood mares. Children who have only met horses at a riding school get to see a whole horse community: mothers, foals, stallions, the vets and the grooms.

The best moment happens on weekday afternoons. Between 15:30 and 16:00, from Tuesday to Friday, the mares leave the stud for the pasture where they spend the night, often with their foals trotting alongside. The stud says this is the photo visitors most want. The same mares come back in from the fields between 10:00 and 11:00, so a morning tour on a weekday also has a chance of seeing the herd move.

Every visit is guided. It starts at the interpretation centre in the Casas Altas building, which tells the history of the Alter Real horse and how the stud survived wars, a change of regime and near extinction of its bloodline. That’s the Museu do Cavalo (Horse Museum) you’ll see on signs and tourism listings.

From there the guide takes you through the Pátio das Éguas (the mares’ courtyard), the Pátio D. João VI, the Cavalariças dos Garanhões (the stallions’ stables) and the Casa dos Trens, where the carriages are kept. On weekdays you also see horses, riders, vets and grooms going about their day. The standard ticket includes 45 minutes of falconry after the stud visit, so a child who is into birds of prey gets something too.

King João V loved horses. In the 1720s he had a Baroque riding hall in Belém turned into a royal riding school, and he wanted Portuguese-bred horses fit for the high school movements of the time. So in 1748 the Coudelaria Real de Alter was founded on the Coutada do Arneiro, an estate of about 800 hectares. The first herd, built up between 1749 and 1770, was made of mares bought in Spain, most of them bay.

Many people consider it the oldest stud in the world still running on its original site. It has not had an easy life. In the 1800s the horses were crossed with draught and racing breeds and the Alter Real line was pushed aside. After Portugal became a republic in 1910 the stud passed to the army. By 1942 the pure Alter Real was almost gone, and the rescue began with just 11 mares and three stallions called Regedor, Vigilante and Marialva II. Since 2013 the stud has been run by the state company Companhia das Lezírias.

One of its horses is famous in Lisbon: Gentil, the Alter Real ridden by King José I in the bronze statue in Praça do Comércio, sculpted in 1775. Today the horses of the Escola Portuguesa de Arte Equestre in Belém come from here.

The stud offers short riding and carriage experiences, all booked separately and priced per person. When we checked, a horse baptism (a first ride at walking pace, led by an instructor for five to seven minutes) cost €18 for one person, €29 for two or €11 each for groups of three to ten. A carriage baptism of about 15 minutes cost €26 for two, or about 10 minutes at €12 each for three to ten people. There is also an hour-long carriage drive through the estate (€45 for one, €30 each for two to six people), a 20-minute vaulting lesson (gymnastics on a moving horse) at €41, a 30-minute riding lesson at €52, and hacks of 30 or 60 minutes at €69 or €92, with a maximum of three riders. The stud says its activities can be adapted to all ages and levels, but ask about minimum ages when you book.

Visits run from Tuesday to Sunday at 10:30 and 15:00. The price list in force from January 2026 gives these prices for the standard visit with falconry: free up to two years, €12.50 for ages 3 to 12, €19 for ages 13 to 65, €16 over 65, and €55 for a family of two people aged 13 to 65 and two children aged 3 to 12. The stud is closed on Mondays unless it’s a public holiday, and on 1 January and 24 and 25 December.

Booking ahead is recommended, by phone. If you cancel at least a week ahead you get all your money back, up to 48 hours before you get half, and after that nothing.

Go on a weekday if you can. At weekends and on public holidays the visit is shorter, because the mares don’t move and the horses aren’t working. The Alentejo gets very hot in summer, so the 10:30 tour is kinder to small children than the 15:00 one from June to September, even though the afternoon one catches the mares going out. Visit Alentejo lists the site as accessible to visitors with reduced mobility.

The whole thing takes about two and a quarter hours with the falconry, so bring water and snacks. The stud’s pages don’t mention a café.

If you’re touring the Alentejo, the frontier town of Elvas has the Aqueduto da Amoreira and the Museu Militar. In November, horse fans can head to the Golegã horse fair, which is on our What’s on page.

Can you see the foals?

Often, yes. On weekdays the mares go out to pasture between 15:30 and 16:00 and come back between 10:00 and 11:00, and the stud says they are often with their foals. You won’t see this at weekends.

Can children ride a horse there?

Yes. A horse baptism is a short led ride at walking pace, and there are carriage rides and lessons too. They are booked and paid for on top of the visit.

How long does the visit take?

About 90 minutes at the stud and 45 minutes of falconry. Weekend visits are shorter.

Do you need to book?

The stud recommends booking by phone. Group visits can be arranged at other times.

Is it good for toddlers?

Under-twos go free, and a buggy-age child will enjoy seeing the horses. The tour is a guided walk of about an hour and a half, so bring snacks and plan for some carrying.