From Greeks to Romans, from Visigoths to
Moors, from Spanish to French, the accounts from the battlefield seem to all
have a common point; the fascination and superstition of these powerful empires
everytime they came across a Lusitano warrior, defending their land. What was
their secret? What moved them?
How could this small, fragile and magic land of Lusitania,
make even the most powerful emperors, fear to face its warrior in battle. From
the tales of Atlantis to documented history, the presence and interaction of
bulls, horses, and people in this southwest of the Iberian Peninsula is
constant. Creation placed in this part of the world a very particular type of
bull or "auroque" in its primitive name and also a very particular type of horse
the "sorraia". These animals shared and competed for this small, but, for some
reason that history forgot, Magical Land. Everywhere else on the planet bulls
are below horses in the food chain. But here in Lusitania bulls and horses
fought fiercely for the fertile grasslands, developing in the horses a natural
ability to tease, surround, charge and dodge their enemy or competitor and as
the horse so did the bull develop into a warrior fighting for survival.
The neolitic man soon felt the natural attraction for these
bulls and horses not only because of the bull being their natural prey, but
even, and as believed in Atlantis, for the game and joy of these competitions of
bulls and horses, that immediately he took part of. Hunting these powerful
animals from the back of a horse, that already selected by nature knew his way
arround these bulls, brought prosperity to the small Iberian populations of
then. Later on in history and already with the Celtic influence, the Iberians
were now Celtiberians, Lusitania became a dangerous place constantly under
invasions, and now more than ever, but then again for the same reason
(survival), the Bull, Horse, and Man had to reunite strengths to defend their
land, this time not from each other, but from invaders. Doing only what they
always did, fighting the bulls on horseback, they developed into a form of
riding, that not only was undefeatable in the battlefield, but that would also
change history forever and set the foundations of Classical riding, and of a new
Kingdom, the Kingdom of Portugal. Behind the Lusitano people courage, faith and
extreme ability to protect their land, are the bull and the horse, once again
the three together survived to our days. With the Moorish invasions to the
Iberian Peninsula came the refreshment of the Peninsula horse known today as the
Lusitano. An already powerful weapon became even more powerful; the Arab blood
brought excellent war qualities to the little Sorraia. But most than anything,
the nobleness that would later give to the Celtiberians forever their beloved
Lusitania without which, was not worth living.
Fighting bulls from the horses back became the most
important war excercise, not only because the collection that the horse
developed from the excercises around the bull, but most importantly from the
intuition that horse and rider together, developed to the highest levels of
communication and elasticity, it was the elite war horses only an equally
skilled warrior could fight on their back, this training was far beyond just
simple trained maneuvers, it was something from the spirit. Horses that fought
and had the same interest in battle as their masters. Side by side they fought
like poets wrote, with passion for their homeland of Lusitania.....
ATLANTIS....Myth or Hidden Reality
Atlantis was known in old Greece to be situated in the
farthest land of the West where the ocean had rage and was impossible to
navigate, by the pillars of Hercules (Temple of Diana in Evora, South of
Portugal). Once again we find references of the connection of Atlanteans with
bulls and horses. Said from Atlantis that animals and humans lived in perfect
balance in harmony, accepting full their part in the environment. Famous were
the horses of Atlantis, that according to the accounts by the time of the fall
of Atlantis, were separated, one strain taken to the Far East - the other
remaining in the main land, later called Lusitania.
Romanization brought disgrace and violence to Lusitania,
constant wars that changed deeply the relationship between animals and people.
Atlantis and its beliefs could not exist anymore. The Bulls, Horses, and Riders
that once flew across the planes and challenged each other in endless games,
where only nature had the power to rule, were now slaves of Rome or guerilla
warriors.
Old beliefs and culture were massively erased, to violence
and discrimination. For other species and humans were stimulated, bloody arena
games that had nothing of honor, bravery and respect for the adversary.
Although and as always creation has the last word, somehow
a certain amount of natural culture seems to be passed on geneticaly. Some
individuals seem to be born with a touch of the Gods, maybe instruments of
light, that throughout history have been keeping the flame of Atlantis alive. We
find the examples of Avalon and Camelot that historians try to ignore, saying
that it was only imagination of the Knights Templar, that because of their
advanced ideas and their honor, loyalty and devotion not to a King, but to a
belief, were prosecuted by the Roman Church and burnt at stake. Some of them
fled to Portugal and joined the Brothers Of The Temple, and changed their name
to Knights of Christ in the Tomar Castle, in Central Portugal. Once again we
almost lost the truth. But thanks to those Knights the flame was kept alive.
Unfortunately nowadays our relationship with animals is gone again, in the
modern world where science and technology explains everything we don't leave
leave room for the Spirit, the Horses have lost their spirits, in some countries
bulls are tortured to death or simply tortured. Romanization still rules.
THE LIGHT IN THE END OF THE TUNNEL
When I first came to Los Acres, I felt something different
in the air. As an Atlantican and from the Templar City of Tomar, I immediately
sensed the magic of that place, through the horses eyes. Was it possible? Was I
looking into the eyes of the horses of Atlantis? The famous strain that was
taken to the Middle East, was here. Everytime I would touch one I would lift his
or hers forelock, and there it was. The hole in the forehead. The sign of the
orignal Horse of Atlantis. These horses were incredibly expressive, noble, and
proud. There was a feeling of joy and happiness when being around them. Terry,
Jackie and JoJo had the same expressions and happiness as their horses.
Later I found a story in a book that Jackie had written and given to me when I
visited, of how a belief in a horse and a man, against all odds would lead this
man and horse to stardome. That man was Paul and the horse Fadjur. The first
time I met Paul was something different too, when I went to shake his hand he
adopted a different position, a boxing position. Right then I realized, this was
not an ordinary man, he had the strength and energy of a King, the intuition of
an old Master. All combined with lots of happiness and kindness, a true
Atlantican. Animals loved him and were amazingly interested in him, especially
the horses. Paul loved everything in nature, especially the land, the birds, the
horses, and the deere, the John Deere...I could be working a horse on a busy
farming day, still Paul had always time to stop and observe and laugh at the
horses energy. I felt always nervous, like being observed by nature itself
through Paul's eyes. He didn't care how fancy you trained or rode. For him what
only mattered, was how the horse felt about you as you worked with him. He loved
anything that was spontaneous in the animals. One time on Father's Day, we
trained the horses with a little bull, by the end of the practice, Paul happily
told me "that was the darndest thing I ever watched!" Like Hemingway said about Bullfighters, so did Paul "He
lived every day of his life to the fullest". He slept because he had to, because
even late into the night, when he had to get up to go turn irrigating pumps off,
he had time to look at frogs that jumped so good, that he wanted to catch them
and compete in frog jumps! I considered Paul, another King Arthur, his beliefs were
amazingly advanced, even for modern days. His simplicity was remarkable, his
beliefs will live on, no matter what happens. Just like right before King Arthur
died, he said "I must die, but Camelot lives on......" Jackie, Terry, JoJo,
Sandy and myself have been fighting to keep that flame alive, to the next
enlightenment that will come......
