from Chronicle of the Horse
April 2002
by Patricia Barraza Vos

In the fall of 1997, Vitor Silva opened his "classical riding school in the European tradition" in, of all places, the low hills of southern New Hampshire. Silva and his Lusitano stallions appeared as if out of nowhere, and then, just like that, he seemed to be everywhere - demonstrating his riding abilities to rapt audiences.
Out of mere curiosity or a fascination with this passionate Portuguese gentleman, students from all over began to fill his facility, Sons of the Wind Farm, in Deerfield. Today, his clinics, held nationally, are also packed, and students often have to he turned away.
However sudden his appearance on the scene may seem, Silva's story isn't one of overnight success. There is no such thing when it comes to horses. Silva has spent a lifetime around horses, beginning with a childhood in Portugal surrounded by accomplished horsemen and classicalIy trained Lusitanos. His development from a young man with a passion for horses to a classical dressage master has, however, been largely out of public view.
Silva, 39, is for the most part self-taught and family trained. He has not competed, nor does he coach students in their competitive ventures, focusing instead on teaching the basic elements of riding. "Either we ride or we don't ride," said Silva. "It's not about winning. It's about enhancing our riding and our understanding."
This horseman does not measure his achievements with ribbons. "It's not about the three or four minutes of the test; it's about the balance and harmony one achieves with the horse," he said.
His talent and passion for horses are firmly evident, whether he is in full Baroque regalia performing before hundreds of spectators at venues such as Equitana and Equine Affaire, or back in Deerfield schooling a young horse. His horses, mostly Lusitanos, he's trained in the high school movements, provide further proof of his abilities. His students, however, afford the most telling stories of Silva's success.
A Devoted Following
No two students are at the same level, have the same competitive history or come from the same place. The single similarity seems to be a high regard for Silva's teaching skills and his schoolmaster stallions.
The equine teachers are a major draw. It's not that these horses are stallions (handled daily, given regular turnout, and gentle, handsome beasts), though that may add to the allure. It's not necessarily that they are Lusitanos, though the breed is known for its history of competence in the classical dressage arena. It is, that if you ask for the piaffe correctly, you will get it.
Asking correctly is the tricky part. Elizabeth Creamer, a long-time student of dressage, recalled that when she first arrived and asked for a movement incorrectly, the horse let her know just how badly she was doing by standing at a halt. Things have since improved dramatically. Now movements flow smoothly for her – a little piaffe, a little passage, a dead square halt only when requested.
Another regular student, Andrea White, drives from Massachusetts for lessons (by no means winning the award for distance traveled since Silva puts up students from as far away as California). White rides a young, handsome bay without stirrups or reins, and she is put through her paces on the longe line. Despite the drive, the work, and the effort, she said she would gladly be back for more.
Nearly all students who first arrive at Sons of the Wind are "demoted" to the longe line. In keeping with classical principles, Silva provides a progressive program that develops the rider's seat, balance, timing and understanding of the classical principles of dressage.
"There are only two ways of riding - correct and incorrect," said Silva. "if we don't have balance and the understanding of the horse's movement at the walk, trot, and canter, we are not ready to have the reins in our hands. If we allow the reins in the hands prematurely, the rider does not develop the understanding of riding from a balanced seat into the hands."
Silva's students don't seem to mind, even if they have been riding for years. In fact White, when finished with tier grueling lesson, dismounts with a smile.
That smile could he a key to her success with Silva, who likes to work with all types of students, so long as they are happy. He finds that the best riders are those who are at peace with themselves. "We enjoy working with students, regardless of level, that are prepared to not only accept instruction, but to also take great care to understand themselves, their actions and have the sensibility to feel the horse's responses and differentiate his needs," he said.
The Teachings Of The Masters
This is not an indication of a new age approach to horsemanship so much as it is a reflection of a lifetime of equestrian scholarship. Silva "meticulously" studied and worked through the philosophies and texts of the masters -Gueriniere, the Duke of Newcastle, Beudante, Oliviera. This intense study combined with what he refers to as his great passion for horses developed his abilities.
silva has also ridden with and been inspired and supported by his "dear friend" Frank Grelo, another Lusitanian native, now living in Canada, and himself a student of Oliviera. It was Grelo who inspired Silva to enter the equine industry.
When silva left Portugal as a young man he thought that he had left behind his life with horses as well, wanting instead to pursue a business career. For more than a decade, Silva resisted entering the equine industry, and, when he originally bought the 22 acres that now comprise Sons of the Wind Farm, it was merely to quell a private yearning to own, train and ride a few Lusitanos of his own.
Then Grelo asked Silva to assist him in some classical dressage demonstrations, and, as Silva puts it, the "flame" was lit. He was encouraged to go full tilt into the horse world and open his school. He had decided that he would teach, in part to continue his own education.
"Anyone who wants to be a true student of the equestrian arts ultimately has to be able to teach," said Silva. "You can only be an effective teacher if you are an accomplished rider or trainer first. This process of intellectually examining and then expressing to a student the correctness of the aids, their influence on the horse and feeling the needs of the horse, deepens the teacher's understanding of the art of riding."
Silva's respect for his equine partners, his knowledge of the classical dressage methods, and his competence as a rider, all come together when he is teaching.
Speaking of the clinic Silva conducted at her Brentwood Oak facility, Linda Morse, a 30-year veteran of the equine industry said, "Best clinic I ever hosted. Absolutely outstanding."
Silva conducted the five-day clinic at Morse's California facility. Though he often travels with his own horses, in this case Silva worked with local riders and their horses at various levels of training. Morse described Silva as intense yet gracious, warm, infinitely patient and generous with his time and instructions. She concluded that he is "a gift to the dressage world and a gift to horsemen."