The classification is the result of a process started in 2015 and developed in partnership with the Portuguese Association of Lusitanian Thoroughbred Breeders, Parques de Sintra, which manages the Portuguese School of Equestrian Art, and the municipality of Golegã. Portuguese Equestrian Art was integrated into the National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2021.

According to the application documents, the promoting entities propose as measures to safeguard this practice the creation of a research centre associated with the D. Diogo de Bragança Equestrian Library, in the National Palace of Queluz, the guarantee of the Portuguese School of Equestrian Art as a reference institution in teaching, and the integration of horse riding as part of a complement to the school curriculum, based on an existing pilot project in Golegã, among others.

Based on respect for the horse so that “perfect harmony” can be established with the riders, Portuguese Equestrian Art interconnects the functional and artistic dimensions, “originating two inseparable expressions, one popular and one erudite”, as can be read in the documentation of the UNESCO candidacy.

“In all its dimensions, Equestrian Art in Portugal is differentiated by the rider's position in the saddle, the specific clothing and the harness. The rider develops equestrian knowledge, seeking the horse's gentle and consenting collaboration, without forcing, intuiting what is asked of him”, adds the same text.