Portugal’s Top Dressage Champions Compared: Who should you pick?

Choosing a dressage trainer in Portugal already puts you in the heart of one of the most respected equestrian cultures in the world. But choosing between two World Champions — Nicole Silva and Gilberto Filipe — is a whole different (and exciting) decision.

They are both celebrated.

They are both technically brilliant.

They are both deeply Portuguese in their training identity.

But the experience you’ll have with each of them is completely different.

This guide breaks down everything that matters — teaching style, personality, lesson feeling, horses, rhythm, and the type of rider each trainer is perfect for.

By the end, you’ll know exactly which champion aligns with your riding goals.

Meet the Champions

Nicole Silva — The Technical Dressage Prodigy

• 2025 WAWE European Champion (Young Riders)
• 2023 WAWE World Champion (Juniors & Young Riders)
• Elite coach at Lusitanos Academy (Lisbon area)
• Known for: razor-sharp technical precision, calm presence, and micro-corrections that immediately level up your riding
• Trains on: top Lusitano schoolmasters with soft mouths, balance, feel, and correct movement

Nicole represents the “next generation” of Portugal’s dressage scene — technical, modern, extremely detail-oriented, and deeply intuitive. If you want a trainer who will catch every asymmetry, every delayed aid, every line that’s a millimetre off … she’s the one.

Gilberto Filipe — The Working Equitation Legend

• World Champion (2018 & 2022) with Zinque das Lezírias
• European Champion (2024) with Morante
• One of the most decorated WE riders in the world
• Known for: friendly energy, effortless clarity, fast improvement, and teaching dressage that moves
• Trains on: competition-level Lusitanos, including top horses you may get to sit on

Gilberto is the mentor you didn’t know you needed — relaxed, funny, easygoing, and somehow able to pull the best out of you without making you overthink. He turns dressage into something life-giving, dynamic, and incredibly confidence-building.

How Their Teaching Styles Compare

Nicole

Technical | Clean | Highly Structured

She sees everything.

Your hand angle.

Your timing.

Your straightness.

She gives micro-adjustments that instantly fix your biomechanics.

If you want to sharpen accuracy, correctness, and classical lines — she is perfect.

Gilberto

Fluid | Feel-first | Rhythm & Confidence

His dressage is rooted in Working Equitation, which means:

• straightness in motion
• balance through transitions
• contact that stays soft even through speed
• calm confidence under pressure

If you learn best through movement, patterns, and flow, he’s unmatched.

Lesson Vibe

Training with Nicole feels like…

Precision | Calm | Quiet | focused coaching.

Everything is intentional.

She is gentle but firm in the best way — ensuring you understand what correct work feels like so you can recreate it on your own.

Great for riders who like:

• order
• clarity
• repetition with purpose
• technical depth

Training with Gilberto feels like…

Fun | Energetic | Confidence boosting | Encouraging

He has a gift for making even serious dressage feel enjoyable and lightweight.

You’ll laugh, you’ll learn, and you’ll leave feeling ten times braver.

Great for riders who like:

• dynamic lessons
• trying obstacles
• variety
• pushing past comfort zones

Their Philosophies Compared

Nicole Silva: “Precision creates confidence.”

She believes mastery of detail is what unlocks harmony, straightness, and correct feel.

Her philosophy is intentionally progressive — one clear correction at a time.

Nothing overwhelming, nothing rushed.

Gilberto Filipe: “Confidence creates precision.”

He builds trust first — with the horse, with the movement, and with yourself.

When you’re relaxed, his techniques start clicking naturally.

Precision becomes a by-product of feeling safe and guided.

Both philosophies lead to beautiful riding — just in different ways.

Their Horses

Nicole’s Horses

• Lusitanos that move with effortless correctness
• Very rideable for intermediate riders
• Sensitive to aids in the best way
• Designed for technical improvement

Gilberto’s Horses

• Bold, educated WE partners
• Responsive, rhythmic, and powerful
• Sometimes you even sit on a champion
• Train you to feel straightness in motion

The difference?

Nicole’s horses refine you.

Gilberto’s horses empower you.

Which Champion Suits Which Rider?

Choose Nicole if you are…

• A detail-oriented rider
• Someone who likes structured progression
• A dressage purist
• Working toward better biomechanics
• A rider who wants clarity above all

Choose Gilberto if you are…

• Someone who learns best through movement
• A rider who needs confidence
• Someone who enjoys variety and speed
• Curious about Working Equitation
• A rider who wants to be gently pushed

Personality Match — The Hidden Factor

Nicole

Calm | Gentle | Patient | Technical | Supportive |

Great for riders who get overwhelmed easily or like quieter lessons

Gilberto

Happy | Energetic | Relaxed | Encouraging | Charismatic

Great for riders who need motivation, fun, and a confidence boost

Both are kind. Both are easy to be around.

You simply choose the energy you want to train with.

Packages to Train With Each World Champion

Train with Nicole Silva — Lusitanos Academy (Lisbon & Comporta)

• 4 private dressage lessons

• Beach ride in Comporta

• Tuk-tuk tour of Lisbon

• Visit to the Portuguese School of Equestrian Art

  Perfect for riders wanting technical growth + culture.

Train with Gilberto Filipe — Golegã & Lisbon Region

• Private dressage + WE lessons

• Obstacle training (bridge, slalom, garrocha corridor, gate)

• Option to ride his top competition horses

  Perfect for riders wanting dynamic, motivating training.

Final Verdict: Who Should YOU Pick?

Here’s the truth:

You can’t go wrong — but you can go RIGHT based on who you are as a rider.

If you want precision, structure, and technical mastery →

🌟 Train with Nicole Silva

If you want feel, confidence, and dynamic dressage →

🌟 Train with Gilberto Filipe