The buildings that today make up the Alter Stud Farm have different architectural characteristics because they date from different time periods and many have been adapted for functions other than those for which they were originally intended.

Heritage

Today, it is possible to get to know in the stud farm a vast set of historical spaces that have been able to harmonize with the present, continuing to be very useful for the functioning of the daily activities that are developed in Alter for the benefit of the horse, such as: the Patio das Éguas; the Potril; the Patio D. João VI; the Parade and Main Track; the Stallions’ Stables; the Stallions’ Stables’ Riding Arena; the Gomes da Silva Riding Arena; the D. José de Athayde Riding Arena; the Competition Tracks; the Clinical Unit; the Reproduction and Neonatology Unit; the Molecular Genetics Laboratory; the Professional Agricultural School – EPDRAC; the Train House; the Falconry; the Tentadero; the Hotel; and also an archaeological route.

Highlights include the Pátio das Éguas, built when the stud farm was a military unit – and even today it is the place of choice to visit the mares to eat, drink and rest with their foals – and one of the oldest buildings of the Alter Stud Farm, dating from its foundation, the “Casas Altas” – an imposing property that resembles a tall white fortress, which was once a chapel, a haystack, a barn, and where today is the Interpretation Centre of the Alter Stud Farm, the ideal place to start a tour of the stud farm, since there you can learn about the history and context of the stud farm, as well as all its organization and its various valences.