Horse EU Heritage

The purpose of this project is to examine the horse as an agent of transmission of European heritage and Europeanisation. In this context, the horse will be analysed as a multidimensional component of European heritage, combining natural and cultural elements, tangible and intangible aspects. Even the genetic heritage of the horse is closely associated with European cultural heritage, since each breed is the result of historical human selection, in order to respond to societal needs.

This project is situated in the spectrum “from idea to application’, by linking fundamental and applied researchers in a complementary approach. We will associate the transmission and revitalization of European equestrian culture with sustainable tourism dynamics. These dynamics, and the outcomes of this project, can encourage alternative forms of tourism, such as cultural tourism, ecotourism, agrotourism and sport tourism, combined to politics of eco-management.

The project is based on cross-referencing analysis from interdisciplinary fields (geography, languages and civilization, sociology, anthropology, management, economics, marketing, complemented by genetics, environmental sciences, agronomy and animal sciences) of international researchers drawn from France, the United Kingdom, Iceland, Norway, Poland, Hungary, Finland, Italy, Portugal, Germany and the Czech Republic. The team will also include PhD candidates. The team testifies to the gender equality required by Horizon 2020 projects, being comprised of 40% men and 60% women.