Use These days: The Andalusian excels in dressage and standard Spanish equestrian pursuits, for instance bull fighting and ranch work.
Color: The majority of Andalusians are gray; less common, although discovered, is bay, black, dun and palomino.
Height: 15 to 16
The Andalusian, also recognized as the Pure Spanish Horse or PRE (Pura Raza Española), is really a horse breed developed inside the Iberian Peninsula. Its ancestors have been present on the Iberian Peninsula for thousands of years. The Andalusian has been recognized as an individual breed since the 15th century, and its conformation has changed quite small over the centuries. All through its history, it has been recognized for its prowess as a war horse, and was prized by the nobility. The breed was utilized as a tool of diplomacy by the Spanish government, and kings across Europe rode and owned Spanish horses. In the course of the 19th century, warfare, disease and crossbreeding decreased herd numbers dramatically, and despite some recovery within the late 19th century, the trend continued into the early 20th century.
Exports of Andalusians were restricted until the 1960s, but the breed has since spread all through the world, despite still-low population numbers. As of 2003, there had been over 75,000 registered living Andalusians worldwide.
Strongly built, and compact yet elegant, Andalusians have lengthy, thick manes and tails. Their most widespread coat color is gray, although they are able to be found in numerous other colors. They're identified for their intelligence, sensitivity and docility. A sub-strain within the breed recognized as the Carthusian, is considered by breeders to be the purest strain of Andalusian, although there's no genetic evidence for this claim. The strain is still regarded as separate from the most important breed on the other hand, and is preferred by breeders because buyers pay much more for horses of Carthusian bloodlines.
You'll find numerous competing registries keeping records of horses designated as Andalusian or PRE, but they differ on their definition of the Andalusian and PRE, the purity of many strains of the breed, along with the legalities of stud book ownership. At the least one lawsuit is in progress as of 2010 to determine the ownership of the Spanish PRE stud book.
The Andalusian is closely related to the Lusitano of Portugal, and has been utilized to develop numerous other breeds, especially in Europe and also the Americas. Breeds with Andalusian ancestry include quite a few of the warmbloods in Europe too as western hemisphere breeds such as the Azteca. Over its centuries of development, the Andalusian breed has been selected for athleticism and stamina. The horses were originally employed for classical dressage, driving, bullfighting, and as stock horses. Modern Andalusians are employed for a lot of equestrian activities, such as dressage, show jumping and driving. The breed is also employed extensively in movies, specially historical photos and fantasy epics.
Commonly standing between 15.2 and 16.2 hands high, Andalusian horses are both elegant and strongly built. Members of the breed have heads of medium length, with a straight or slightly convex profile.Ultra convex and concave profiles are discouraged in the breed, and are penalized in breed shows.Necks are long and broad, running to well-defined withers; chests massive; backs short; hindquarters broad and strong, with well-rounded croups.
The breed tends to have clean legs, with no propensity for blemishes or injuries, and energetic gaits. The mane and tail are thick and long, though the legs don't have excess feathering. Andalusians tend to be docile, but also intelligent and sensitive. When treated with respect they're quick to understand, responsive and cooperative.
You can find two additional characteristics distinctive to the Carthusian strain, believed to trace to the strain's foundation stallion Esclavo. The first is warts under the tail, a trait which Esclavo passed to his offspring, plus a trait which some breeders felt was required to prove that a horse was a member of the Esclavo bloodline. The second characteristic will be the occasional presence of "horns", that are basically frontal bosses, possibly inherited from Asian ancestors. The physical descriptions of the bosses vary, ranging from calcium-like deposits at the temple to tiny horn-like protrubences near or behind the ear. However, these "horns" aren't considered proof of Esclavo descent, unlike the tail warts.
When the breed was first developed, most coat colors were discovered, including spotted patterns.Nowadays, around 80 percent of all Andalusians are gray. Of the remaining horses, approximately 15 percent are bay and five percent are black, dun or palomino or chestnut.Other colors, which include buckskin, pearl, and cremello, are rare, but are recognized as allowed colors by the International Andalusian and Lusitano Horse Association.Within the early history of the breed, certain white markings and whorls had been regarded as to be indicators of character and fantastic or poor luck.Horses with white socks on their feet had been considered to have very good or poor luck, depending on the leg or legs affected.
A horse with no white markings at all was considered to be ill-tempered and vice-ridden, whilst certain facial markings had been considered representative of honesty, loyalty and endurance.Similarly, hair whorls in a variety of locations had been considered to show excellent or poor luck, using the most unlucky being in locations where the horse itself could not see them - for instance the temples, cheek, shoulder or heart. Two whorls near the root of the tail had been regarded as a sign of courage and excellent luck.
The movement of Andalusian horses is extended, elevated, cadenced and harmonious, having a balance of roundness and forward movement. Poor elevation, irregular tempo, and excessive winging (sideways movement of the legs from the knee down) are discouraged by breed registry standards. Andalusians are recognized for their agility and their capability to discover hard moves speedily, which include advanced collection and turns on the haunches.A 2001 study compared the kinematic characteristics of Andalusian, Arabian and Anglo-Arabian horses though moving at the trot. Andalusians were discovered to overtrack less (the degree to which the hind foot lands ahead of the front hoof print) but also exhibit higher flexing of both fore and hind joints, movement consistent using the additional elevated way of going usually discovered in this breed. The authors of the study theorized that these characteristics of the breed's trot may perhaps contribute to their success as a riding and dressage horse.
A 2008 study discovered that Andalusians experience ischaemic (decreased blood flow) diseases of the modest intestine at a rate considerably higher than other breeds, and stallions had higher numbers of inguinal hernias, with risk for occurrence 30 times greater than other breeds. At the exact same time, they also showed a lower incidence of big intestinal obstruction. Within the course of the study, Andalusians also showed the highest risk of laminitis as a medical complication related to the intestinal issues.
Early development
... the noblest horse inside the world, essentially the most attractive which could be. He is of wonderful spirit and of fantastic courage and docile; hath the proudest trot plus the best action in his trot, the loftiest gallop, and will be the lovingest and gentlest horse, and fittest of all for a king in his day of triumph.
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William Cavendish, the Duke of Newcastle, 1667
The Andalusian horse is descended from the Iberian horses of Spain and Portugal, and derives its name from its location of origin, the Spanish region of Andalusia.Cave paintings show that horses have been present on the Iberian Peninsula as far back as 20,000 to 30,000 BCE.
Though Portuguese historian Ruy d'Andrade hypothesized that the ancient Sorraia breed was an ancestor of the Southern Iberian breeds, such as the Andalusian,genetic studies making use of mitochondrial DNA show that the Sorraia is part of a genetic cluster which is largely separated from most Iberian breeds.
All through history, the Iberian breeds have been influenced by a lot of distinct persons and cultures who occupied Spain, which includes the Celts, the Carthaginians, the Romans, numerous Germanic tribes plus the Moors.
The Iberian horse was identified as a talented war horse as early as 450 BCE.Mitochondrial DNA studies of the modern Andalusian horse of the Iberian peninsula and Barb horse of North Africa, present convincing evidence that both breeds crossed the Strait of Gibraltar and had been used for breeding with one another, influencing one another's bloodlines.Thus, the Andalusian may possibly have been the very first European "warmblood", a mixture of heavy European and lighter Oriental horses. Some of the earliest written pedigrees in recorded European history were kept by Carthusian monks,Beginning within the 13th century.
Mainly because they could read and write, and had been therefore able to maintain careful records, monastics were given the responsibility for horse breeding by specific members of the nobility, particularly in Spain. Andalusian stud farms for breeding were formed in the late 15th century in Carthusian monasteries in Jerez, Seville and Cazalla.
The Carthusians bred effective, weight-bearing horses in Andalusia for the Crown of Castile, using the finest Spanish Jennets as foundation bloodstock.These horses had been a blend of Jennet and warmblood breeding, taller and far more powerfully built than the original Jennet.By the 15th century, the Andalusian had become a distinct breed, and was being employed to influence the development of other breeds. They had been also noted for their use as cavalry horses.Although inside the 16th and 17th centuries Spanish horses had not however reached the final form of the modern day Andalusian,by 1667 William Cavendish, the Duke of Newcastle, referred to as the Spanish horse of Andalusia the "princes" of the horse world, and reported that they had been "unnervingly intelligent".The Iberian horse became identified as the "royal horse of Europe" and was seen at quite a few royal courts and riding academies, which includes those in Austria, Italy, France and Germany.By the 16th century, during the reigns of Charles V (1500-1558) and Phillip II (1556-1581), Spanish horses had been regarded as the finest inside the world. Even in Spain, high quality horses had been owned mainly by the wealthy.In the course of the 16th century, inflation and an increased demand for harness and cavalry horses drove the cost of horses particularly high. The generally high priced Andalusian became even more so, and it was usually impossible to uncover a member of the breed to buy at any cost
Andalusian horse breed Videos :
Dissemination
Spanish horses also had been spread widely as a tool of diplomacy by the government of Spain, which granted both horses and export rights to favored citizens and to other royalty. As early as the 15th century, the Spanish horse was widely distributed throughout the Mediterranean, and was identified in northern European countries, in spite of being less popular and extra pricey there. As time went on, kings from across Europe, such as every French monarch from Francis I to Louis XVI, had equestrian portraits developed showing themselves riding Spanish-type horses.The kings of France, including
Louis XIII and Louis XIV, particularly preferred the Spanish horse; the head groom to Henri IV, Salomon de la Broue, stated in 1600, "Comparing the top horses, I give the Spanish horse 1st place for its perfection, because it really is essentially the most beautiful, noble, graceful and courageous".War horses from Spain and Portugal began to be introduced to England in the 12th century, and importation continued through the 15th century. In the 16th century, Henry VIII received gifts of Spanish horses from Charles V, Ferdinand II of Aragon along with the Duke of Savoy and others when he wed Katherine of Aragon. He also purchased extra war and riding horses by means of agents in Spain.By 1576, Spanish horses made up 1 third of British royal studs at Malmesbury and Tutbury.
The Spanish horse peaked in popularity in Excellent Britain in the course of the 17th century, when horses had been freely imported from Spain and exchanged as gifts between royal families. With the introduction of the Thoroughbred, interest within the Spanish horse faded immediately after the mid-18th century, despite the fact that they remained favorite through the early 19th century.The Conquistadors of the 16th century rode Spanish horses, particularly animals from Andalusia, and the modern day Andalusian descended from similar bloodstock.By 1500, Spanish horses had been established in studs on Santo Domingo, and Spanish horses created their way into the ancestry of a lot of breeds founded in North and South America. Several Spanish explorers from the 16th century on brought Spanish horses with them for use as war horses and later as breeding stock. By 1642, the Spanish horse had spread to Moldovia, to the stables of Transylvanian prince George Rakoczi.
19th century to present
Regardless of their ancient history, all living Andalusians trace to a small number of horses bred by religious orders in the 18th and 19th centuries. An influx of heavy horse blood beginning within the 16th century, resulted within the dilution of numerous of the bloodlines; only those protected by selective breeding remained intact to grow to be the modern Andalusian.In the course of the 19th century, the Andalusian breed was threatened mainly because several horses had been stolen or requisitioned in wartime, which includes the War of the Oranges, the Peninsular War as well as the 3 Carlist Wars. Napoleon's invading army also stole several horses. 1 herd of Andalusians was hidden from the invaders even so, and subsequently utilized to renew the breed.
In 1822, breeders began to add Norman blood into Spanish bloodlines, also as further infusions of Arabian blood. This was partially due to the fact growing mechanization and changing wants inside the military called for horses with a lot more speed in cavalry charges also as horses with more bulk for pulling gun carriages.
In 1832, an epidemic seriously affected Spain's horse population, from which only one smaller herd survived in a stud at the monastery in Cartuja.Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, European breeders, especially the Germans, changed from an emphasis on Andalusian and Neapolitan horses (an emphasis that had been in location considering that the decline of chivalry), to an emphasis on the breeding of.
Thoroughbreds and warmbloods, further depleting the stock of Andalusians.In spite of this change in focus, Andalusian breeding slowly recovered, and in 1869, the Seville Horse Fair (originally begun by the Romans), played host to between ten and twelve thousand Spanish horses.Inside the early 20th century, Spanish horse breeding began to focus on other breeds, particularly draft breeds, Arabians, Thoroughbreds and crosses between these breeds, too as crosses between these breeds as well as the Andalusian. The purebred Andalusian was not viewed favorably by breeders or the military, and their numbers decreased substantially.
Andalusians only began to be exported from Spain in 1962.The very first Andalusians had been imported into Australia in 1971, and in 1973 the Andalusian Horse Association of Australasia was formed for the registration of these Andalusians and their offspring. Strict quarantine guidelines prohibited the importation of new Andalusian blood to Australia for numerous years, but since 1999, regulations have been relaxed and more than half a dozen new horses have been imported.
Bloodines within the United States also rely on imported stock, and right now, all American Andalusians can be traced directly to the stud books in Portugal and Spain. You'll find around four,500 animals living currently within the United States, where the International Andalusian and Lusitano Horse Association (IALHA) registers around 400 new foals every year. These numbers indicate that the Andalusian is often a somewhat rare breed in the United States.As of 2003, there had been 75,389 living horses registered in the stud book, and they constituted almost 66 percent of the horses in Spain. Breed numbers have been growing throughout the 21st century.
Uses
The Andalusian breed has over the centuries been consistently selected for athleticism. Within the 17th century, referring to multi-kilometer races, Cavendish said, "They were so considerably quicker than all other horses recognized at that time that none was ever observed to come close to them, even within the several remarkable races that had been run." In 1831, horses at five years old had been expected to be able to gallop, with out changing pace, four or five leagues, about 12 to 15 miles (19 to 24 km). By 1925, the Portuguese military expected horses to "cover 40 km over uneven terrain at a minimum speed of 10 km/h, and to gallop a flat course of 8 km at a mimimum speed of 800 metres per minute carrying a weight of a minimum of 70 kg", and the Spanish military had similar standards.
From the very beginning of their history, Andalusians have been utilised for both riding and driving. Among the very first horses utilized for classical dressage, they're still creating a mark in international competition in dressage these days. At the 2002 World Equestrian Games, two Andalusians had been on the bronze-medal winning Spanish dressage team, a team that went on to take the silver medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics.Today, the breed is increasingly being selectively bred for increased aptitude in classical dressage.[39] Historically, on the other hand, they had been also utilized as stock horses, particularly suited to working with Iberian bulls, recognized for their aggressive temperaments. They had been, and still are, known for their use in mounted bull fighting.Mares were traditionally employed for la trilla, the Spanish process of threshing corn practiced until the 1960s. Mares, some pregnant or with foals at their side, spent full days trotting over the corn. Too as becoming a standard farming practice, it also served as a test of endurance, hardiness and willingness for the maternal Andalusian lines.
Andalusians nowadays are used for show jumping, western pleasure and quite a few other classes at horse shows.The existing Traveler, the mascot of the University of Southern California, is an Andalusian.The dramatic appearance of the Andalusian horse, with its arched neck, muscular build and energetic gaits, has created it a popular breed to make use of in film, especially in historical and fantasy epics. Andalusians have been present in films ranging from Gladiator to Interview with a Vampire, and Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life to Braveheart. The horses have also been seen in such fantasy epics as The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, King Arthur, as well as the Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and also the Wardrobe.In 2006, a rearing Andalusian stallion, ridden by Mexican conquistador Don Juan de Oñate, was recreated as the largest bronze equine in the world. Measuring 36 feet (11 m) high, the statue at present stands in El Paso, Texas
Strains and sub-types
The Carthusian Andalusian or Cartujano is commonly regarded as the purest Andalusian strain, and has one of the oldest recorded pedigree lines within the world.The pure sub-type is rare, as only around 12 percent of the Andalusian horses registered between the founding of the stud book in the 19th century and 1998 had been regarded as Carthusians.
They created up only three.6 percent of the overall breeding stock, but 14.2 percent of the stallions employed for breeding. Inside the past, Carthusians had been given preference in breeding, leading to a large proportion of the Andalusian population claiming ancestry from a modest number of horses and possibly limiting the breed's genetic variability. A 2005 study compared the genetic distance between Carthusian and non-Carthusian horses.
They calculated a Fixation index (FST) based on genealogical information and facts and concluded that the distinction between the two isn't supported by genetic evidence. Even so, there are slight physical differences; Carthusians have more "oriental" or concave head shapes and are additional normally gray in color, even though non-Carthusians tend toward convex profiles and a lot more generally exhibit other coat colors including bay.
The Carthusian line was established within the early 18th century when two Spanish brothers, Andrés and Diego Zamora, bought a stallion named El Soldado and bred him to two mares.The mares were descended from mares purchased by the Spanish king and placed at Aranjuez, one of the oldest horse breeding farms in Spain.1 of the offspring of El Soldado, a dark gray colt named Esclavo, became the foundation sire of the Carthusian line. 1 group of mares sired by Esclavo in about 1736 had been given to a group of Carthusian monks to settle a debt. Other animals of these bloodlines had been absorbed into the most important Andalusian breed; the stock given to the monks was bred into a special line, known as Zamoranos.
All through the following centuries, the Zamoranos bloodlines were guarded by the Carthusian monks, to the point of defying royal orders to introduce outside blood from the Neapolitan horse and central European breeds.They did, nonetheless, introduce Arabian and Barb blood to improve the strain.The original stock of Carthusians was significantly depleted in the course of the Peninsular Wars, plus the strain may have turn into extinct if not for the efforts of the Zapata family.Currently, the Carthusian strain is raised in state-owned stud farms around Jerez de la Frontera, Badajoz and Cordoba,and also by a number of private families. Carthusian horses continue to be in demand in Spain, and buyers pay high costs for members of the strain
Influence on other breeds
Spain's worldwide military activities between the 14th and 17th centuries known as for large numbers of horses, much more than could possibly be supplied by native Spanish mares. Spanish custom also referred to as for mounted troops to ride stallions, by no means mares or geldings. Due to these factors, Spanish stallions were crossed with nearby mares in several countries, adding Spanish bloodlines wherever they went, in particular to other European breeds.
Because of the influence of the later Habsburg families, who ruled in both Spain and other nations of Europe, the Andalusian was crossbred with horses of Central Europe as well as the Low Countries and therefore was closely related to lots of breeds that developed, which includes the Neapolitan horse, Groningen, Lipizzaner and Kladruber.[43] Spanish horses were employed extensively in classical dressage in Germany from the 16th century on. From this use, they influenced lots of German breeds, such as the Hanoverian, Holstein, East Friesian and Oldenburg. Dutch breeds which include the Friesian and Gelderland also contain significant Spanish blood, as do Danish breeds including the
Fredericksborg and Knabstrup.
Andalusians had been a significant influence on the creation of the Alter Real, a strain of the Lusitano, as well as the Azteca, a Mexican breed produced by crossing the Andalusian with American Quarter Horse and Criollo bloodlines.The Spanish jennet ancestors of the Andalusian also developed the Colonial Spanish Horse in America, which became the foundation bloodstock for many North and South American breeds.
Naming and registration
Until modern day times, horse breeds all through Europe were identified primarily by the name of the region where they were bred.Therefore the original term "Andalusian" basically described the horses of distinct excellent that came from Andalusia in Spain.Similarly, the Lusitano, a Portuguese horse really comparable to the Andalusian, takes its name from Lusitania,an ancient Roman name for Portugal.
The Andalusian horse has been identified by way of history as the Iberian Saddle Horse, Iberian War Horse, Spanish Horse, Portuguese, Peninsular, Extremeno, Villanos, Zapata and Zamaranos. The Portuguese name refers to what exactly is now the Lusitano, even though the Peninsular, Iberian Saddle Horse and Iberian War Horse names refer to horses from the Iberian Peninsula as a entire. The Extremeno name refers to Spanish horses from the Extremadura province of Spain along with the Zapata or Zapatero name to horses that come from the Zapata family stud. The Villano name has occasionally been applied to contemporary Andalusians, but originally referred to heavy, crossbred horses from the mountains north of Jaen.The Carthusian horse, also recognized as the Carthusian-Andalusian and also the Cartujano, is a sub-type of the Andalusian, instead of a distinct breed in itself. A frequent nickname for the Andalusian will be the "Horse of Kings". Some sources state that the Andalusian and the Lusitano are genetically the same, and the only difference is the country in which individual horses are born.In a lot of areas these days, the breeding, showing, and registration of the Andalusian and Lusitano are controlled by the same registries. 1 example of this is the International Andalusian and Lusitano Horse Association (IALHA) - presently the largest Andalusian registering organization in the world.Other organizations, including The Association of Purebred Spanish Horse Breeders of Spain (Asociación Nacional de Criadores de Caballo de Pura Raza Española or ANCCE), use the term "Pura Raza Española" or PRE to describe the accurate Spanish horse, and claim sole authority to officially register and problem documentation for PRE Horses, both in Spain and anywhere else inside the world. In most of the world the terms "Andalusian" and "PRE" are considered one plus the very same breed,but the public position of the ANCCE is that terms like "Andalusian" and "Lusitano" refer only to crossbreds, which the ANCCE considers to be horses that lack quality and purity, without having official documentation or registration from official Spanish Stud Book.
In Australasia, the Australasia Andalusian Association registers Andalusians (which the registry considers an interchangeable term for PRE), Australian Andalusians, and partbred Andalusians. They share responsibility for the Purebred Iberian Horse (an Andalusian/Lusitano cross) using the Lusitano Association of Australasia. In the Australian registry, you will find several levels of crossbred horses. A very first cross Andalusian is often a crossbreed that is 50 percent Andalusian, whilst a second cross Andalusian is the result of crossing a purebred Andalusian with a 1st cross - resulting in a horse of 75 percent Andalusian blood. A third cross, also recognized by the registry as an Australian Andalusian, is when a second cross individual is mated having a foundation Andalusian mare. This sequence is known as a "breeding up" program by the registry.
The name Pura Raza Española (PRE), translated as "Pure Spanish Horse," will be the term utilized by the ANCCE, a private organization, and also the Ministry of Agriculture of Spain. The ANCCE uses neither the term "Andalusian" nor "Lusitano", and only registers horses that have certain recognized bloodlines. Additionally, all breeding stock ought to undergo an evaluation method.
The ANCCE was founded in 1972. Spain's Ministry of Agriculture recognizes the ANCCE as the representing entity for PRE breeders and owners across the globe, too as the administrator of the breed stud book.ANCCE functions as the international parent association for all breeders worldwide who record their horses as PRE. As an example, the United States PRE registry is affiliated with ANCCE, follows ANCCE rules, and is wholly separate from the IALHA.
A second group, the Foundation for the Pure Spanish Horse or PRE Mundial, has begun yet another PRE registry in Spain, an alternative to the ANCCE. This new registry claims that all of their registered horses trace back to the original stud book maintained by the Cria Caballar, which was a branch of the Spanish Ministry of Defense for 100 years. Thus, the PRE Mundial registry asserts that their registry will be the most authentic, purest PRE registry functioning these days.
As of 2010, there's a lawsuit in progress to ascertain the legal holder of the PRE stud book. The Unión de Criadores de Caballos Españoles (UCCE or Union of Spanish Horse Breeders) has brought a case to the highest European Union courts in Brussels, charging that the Ministry of Spain's transfer of the original PRE Libro de Origen (the official stud book) from the Cria Caballar to ANCCE was illegal.
In early 2009, the courts decided on behalf of UCCE, explaining that the Cria Caballar formed the Libro de Origin. Due to the fact it was formed by a government entity, it truly is against European Union law for the stud book to be transferred to a private entity, a law that was broken by the transfer of the book to ANCCE, which is really a non-governmental organization. The court discovered that by giving ANCCE sole control of the stud book, Spain's Ministry of Defense was acting in a discriminatory manner.
The court held that Spain should give permission to maintain a breed stud book (known as a Libro Genealógico) to any international association or Spanish national association which requests it. Based on the Brussels court decision, an application has been produced by the Foundation for the Pure Spanish Horse to maintain the United States stud book for the PRE. As of December 2009, Spain has not but revoked ANCCE's correct to be the sole holder of the PRE stud book
