One of the few horse breeds that originated in the Iberian Peninsula is the Andalusian. Because of how valuable those horses are, transporting horses from Spain without a permit was illegal for many years and carried a death sentence. They became known as the “equine aristocracy” since they were at every prince’s court. They were revered as the wind god’s messengers in the past.
SPANISH EQUINES – ANATOMY AND TRAITS
Andalusians have the medium height, muscular and compact body type that characterizes Iberian horses. Their heads have a straight or slightly convex contour, making them attractive and slender. On the other hand, they have powerful, well-defined necks. Their shoulders are slanted, their backs are short with a distinct topline, and they have a very muscular croup. Their slender forelimbs are frequently extremely fragile with a deeper heel. The coat is quite thin, lustrous, silky, and short, with veins and muscles clearly evident. Their amazing mane, which is long, thick, slightly wavy, and occasionally curly, only gets more beautiful when styled in exquisite ways.
Large eyes and ears are another distinguishing feature of this breed, giving them an air of intelligence and attentiveness.
Height range: 155–162 cm
Weight: around 400 kg
The coat is primarily grey with dapples, though it can also be bay, palomino, and black.
GROOMING
Because of their thick, flowing manes and tails, Andalusians require extensive maintenance. This hair requires routine upkeep, conditioning, and detangling to stay healthy. When their horses aren’t being shown or shown, owners may need to tie up their tails to keep them off the ground. Some owners choose to braid their manes every day to help reduce tangles.
As with any breed, Andalusians will gain from routine care, particularly currying, which will enhance the sheen and natural oils in the horse’s coat. Maintaining a clean horse can be difficult because so many of them are gray or white. If you have a horse that is lighter-colored in coat, be ready for frequent washings or spot treatments.
USE OF ANDALUSIAN – IBERIAN HORSES
Baroque horses, which were frequently seen in paintings from that era, were modeled after Andalusians. During Spanish national festivals, Andalusian horses were utilized in corridas and formal parades due to their strength, extravagant movements, noble posture, and high leaping abilities.
Andalusians were considered excellent fighting horses for many years due to their endurance. Andalusian horses that are amiable, calm, and patient can make excellent recreational riders. They are valued for their remarkable and graceful movements with lifted front limbs in carriage driving, but most especially in dressage. But speed is not a trait associated with this breed.
This breed has been educated in Spanish riding schools for decades, receiving instruction in carriage driving, classical dressage, and Doma Vaquera (the traditional Spanish working riding technique, which is employed in customary processions and parades. The Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art is situated in Jerez de la Frontera, the most famous riding school in all of Spain. In addition to providing care and training, this stable also teaches breeders about genetics and breeding Andalusians.
An intriguing observation is the prevalence of Andalusian horses in fantasy and historical fiction films (such as Chronicles of Narnia, Gladiator, and The Lord of the Rings).
HISTORY AND ORIGINS OF THE ANDALUSIAN HORSE
The Andalusian horse gets its name from its native region of Andalusia in Spain, where it is descended from the Iberian horses of Portugal and Spain. Horses have lived on the Iberian Peninsula since between 20,000 and 30,000 BCE, according to cave paintings. Genomic studies using mitochondrial DNA reveal that the ancient Sorraia breed is part of a genetic cluster that is largely separated from most Iberian breeds, despite the Portuguese historian Ruy d’Andrade’s hypothesis that the ancient Sorraia breed was an ancestor of the Southern Iberian breeds, including the Andalusian.
The peoples and civilizations that have inhabited Spain throughout history, such as the Celts, the Carthaginians, the Romans, several Germanic tribes, and the Arabs, have all had an impact on the Iberian breeds. The horse from Iberia 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 were used for breeding with each other, influencing one another’s bloodlines.Thus, the Andalusian may have been the 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 in the 13th century. Because they could read and write, and were thus able to maintain careful records, monastics were given the responsibility for horse breeding by certain 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.
In Andalusia, the Carthusians used the best Spanish Jennets as foundation bloodstock to breed strong, weight-bearing horses for the Crown of Castile. These horses were bigger and more powerfully built than the original Jennet, a cross between Jennet and warmblood breeding. The Andalusian had evolved as a separate breed by the fifteenth century and was influencing the creation of other breeds. Their usage as cavalry horses was another noteworthy aspect of them. While the Spanish horses of Andalusia had not yet developed into the final form of the contemporary Andalusian by the 16th and 17th centuries, William Cavendish, the Duke of Newcastle, described them as “unnervingly intelligent” and referred to them as the “princes” of the horse world by 1667. The Iberian horse was dubbed t he “royal horse of Europe” and was seen at many royal courts and riding academies, including 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 were considered the finest in the world. Even in Spain, quality horses were owned mainly by the wealthy. During the 16th century, inflation and an increased demand for harness and cavalry horses drove the price of horses extremely high. The always expensive Andalusian became even more so, and it was often impossible to find a member of the breed to purchase at any price.
From 19th century till date
All surviving Andalusians, despite their long history, can be traced back to a tiny group of horses that were produced by religious orders in the 18th and 19th centuries. Many of the lineages were diluted by an inflow of heavy horse blood that started in the 16th century; only those that were shielded by selective breeding survived to become the contemporary Andalusian. The Andalusian breed faced threats in the 19th century due to wartime theft or requisition of numerous horses during the Peninsular War, the three Carlist Wars, and the War of the Oranges. Numerous horses were also taken by Napoleon’s army of invasion. Nonetheless, one Andalusian herd was kept safe from the invaders and later utilized to propagate the breed. Breeders started incorporating Norman ancestry into Spanish bloodlines in 1822, as well as additional Arabian blood transfusions. This was partly due to the military’s evolving needs and growing mechanization, which required horses with greater speed for cavalry charges and greater mass for towing gun carriages. Spain’s horse population was severely impacted by an epidemic in 1832; only a tiny herd managed to live at a stud at the Cartuja monastery. The emphasis on Andalusian and Neapolitan horses, which had persisted since the decline of chivalry, was abandoned by European breeders, particularly the Germans, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in favor of breeding Thoroughbreds and warmbloods, which further reduced the supply of Andalusians. Andalusian breeding gradually rebounded despite this shift of emphasis, and in 1869, The Romans started the Seville Horse Fair, which drew ten to twelve thousand Spanish horses each year. Early in the 20th century, draft horses, Arabian horses, Thoroughbred horses, and crosses between these breeds and the Andalusian horse were the main emphasis of Spanish horse breeding. Breeders and the military did not think much of the purebred Andalusian, and their numbers plummeted.
Spain didn’t start exporting Andalusians until 1962. In order to register these Andalusians and their progeny, the Andalusian Horse Association of Australasia was established in 1973. The first Andalusians were brought into Australia in 1971. For many years, Australia was prevented from importing fresh Andalusian blood due of strict quarantine restrictions. However, in 1999, these regulations were loosened, allowing the introduction of over six new horses. All American Andalusians may be readily traceable to the stud books in Portugal and Spain, as bloodines in the United States also rely on imported stock. The International Andalusian and Lusitano Horse Association (IALHA) records about 700 new purebred foals annually, out of an estimated 8,500 total. These The Andalusian is a rather uncommon breed in the US, according to the data. 75,389 horses, or about 66 percent of all horses in Spain, were registered in the stud book in 2003. The 21st century has seen an increase in the number of breeds. By the end of 2010, the Spanish Ministry of Environment, Rural Development, and Fisheries had 185,926 purebred horses registered in its database. Of these, 28,801, or roughly 15%, were located overseas; of those residing in Spain, 65,371, or roughly 42%, were in Andalusia.
MARKINGS AND COLORS
Originally available in a variety of coat colors, the Andalusian’s hues have evolved with time. These days, Andalusians are more likely to be gray or bay, however there are occasional cases of black, dun, chestnut, and palomino. It is possible to register Andalusians with uncommon buckskin or cremello colorations.
NUTRITION AND DIET
Although andalusians are a breed that requires little upkeep, obesity increases the risk of metabolic problems in these animals. A horse’s food must be closely watched in order to maintain a healthy weight. High-quality hay is beneficial for horses, and they can also require grain or a ration balancer as supplements. It can be necessary to limit their access to excessive amounts of lush grass, particularly if metabolic problems arise.
COMMON ISSUES WITH BEHAVIOR AND HEALTH
The Andalusian is renowned for being polite, wise, and generally kind. But because of their lively nature, these horses may become too much for their riders to control if they are handled improperly.
Andalusians are vulnerable to a number of health problems:
• Reduced blood flow to the small intestines is a common problem that Andalusians encounter more frequently than other breeds.
• Laminitis: Andalusians who do have intestinal problems are also more likely to get laminitis, a very painful hoof ailment that needs to be managed and treated over time.
• Metabolic problems: As horses age, Andalusians are more likely to have metabolic problems such as Cushing’s. Medication may be necessary in addition to strict food management for these problems.
IS THE ANDALUSIAN HORSE RIGHT FOR YOU?
The Andalusian is an extremely versatile and athletic horse that is intelligent and easy to train. They have an agreeable temperament that makes them most pleasant to work with. They have an eye-catching movement. Their lively movement can make them unsuitable for beginners. Overall, the Andalusian is best suited for intermediate riders and above.
Advantages
Extremely adaptable and physical
Perceptive and simple to teach
Their most friendly demeanor makes them a pleasure to deal with.
Striking motion
Cons
A little more costly than the majority of other breeds
Beginners may find this breed inappropriate because to its forward mobility.
WAYS TO PURCHASE OR ADOPT AN ANDALUSIAN HORSE
Prices for trained, purebred, and registered Andalusians can easily treble or triple, with luxury horses commanding even higher prices. Trained horses start at roughly $10,000. These horses may be out of reach for riders on a tighter budget because of their higher price tags.
There are several choices to consider while purchasing an Andalusian:
• You can find a good breeding program and purchase a horse immediately.
• Although these horses can command greater costs, highly trained horses with competitive records are frequently sold by Andalusian show farms.
• Given how well-liked and established Andalusian horses are in the US, purchasing one from a private seller is another option. If there is an Andalusian club nearby, think about joining it as the group may be in a position to bring you in touch with trustworthy local breeders and sellers.
Because they are such valuable horses, Andalusians are rarely available for adoption through a rescue. Adoptable Andalusian crosses might be available more frequently. It’s crucial to approach the adoption procedure with the same diligence that you would if you were purchasing a horse. Examine the rescue’s website and read testimonials from previous adopters of horses.Whether you are purchasing a horse from a breeder or adopting one from a rescue, it is wise to have a pre-purchase veterinary examination done on any horse.
CONCLUSION
Because of their endurance, graceful movements, gentle nature, and athleticism, Andalusians are among the most sought-after horses in the world. This breed has a long history in European culture, having been used as a court and parade horse as well as an essential component of Spanish riding schools for centuries in Spain. Andalusian horses have served as a source of inspiration for artists for generations. Their graceful and noble gait has been featured in several paintings and sculptures that have delighted viewers.