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History of the Andalusian

THE PUREBRED HORSE FROM SPAIN:

The Andalusian horse is one of the most ancient of horse breeds, and also one of the rarest.  It has lived on the Iberian Peninsula since pre-history and is represented in cave paintings dating back 25,000 years.  In the United States, all Purebred Andalusian horses can be traced directly back to the Stud Books of Spain or Portugal or to a combination of those two.  The term "Andalusian" arose from the region of Andalucia in southern Spain where many noted stud farms have historically been located and this term is used in many countries to denote the Iberian horse, collectively.

You have seen the Andalusian in museums, represented in marble statues and dark dramatic oils.  His proud, heavy neck arches with nobility, and his mane and tail cascade toward the ground.  He bears riders whose names are fixtured in human history: El Cid, Hannibal and William the Conqueror, Napoleon, and Xenophon many more.  He was the archetype for wing-borne Pegasus of Greek myth many centuries ago and still is today.   And even appeared as a mount in the Homeric ballads.  His equine legacy knows no living match  -  he was present during the fall of Troy, stood by as the Greeks created the cornerstone of our civilization, and served the Romans in their conquest of Europe.  In 1492, the Andalusian was the first horse to set foot in America as the Spaniards discover the New World.

The Andalusian is a most impressive sight, with its sculptural beauty and proud bearing which for centuries have made it a favorite subject of sculptors and painters.  The Andalusian is strongly built, yet extremely elegant.  The typical Andalusian stands 15.2 to 16.3 hands.  Its head is of medium length, rectangular, lean and in profile is slightly convex or straight with a broad forehead and well-placed ears.  The eyes are large and kind, alive, oval, and placed within the orbital arch.  The neck is reasonably long, broad, yet elegant and well-crested in the stallions.  The mane is thick and abundant.  Well defined withers precede a short back; the hind quarters are broad and strong.  The croup is rounded and of medium length.  The tail is usually abundant, long, set low and lies tightly against the body.

The Andalusian possesses a proud but docile temperament; stallions are handled by women and children.  The Andalusian is sensitive and particularly intelligent, responsive and cooperative, learning very quickly and easily when treated with respect and care.  The Andalusian never forgets!

 Approximately 80% of Andalusians are some shade of Grey, 15% are Bay and less than 5% are Black, Buckskin, Chestnut or Palomino.  Even more rare is the Pearl color which is a color DNA test available through UC Davis.  Some believe there are true dun colors in the Andalusian but it is yet to be proven.  Until there is a DNA color test for Dun we won't know for sure.  Andalusians are born with very strong primitive counter shading the people often mistake as a true dun but they are not.  The dun color did at one time exist but is most likely covered by grey and grey homozygous mares and stallions that can't pass it on to there offspring.  Enough on dun though.....

It is interesting to note that the cave paintings, etchings, vases, Roman tiles and early paintings characterize the Iberian horse almost exactly as described above.

 Many of you have watched the Andalusian horses in movies, even old westerns show Iberian blood horses, The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.  More recent movies as well, such as, Braveheart staring Mel Gibson, Man In The Iron Mask, and Horseman On The Roof, Merlin, Joan of Ark, Lord Of The Ring, Gladiator and many more.  Shania Twain new 2005 music video she is riding her own Andalusian.  Bo Derek, Arnold Swartzinager and other actors love and own the breed.  Actually now there is over 100 movies with Andalusians in them!!!

The incredible animal whose portrait is so much a part of our world history is the Andalusian, a horse so beautiful, it's hard to believe he is actually flesh and blood. 

MORE ANDALUSIAN HISTORY:

The origin of the Andalusian, or Pure Spanish horse, dates back to Palacolithic times, and does not owe one single feature or influence from outside the Iberian Peninsula.

Lady Wentworth stated in "The World's Best Horses" that: "The Spanish Andalusian appears to be descended from prehistoric stock…". This appears to be so, as far as modern dating methods can ascertain, and they assure us that the Andalusian forebears came several thousand years prior to the Barb, and the Barb thousands of years before the Arabian.

Nearly six thousand years ago, the warriors of the Iberian Peninsula had established themselves as superior horsemen. In historic times it is well documented that the Iberian cavalry had achieved fame as an effective and fearless foe, much of their success being due to their fine mounts.

Two thousand years ago, the famous Athenian cavalry leader, writer and philosopher, Xenophon, much of whose treatise on equitation is applicable today, praised the "gifted Iberian horse" and Homer also refers to them in his "Iliad", written about 1,100 B.C. Artistic impressions of the Spanish horse of that period have quite striking resemblance to the present day horse.

Seven hundred years of Roman domination of the Iberian Peninsula ended in 406 A.D., and although their exploitation was great, there were also benefits for the Iberians. Much of Roman culture was accepted as was Christianity during this period, plus excellent roads, aquaducts and bridges, many of which still stand, were built. Most important to us is that they established what appears to be the first well organized stud farms to produce remounts. Most of the horses for these first studs came from the present day Andalusian region. The strength, ability and speed, together with a remarkable aptitude for training made the Spanish horses prized indeed in a year when a man's life literally depended on his horse.

The turbulent history of the Iberian Peninsula, and the later explorations of the sea-going Spaniards was to have great influence on the distribution of the Spanish horse to all parts of the then known world. No breed has had more influence than the Spanish Andalusian on the modern horse. From Welsh Mountain ponies to the Lipizzaner, the Friesian, the American Quarter Horse to the German, American Paint, Danish and Dutch Warmbloods, Morgan, the Irish Connemara to the Peruvian Paso, the English Hackney and Cleveland Bay, to the Hungarian Kladruber - all find their roots in the Spanish Andalusian.

The Spanish mounts of the Conquistadors were the first horses to set foot on the Americas in Modern Times. Herman Cortes proclaimed "After God, we owed our victory to the horses". Certainly that Andalusian blood lives on in the Americas today.

In 1580, 24 mares, 3 stallions and 6 colts were sent from Spain to Lipizza by Archduke Charles 11 to provide the foundation stock for the Imperial Stud. From this beginning evolved the famous Spanish Riding School of Vienna. Spanish horses were the preferred mounts of royalty, aristocracy and the acknowledged Riding Masters of the times.

Such Masters as Xenophon, Giraldo, Aguilar, Pluvinal, Newcastle, Guerniniere and Andrade all sang the praises of the Spanish horse in a time span of over two thousand years. The magnificent paintings of such artists as Velasquez have shown us the arrogant monarchs on their remarkable steeds.

In Spain today, these horses are still bred mainly in the region of Andalusia, the main centers being Jerez de la Frontera, Seville and Cordoba. These purebred horses are still very much a luxury in their native country. They are bred strictly as a hobby by the land-owning aristocracy, and are used for prestige and glamour. They are used in the carriages and as the mounts for the Caballeros and their gaily costumed Senoritas at the Great Fairs, for private exhibitions of high school equitation, usually of a very high standard, and as the highly trained mounts of the Rejoneadores.

Equestrian Bullfighters

For millenia before man along the sandy banks of the Guadalquivir River in southern Spain, now known as Andalucia, the ancestors of today's Spanish horse grazed among the dangerous bulls of the region. Constantly in danger, the horse developed keen senses, agility and long, curved neck and powerful limbs capable of spinning it out of harm's way. These noble horses who still taunt the horns of the bulls of the "corridas" of Spain are scarcely changed from their beginnings.

The Rejoneadores are really worthy of special note. They are the gentlemen equestrian bullfighters who defy both death and gravity in the bullring, fighting fast-starting, quick-turning supremely dangerous bulls in a indescribably breath-taking exhibition of man and horse working in complete unison. The agility, strength and immediate response of the Andalusian & Lusitano horse to the rider is almost beyond credibility, some of the most dangerous work being done without reins. The fight is worked with high school movements of the horses and these extra-ordinary events certainly demonstrate the exceptional qualities of both horse and rider.

Most of the families in Spain who breed purebred Andalusian and Lusitano horses have done so for generations, and in may cases, centuries. Pure Spanish horses have always been and are still regarded as a prized part of their national heritage. Stud Books were kept meticulously, but in 1912 it was decided by the breeders to introduce a National Stud Book. This is controlled by the Military, who also run large studs and have many excellent stallions which visit private studs during the season. There are probably less than 5,000 stud-book horses in the world, but since Spain lifted it's export ban in the early 1960's, their numbers are increasing rapidly, The greatest numbers outside Spain are in South and Central America, U.S.A. and Australia.

Joe Fowles bred his beautiful Bay Overo Paint mare to my Andalusian stallion.  He went to Spain this same year in 2003 (he has gone several times just for the Bullfights) and brought home these pictures to share.  He was kind enough to allow me to share them with you all visiting my web site.

Here is some history about the first Andalusian and Lusitano horses imported to the United States.  

"Although the Garrison's were among the first to establish the breed in the
US and the organization the American Andalusian Association was
already going........  Interestingly, after seeing Andalusians in a Lippizzan show,  it was the
Garrisons who were the first to help me (Rita Greslin) locate information on the breed from
an article in a magazine.  Because of information in that article somewhere
around 1979,  I (Rita) bought my first Andalusian. The Garrisons still do have
horses of both Spanish and Portuguese lines......I was one of the first members and owners and can remember those who were influential in bringing the Andalusian to America.  There were only 90 members when I first joined the The Andalusian Horse Registry of the Americas, later known as American Andalusian Horse Assoc.
  I believe that was the first registry here in the US, and later became what we know today as the  IALHA came into existence but it was a few years later......There were old time,  big (at least in those days) breeders that played a very important role and are often forgotten.  They imported their breeding herds from Spain and Portugal and got the rest of us started. Many of our horses today desend from those horses.  Glenn Smith was one.
Banbury Cross Farm - Sally Cleaver was another very influential breeder."  
Quoted from: Rita Greslin (Breeder of Andalusians)

Andalusian History.... taken from the first stud book
ever published in the US (1971),  by the American Andalusian Horse Association (years before it became International Andalusian & Lusitano Horse Association <IALHA>):

                 Return of the Spaniard
The return of the Andalusian to the Americas began with a magazine article.
The article "The Andalusian" was written by Neil Dougall for the all breed
issue of  Western Horseman magazine, October 1963.  Among the many thousands
of readers of the magazine was Glenn O. Smith, then personal director at the
Veteran's Administration Hospital at Fort Bayard, New Mexico.

Neil Dougall's article on the Andalusian horses for Western Horseman was
also his "love at first sight"  introduction to the breed. Dougall, a foreign
correspondent for Australian publications and based in Madrid, became
interested in the Andalusian through attending bullfights and visiting
breeders.  His impression was so strong that he became involved in exporting
the Spanish horse back to the Americas.

Smith immediately sought Dougall's address in Spain from the magazine and
set up an immediate correspondence with the writer of the article. Smith
knew something about horses and he immediately appreciated the desirability
of the Andalusian as a horse and as a breed, He would not stop until he had
brought the Spanish horse back to America.

 Dougal selected an appropriate pair of Andalusians including a stallion and
a mare from the herd of the Marquis de Paradas for Smith and put them aboard
a Lykes Brothers Ship Lines freighter in the fall of 1964.
The horses were supposed to have been shipped from Sevila (Seville) but,
because of dry conditions and low water levels in the rivers,  the horses
were put aboard at  Cadiz.
Needless to say, Smith and Dougall had to do a lot of groundwork with
respective government agencies to clear the way for importation of a Spanish
horse into the United States.


In the  middle of October Smith drove to the port of Houston, TX to pick up
his horses and October 19, 1964 the mare Rebuscada set her hooves on
American soil, the first since the time of the Conquistadors. The other
horse, a stallion was affected by colic and did not survive the crossing of
the Atlantic.   Rebuscada was the first of an increasing number of her kind (Purebred)
who would re-populate the Americas.
Another breeder Chandler Cowles of Tallahassee, Fl.  in separate
negotiations  bought two Spanish horses from a Spanish horse owner who had
moved to Venezuela.  These horses were later registered with Smith when
Smith established the new world registry for the Andalusian and Lusitano
horse.

This was the beginning of the first new world stud farm of the Andalusian
horse  established in Arenas Valley,  just east of the old west mining town
of Silver City, New Mexico.  Shortly after the first horse was brought to the
United States,  Smith formed with Dougall the American Andalusian Association
and Neil Dougall was made president.

 Dougall had already had the foresight in 1963 to purchase a full set of
stud books from the Spanish government.   These records,  maintained by the
Spanish army, would be the basis for an official registry in the western
hemisphere.  The American Andalusian Corporation was established in New
Mexico as a corporation on April 30, 1966 and later was known to the public
as the first group whose purpose it was to protect and advance the
Andalusian breed in the Americas, The American  Andalusian Association.

American horse fanciers showed immediate interest in the breed and the
deluge of mail to the Association caught AAA president Neil Dougall unaware.
While the association found means to answer the many letters, the public's,
interest in the Andalusian continued to increase, Everyone who owns or
breeds Andalusian or Lustanian horses expects and gets his share of "horse
fan mail."

Once Smith had installed his mare Rebuscada in her new quarters in "Arenas
Valley, he began to work with Dougall to bring more horses into the country.
 In May , 1966, Smith boarded a TWA jet in New York to fly to Madrid where
he met Dougall, together they arranged the final details in the purchase of
Pisador (which means Prancer) , one of Spain's best Pure Andalusian
stallions.  Along with him,  Smith purchased two excellent brood mares,
Cubanita and Lisonja II.  The mares had come from the ranch of Don Fernando
de la Camora of Seville. The stallion, Pisador,  had come from the stud farm
of Marquis de Salvateria who carried the Spanish pedigree grading of
Outstanding, a classic Andalusian.

Smith accompanied the three horses on the American export freighter from
Spain to New York, even sleeping on the cot placed on deck near the crates
containing the nucleus of the first American Andalusian stud farm (a stallion).

After debarkation in Hoboken, New Jersey and a 30 day quarantine period ,
the horses were transported to Smith's Arenas Valley, New Mexico horse ranch
by cross country horse van, arriving on the night of July 13, 1966.

In 1967 five more Andalusians came over from Spain for delivery to other
pioneer Andalusian breeders in the United States.  This shipment brought Ann
and Chris Woodcock and Dr. and Mrs. Albert Marsh to join Glenn Smith and
Chandler Cowles as owners of Andalusian horses in the Americas.

Up until April, 1971, all Andalusian and Lusitanian horses brought into the
United States were still actually registered in Spain although under the
auspices of the American Andalusian Association. On  that date, however,
Glenn Smith bought out Neil Douglal's share of the Association stock and
that the Spanish government stud books were shipped to Smith in New Mexico.
This was an unprecedented occurrence on the history of the breed and it began
a new era for the Andalusian horse in the Americas.

By 1978 there were still fewer than 350 registered Andalusian and Lusitano
horses of pure blood in the western hemisphere a small number compared to the
number of pure blooded Arabian, Morgan and other thoroughbreds.  This
accounts for the desirability of the horse and the high prices for which
these animals are sold.

As the seventies progressed, more attention was brought to the Andalusian
and the horse became sought after for such events as the Rose Parade on New
Year's Day in California. The future of the breed seems secure as some
breeders now have as many as 50 to 75 horses,  most of which are registered with IALHA.
The regal bearing of the Andalusian makes him a natural for horse exhibition,
shows,  parades and movies.

So, the most magnificent of horses has come back to the land where the dawn
horse, Eohippus first walked the world and the Andalusian has unlimited
future as one of the most desirable breeds of horse known to man anywhere at
any time...........