Andalusian
Horse History
The Andalusian
Horse is one of the ancient breeds of the world. Its origin
in the Iberian Peninsula is documented by cave paintings
and even fossil evidence. That horse domestication began
very early in the region that is now Spain, Portugal and
southern France is evident form ancient sources. These
include cave drawings which are dated as being more than
20,000 years old and fossil skulls of horses showing the
peculiar wear of the front teeth found in horses which
crib (chew and grind at their enclosures) a nervous vice
known only to exist in captive, confined horses.
The Iberian
horses and their riders undoubtedly gave Xenophon, considered
by most as the founder of classical equitation, his first
glimpse of classical riding. Iberian cavalry was one of
the most important weapons of generals from Hannibal to
Julius Caesar. The
Roman cavalry used the natural agility, flexibility, collection
and willingness of the Iberian horses to great advantage.
The horses were presented in battle formation, tightly
ranked together, in shoulder-in position with shields to
the fore. These horses were also able to perform the spectacular
movements of defense and offense we now call the “Airs
Above the Ground.”
The Andalusian’s
famed ability as a warhorse was to spread and grow with
history. The horse became the favored mount of most European
kings and generals. By the middle ages the Spanish horse
was spread throughout Europe in the stables of every king.
The most significant event in the Andalusian’s history
occurred in 710-711 AD when the Moors invaded Spain. The
important factor to the Andalusian breed was in the horses
which the Moors brought with them. Most accounts hold that
the cavalry they brought were Berbers with Barb horses
and fairly limited in number. The Moors found the Iberian
horses to be bigger and better than their own as well as
more numerous. So, it was the Barb horse, not the Arabian
horse which would have influenced the Iberian horses at
this time.
With
the Andalusian horse so universally admired as a warhorse
it was inevitable that other peoples would try to breed
their own versions using Spanish horses as the foundation.
This gave rise to such breeds as the Neapolitan, the Friesian,
the Kladruber, the Fredricksborg, and many more. Over the
centuries, the breed became rarer and rarer as crossbreeding,
war and famine all contributed to drain the number of purebreds
available for breeding in Spain and Portugal. Slowly the
rest of the world forgot about the Andalusian and it might
have slipped into history if not for the deeply ingrained
traditions of the horse in both Spain and Portugal. Families
of dedicated horsemen and even a group of Carthusian Monks
continued their quiet efforts to breed fine horses in the
old ways.
In the
last few decades the two countries which are the cradle
of the Andalusian horse have chosen to separate their stock
into two breeds. Though their foundations are completely
linked, the Andalusians of Spain are now registered as
Pura Raza Espanola (Pure Breed Spanish) and those of Portugal
are now known as Lusitanos. There are now two breeds where
once there was one. Outside of Spain and Portugal we still
recognize the old breed of Andalusian as being from either
Spain or Portugal or both! |
