MAY 2019 THE RIDER /41 The Spanish Horse - What’s In A Name?


By Ellie Ross. Spanish horses are


often referred to as Andalu- sians but Andalusia is a ge- ographical location. much like Hanoverians come from Hanover Germany. There


has been great debate over this horse breed name but according to the research by Juan Carlos Altamirano, au- thor of several books on Spanish horses, it would ap- pear that the correct name of the breed is the PRE (Pura


sage horse but at an extreme level. Bull fighting aspect aside, to watch the horse is an incredible display unlike anything I have ever seen in the horse world.


If you


want a great example of this, just search for ‘Merlin the Bull Fighting Horse’ on You Tube.


During my training at


stallions. It is now a part of the Royal Stables where various carriages are on display for tourists to view.


The stallion barn in Cordoba is a magnificent and beautiful building that no longer house the Royal


Raza Española ) as the real Spanish horse that many call Andalusians. It is accepted that a horse called an An- dalusian is actually a cross- breed from horses that were from Andalusia and are not registered with the Ministry of Agriculture’s represent- ing entity the ANCCE. The ANCCE is the sole holder of the PRE stud book Over 500 years ago the family


Spanish Royal


sought to create the perfect horse and this originated in Cordoba Spain where I had the honour to ride and learn from some of the best horse masters in the world. The Spanish horse usually has a very distinct roman nose that the spaniards view as ‘very beautiful’. The knee and hock action are very el- evated and the carriage of this horse always appears very proud and regal. One of the best descriptors of this breed’s character is un- nervingly intelligent,


to


which I would whole heart- edly agree. About 80% of Spanish horses are grey, 15% are bay and the balance being chestnut, palomino or buckskin. The creator of the


Spanish horse was Diego López de Haro, the first Royal Horse Master of Cor-


doba. This breed was cre- ated by crossbreeding be- tween the different types of horses existing at that time in Andalusia. In the 1500’s it was called the King´s breed, His Majesty´s breed and later on called the breed from Cordoba. The Carthu- sian bloodlines is said to be the purest Spanish blood- lines and they bring a dis- tinctly different look having a more convex head. The stud book is


tightly controlled in Spain and it is really quite interest- ing how it is managed. The PRE stallions are essentially owned by the public. The residents of Spain own these horses and to breed your ap- proved mare to a PRE stal- lion, you essentially pay a collection fee, as these stal- lions are not used in live cover. There is considerable cross breeding occurring and the most popular appears to be crossing the PRE with Pol- ish Arabians and English Thoroughbreds. This cer- tainly refines the head and makes for a superbly ath- letic horse that is quite desir- able in Dressage. This crossbreed is referred to as the Three Blooded Horse. One of the most desirable horse bloodlines in Spain is that of the Carthusian Interestingly enough,


the Quarter Horse was founded on similar cross breeding, however the phys- ical characteristics are dis- tinctly different yet the mind and quick thinking ability is certainly the same. The cow horse mind comes from the Spanish horse. When one thinks of cattle in Spain, they often think of the ag- gressive Bulls in bull fight- ing. It is fair to say that to work such potentially ag- gressive cattle, the horse would have to be brave, ex- tremely athletic, quick and smart. In watching a bull fighting horse, one can see all of the high level maneu- vers of a Grand Prix Dres-


the Royal Stables, I found myself getting frustrated at the expectation that I could execute a movement within one stride as it was called out. I felt I needed time to prepare and also time to translate in my head as all the lessons were in Spanish. As I had already come out of the corner and was one stride from the centre of the short side of the ring, I was being told to come down the centre line. My frustrations grew as I wanted advance notice out of the corner so I could prepare to go down the centre line and do so correctly. I finally stopped my horse and made this re- quest. I was bluntly told no and we debated. Of course I lost the debate, which I was sure I would win but now that I understand, I accepted it and became a much more skilled rider as a result. The reason is that in war or in working with cattle, you are not given the courtesy of no- tice. You must always be prepared. You must always be ready and you are ex- pected to do it all correctly. In war or working cattle, you could and likely would


die if you are not prepared. Essentially these are the purposes for the maneuvers and so it all makes sense to me now. The next challeng- ing lesson to be learned was to accept the demands that were placed on me as a rider. I was a little taken back by the expectations placed on my abilities, that I felt fell short of what they expected. I finally had to at- tempt a conversation to ex- plain that what they were asking of me was above my abilities. Once again, I was told no. My very wise horse master looked me in the eye and said ‘One who never


takes the risk, gets nothing more than they had before’. He was right. My horse master prepared me well and I am proud to say that I went on to receive my diploma in Doma Vaquera from the Spanish Riding School of the Royal Stables. While I have always


been in love with Spanish horses, I have a whole new level of appreciation for not only the breed but the horse masters of Spain. Their knowledge and abilities have earned them the repu- tation they deserve.


2173 Cockshutt Road, Waterford, ON 519-443-7333 • johnfletcher@kwic.com


BANK • FINANCING • LEASE TO OWN • TRADE-INS


2019 LAKOTA 8315 COLT


8 wide 3 horse 15ft Shortwall with slideout


List: $ 82,995.00 - SALE: $ 71,995.00!


Only $273.14 Bi-Weekly


Term: 240 Interest rate: 6.34% -Based on an open loan, with $1000 down


STANDARD FEATURES Batteries (x2), LP Tanks (x2), Furnace, Microwave, Soft Shades, Power Jack, TV Prep., Ducted A/C, Sad- dle Bosses, 2 Burner Cooktop, Power Awning, Exterior Graphics, Bottom Stall Dividers, 0 Degree Axles, Glass Shower Door, Aluminum Collapsible Rear Tack, Interior LED Puck Lighting, Lakota Plant Made Aluminum Dividers, Lakota Plant Made Drop Down Windows, Mangers with Plant Made Access Doors, Stereo With Speakers, Neo Angle Shower With Glass Door, Lined & Insulated Horse Area, Overhead Cabinets in Slide Out, Escape Door With Drop Down Window


www.fletchershorsetrailers.com


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52