Last Updated on March 4, 2022 by Allison Price
The Purebred Spanish Horse, also known as the PRE- Pura Raza Espanola. The Purebred Spanish Horse, sometimes confused with the Andalusian horse, is an extremely old sport horse that has played a significant part in European history.
What is a Purebred Spanish Horse, and how do you define it?
The Purebred Spanish Horse, as its name implies, is a Spanish purebred horse. This is in contrast to the Andalusian which can be applied to any horse from Spain. The Purebred Spanish Horse is a closed studbook. Unlike other European warmbloods, there is no way to grade horses that match the breed description.
The Purebred Spanish Horse, an athlete horse, is now making its mark as a dressage competitor.
What about the Lusitano, though?
The Andalusian horses are closely related to the Lusitano. This purebred Portuguese breed is also known as the Pure Blood Lusitano (or PSL) or Pure Sangue Lusitano. Sometimes, the Andalusian, Lusitano and Purebred Spanish Horse are combined into one larger category of Iberian horses.
The Spanish Horse Purebred Spanish Horse: A History
Purebred Spanish Horses have a long history. They are descendants of wild horses who lived on both the Iberian Peninsula (now Northern Africa) and the land bridge. This parent group also produced the Purebred Spanish Horse, and some accounts refer to the Purebred Spanish Horse as another hotblood breed.
Although they were split by the loss of the land bridge, the Purebred Spanish Horse (or Barb) and the modern Barb share many similarities. They are strong and agile, tough enough to withstand harsh and varied environments, and they can also be described as intelligent and courageous.
Romans relied heavily on this breed to train their war horses. More than a third of the remounts they used are believed to have come from Hispania. These horses were also the preferred ride for royalty. Paintings show Charles I and Queen Isabel de Borbon riding them.
In Europe, there was a demand for Purebred Spanish Horses throughout the 18th Century to improve and establish local breeds. This included thoroughbred foundation mares.
Conflict, like many European breeds of horses, has played an important role in the history and development of the Purebred Spanish Horse. The 19th century saw the decline in the number of Spanish stud farms and consequently a decrease in the population.
The industrial revolution transformed the role of horses in society. It saw emphasis shift away from agriculture and military to racing and hunting. The Purebred Spanish Horse was not suited for either of these disciplines, so they were only 15% of the public stud stallions by 1925.
Further decreases were seen in the two World Wars, and the Spanish Civil War led to an embargo on horse exports. This embargo lasted until 1963.
In the 1960s, horses were imported to the UK again for film work. In 1978, the first UK studfarm was founded with two mares and one stallion imported to Norwich. The British Association for the Purebred Spanish Horse, then the British Andalusian Horse Society, was founded in 1983. It is now affiliated with the Purebred Spanish Horse Mother Studbook.
In 2016, GB PR was split from the British Association for the Purebred Spanish Horse. While the former oversees events and promotes the Purebred Spanish Horse, as well as its cross breeds, the latter manages the studbook, grading system, and the studbook.
Improvement of the breed
A Purebred Spanish Horse Breed Improvement Programme in the UK is administered to help improve the breed. It consists of several different grading methods for mares, stallions and horses. These systems aim to recognize the best breed.Some of these can be found in the UK, while others require Spanish delegates to perform assessments. The gradings may include conformational evaluation, ridden assessment, reproductive tests and awards based upon the performance of the progeny, depending on the level.One Spanish-based assessment is a series for dressage. All evaluations use data to create a genetic index that demonstrates the horse’s dressage ability and heritability.
What disciplines can Purebred Spanish Horses participate in?
Although they compete in a variety of disciplines, Purebred Spanish Horses as well as their partbreds can also compete. However, their participation at the elite level is primarily in dressage. Jose Daniel Martin Dockx, a Spanish rider, competed in the 2012 Olympics Games and 2016 Olympic Games aboard his Purebred Spanish Horse Malagueno. British Dressage and GB PRE jointly organized a championship event for this breed. GB PRE also held a national show and awards for performance points.
Partbred horses are able to compete in endurance and team chasing. This breed society prides itself on the variety of sports the horses can participate in. They are able to be excellent all-rounders due to their size and temperament.
The Purebred Spanish Horse is a horse that is purebred.
The Purebred Spanish Horse, a medium-sized horse with short backs, is between 15hh-16hh. Stallions are between 15.1hh-17hh. The horse proudly carries himself with a high-set and arched neck.
The majority of purebred Spanish horses will be gray or bay. Horses with excessive white spots and white patches on the legs and face will be removed from the breed registry.
A breed standard defines a body proportionality index. This is a number that is calculated by taking the height at the withers and the shoulder-isquial measurement. This should be between 90 to 110 for the Purebred Spanish Horse.
Purebred Spanish Horses should be balanced in their weight towards the hindquarters. This allows them to show high levels of collection, mobility and jumping ability.
The Purebred Spanish Horse is temperamentally calm, sensitive, intelligent and quick to learn. They are strong and resilient, and form strong relationships with their human owners. They are good at what they do and can be very economical to keep.
You can buy a purebred Spanish horse from a Spanish breeder.
British Association for the Purebred Spanish Horse offers a section for sale on their website. This can be searched by age and sex, as well as the part-bred breeds, which are also governed and governed by the association. The association has registered all horses, making it a safe place for you to begin your search.
If you are able to travel and overcome language barriers, it can be a great option to import a horse from Spain. You will also need to pay for transportation. Although this is not an option for everyone, it can offer a great opportunity to purchase a horse directly from the source. It will also give buyers more options.
Private sales of purebred Spanish horses are possible in the UK. The Whickr app allows you to search for horses for sale. You can filter by breed to display only the Purebred Spanish Horse that interests you.
Conclusion
Although they aren’t a popular breed in the UK the Purebred Spanish Horse remains a promising prospect. They have the support of passionate breeders and owners. This breed is a fascinating and long-standing breed with a strict grading system and dressage-specific conformation.
