Andalusian Stallion,
Favorito De La Parra, is
IALHA National Champion
at 3rd level in 1999.
The stallion is owned by
Avalon Andalusians.
Rico MHF is a solid
black Andalusian
stallion owned by
Walnut Creek Andalusians.
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The
Andalusian horse is a breed
that is one of the oldest
and purest breeds of horses
in the world today.
The breed gained its name
from the Spanish province of
Andalusia which is where the
breed also originated.
In order to appease
Andalusian breeders from
other Spanish provinces, it
was decided to call the
Andalusians the Pura Raza
Espanola -en. The Pure
Spanish Race (PRE). In
the 1960's, the Portuguese
breeders also created their
own registry, Lusitanos,
Puro Sangue Lusitano, after
the Roman name for the
region that is now Portugal.
The
ancestors of the Andalusian
are the Iberian horse.
The Iberian horses are
thought to have been ridden
even as early as 4000-3000
BC. The Iberian horses
were the premier war horse
and were praised by Xenophon
in the Illiad for their role
in helping Spart defeat the
Athenians around 450 BC.
Later, the Iberian horse
would become the horse of
choice for nobility and was
often the horse selected by
Schools of Equitation.
The
Andalusian as a pure breed
has become more and more
rare. Because the
Andalusian was so valued for
its traits, it was often
bred with stock of other
breeds. At one point,
Kings of Spain had to
declare it illegal to take
purebred Andalusians from
the country.
Andalusian breeders with the
highest integrity diligently
screened breeding stock to
remove the effects of
cross-breeding. Today,
the breed reflects the
original conformation.
The ideal Andalusian horse stands
between 15.2 and 16.2 hands. The face features a
broad forehead with a large kind eye. A broad neck
and thick main leads to define withers and a short back.
Andalusians usually have clean, strong legs. Most
Andalusians are grey, but can be seen in the colors of
black and chestnut. Other colors such as Palomino
and Buckskin (both affected by the Dilution gene) are
recognized by the Lusitano breed.
Hollywood
History: Two Andalusians
named Domero and Blanco
played the part of Shadowfax
in The Lord of the Rings.
The part of Asfaloth was
played by another Andalusian
named Florian. In The
Chronicles of Narniz: The
Lion, the Witch and the
Wardrobe, a Spanish
Andalusian was cast as
Peter's unicorn. |
