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Place of Origin:
Spain
Aptitudes: Riding horse. Qualities: Good jumper. Temperament: Balanced and energetic. |
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Conformation:
The Andalusian measures about 15.1 to 15.3 hands at the withers and weighs
about 570 kg. The coat may be grey, bay, black, chestnut or roan. It has a
handsome head, with straight or sometimes convex profile, the ears are small
with the tips facing outwards, the large eyes are expressive.
The Neck is well proportioned, curved and well set-on, the back straight, and the short, the quarters rounded, the tail low-set, thick and wavy; the chest is broad and deep with well-curved ribs, the abdomen is roundish, and the shoulder muscular nad nicely sloping. The legs are strong with broad joints, the cannons and pasterns long, the hoof well-formed. |
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History:
The Andalusian most probably decsends from the Barbs and Arabs introduced
into Spain during the Moorish invasion of the eighth century A.D., which were
crossed time and again with native breeds, especially ponies. According to
another theory, however, it is decended from
Equus ibericus
, which, conversely, contributed to the development of the Barb, having crossed
the isthmus that then linked Africa with Europe (the present day Straight of
Gibraltar), thus reaching North Africa. Finally, there are those who claim
that the Andalusian is descended from the two thousand Numidian mares that were
shipped across the Mediteranian to Spain by the Carthginian general Hasdrubal.
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From the twelfth to the seventeenth century the Andalusian dominated horse
breeding in Spain, its only rival being the Arab. Either directly, or through
the Neapolitan horse, itself a descendant of the Andalusian, it influenced most
European breeds, and as a result of having been shipped across the ocean by
Christopher Colombus on his second expedition across the Atlantic, has
contributed to the development of allmost all the American breeds. The most
important European breeds to have been influenced are the Lippizaner, the
Friesian, the Hackney, the Kladruber, the Frederiksborg, the Oldenburg, the
Holstein, the old Norman horse and the Orlov. Of the American breeds the
Quarter Horse and the Criollo have been markedly influenced. Systematic
breeding of the Andalusian began in 1571 when Phillip II of Spain founded the
royal stables at Cordoba. The horse was greatly admired in the past for its
elegant gait which included the
paso de andatura
, a high-stepping movement that is very effective in parades.
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The Jennet, a small Spanish horse bred in Granada by Berber peoples from the
upland regions of Andalusia, and very popular in the Middle Ages, is said to
descend from the Andalusian.
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The breed commonly known as the Andalusian should more properly be defined as the "Spanish Horse", as the true Andalusian differs in various features: if is of a heavier build, it does nor include grey or chestnut in its range of coats, the height at the withers does not exceed 15.1 hands, the back is more gathered, the quarters are more developed and the foot is smaller. Allthough this breed is not as popular as it once was, it is still of considerable importance because of its distinctive influence on many modern breeds. Today it is mostly used for pleasure riding, and it is only in the bullring or at the corrida that it relives its glorious past. |
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