When visiting Andalucia you will have to try hard to not notice any horses whilst driving around in the countryside. In Andalucia the horse is an integrated part of life, and something you proudly display at ferias and romerias.
The proud horses with strong necks and ballet-like movements are admired through-out the world, and in places like Jerez or Sevilla their presence is even more noticeable.
Several companies and stables offer horse riding adventures in Spain, from being taught the the classical doma, to rides on the beaches in Cadiz and exploring the mountains in Sierra Nevada and Las Alpujarras.
Below you fill find an account of the features of the Andalucian Horse and their history.
Andalucian Horses - Identifying features
The features that made this pure Spanish breed so highly sought after, are its elegance, high head carriage, broad forehead, short arched neck, silky flowing mane, powerful quarters, and wonderful proportions.
The manes of mares are usually clipped in Spain; only the stallions are allowed to display the full splendour of theirs. About 50 per cent of Andalucians are usually grey or white, the rest being bay or black.
Andalucian Horses - Brief History
Its history goes back long before the birth of Christ - to 200 BC, at the time of the Roman Conquests in and around Spain. Roman writers praised the native Spanish horses' qualities, which were recognised by Spain's Moorish conquerors, who naturally cross-bred them with their own Arab and Berber breeds.
After the Moors were driven from Spain in the 15th Century, these noble Spanish creatures enjoyed a period of great popularity, influencing almost all other American and European horse breeds.
Columbus planned on taking Andalucian horses of high quality and breeding with him on his voyage, but to his anger found that someone had substituted smaller native horses, of the Sorraia type. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise, for these rugged animals surely withstood the rigours of the journey, and the poor conditions better.
Not only were Andalucian horses taken by the Spanish conquistadors to the New World in the Americas, but they laid the foundation of several other breeds. The Frederiksborg, the royal horse of Denmark, the Neapolitan horse, when Naples was under Spanish rule from 1504 to 1713, and the Austrian Kladru. Also some of the British breeds, notably the Cleveland Bay, the Welsh Cob, and the Hackney, and the Connemara pony of Ireland.
Direct descendants of the Andalucian horse are the Lippizaners of the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, established in 1572 as an adjunct to the Court in order to educate their nobility in the equitational arts. It was called the Spanish Riding School because from its very beginning only Spanish stallions were used there. The Lippizaners take their name from the stud at Lippiza, near Trieste, then part of the Austrian empire. It was founded by Archduke Charles 11, in 1580, who had 9 stallions and 24 mares brought there from Spain.
Andalucian Horses - Displays
The Royal School of Equestrian Art, a magnificent display of Andalucian horses, is at Jerez de la Frontera. The equestrian centre is built around the Recreo de las Cadenas Palace, itself an amazing 19th century baroque-style building designed by Charles Garnier, who also designed the Paris Opera House.
The shows are held in the 1600 seat arena. After a disco style burst with laser lights, the distinctive tones of flamenco guitar take over and some ten riders dressed in 18th century country costume make their entrance. Then the impressive equestrian ballet begins.
These choreographed dances are based on both classical, doma clasica, and country dressage, doma vaquera, as well as other specialised riding techniques. For example the horses gallop around the ring making sudden changes of rhythm and spin tightly pivotting on a circle around their hind legs, all apparently in time with the music. This is the canter pirouette.
The most spectacular part is the execution of high leaps with legs kicking out, known as a capriole. At times the horses resemble dancers, especially with the technique called piaffe, where the horse trots on the spot and picks its legs up in diagonal pairs.
While the Andalucian horse is absolutely first class for various types of sport, such as show jumping and dressage, it is not the ideal horse for rodeo riding or horse racing.
