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The Andalusian is a rare, athletic, and beautiful horse with a rich history. It is believed to be one of the oldest breeds of horse still in existence today. It originated and lived on the Iberian Peninsula where cave drawings of it have been found that date back 25,000 years. Today, all registered Andalusian horses can trace their heritage directly back to the Stud books of Spain, Portugal, or a combination of the two. The name "Andalusian" originated from a region in southern Spain, Andalucia, where many noted stud farms are located. In Spain, the horses are known as the Pure Spanish Horse, however, the Portuguese have given these same horses their own name: the Lusitanos.
Although Andalusians have been around for centuries, they are a rare breed of horse with less than 14,000 pure bred animals registered world wide. Their history is deeply mired in the history of European wars, the same wars that almost spelled extinction for the breed. These beautiful and extremely athletic horses have been praised for their endurance and usability since the time of the Greeks.
Homer mentions the Iberian horses (Andalusians) in the Iliad written about 1,100 BC. The famous Greek cavalry officer Xenophon highly praised the "gifted Iberian horses" and their role in helping Sparta defeat the Athenians around 450 BC. Hannibal, in the Second Punic War (218-201BC), defeated the invading Romans several times through the use of Iberian Cavalry. The Romans, however, were ultimately successful in their conquest of the Iberian Peninsula, and, in fact, the Romans subsequently established stud farms in Spain and Portugal to supply horses for their own campaigns in Britain and other fronts. This military use of the Iberian horse continued unabated with William the Conqueror ultimately riding an Andalusian horse in the Battle of Hastings in 1066.
The Andalusian's popularity gradually decreased over the next few centuries as warfare changed and heavy armor became a means of defense requiring heavier horses to carry the Calvary men. In the 15th century, warfare once again took a turn that spelled disaster for the Iberian horses. Firearms were invented, and Calvary officers once again needed light, agile horses. The Iberian horse was perfect for the job. It was during this time that Spain began its conquest of the New World, invaded Portugal, attacked England, and was involved in the Dutch Wars.
After all this, Napoleon then invaded Spain and the horse was critical to the defense of its homeland. The continuous fighting took its toll on the breed. To compound the problem, internal conflicts within Spain arose as the people rebelled against the Church (which owned many stud farms) which eventually led to the revolution of 1936. This resulted in further dispersal of the breed. After centuries of war and conflict, the Andalusian was close to extinction. The remaining numbers of pure bred breeding stock was extremely small. As a result, the royalty of Spain took over maintenance of the breed and severely limited the export of the few remaining animals. As a result, Andalusians are rarely seen outside of Spain and Portugal even today.
Ironically, the same qualities that made the Andalusian a versatile and popular war horse resulting in its near extinction are also the same qualities that make them saught after today and are slowly bringing the breed back into existence. The Andalusian is a strong, but extremely elegant and beautiful horse. It stands an average of 15.2 to 16.2 hands (horses are measured in hands from the ground to their withers, a hand is 4 inches). The breed characteristics describe the horses as having a rectangular and lean head with a straight or slightly convex profile. The face should be expressive with bright alert eyes. The neck is long; broad yet elegant and well crested in stallions. The mane and tail is well known in this breed as being thick, long and abundant. The Andalusian should have a short back with broad, strong quarters. The vast majority of Andalusians are gray or white with a few being bay or black. The Andalusian is a noble horse, and should carry its self in a proud manner.
The versatility of the Andalusian that made it popular for so many centuries is still admired today. Andalusians are gaining in popularity as people realize what versatile and athletic mounts they make when ridden in any discipline. Their proud carriage and beautiful movement makes them particularly popular as dressage mounts, and for English riding disciplines.
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