"Andalusian" is the name used in the United States and other parts of the world for the breed known in its native Spain as simply "The Spanish Horse," or "Pura Raza Espanõla"--hence the P.R.E. affixed to the names of horses who have passed the strict Spanish requirements for documented bloodline and conformation. The Andalusian name derives from an area of southern Spain called Andalusia--Andalucía in Spanish--after the name given to the area by its Moorish conquerors in the 700's. The Moors called it "al-Andalus," after the Vandals who had controlled it since the fifth century. In Portugal, the breed is referred to as the "Lusitano," after the Roman name for that province of its ancient empire.

Even before Roman times, the Iberian or Spanish horse was the envy of the world. The Greek poet Homer mentioned them in the Iliad, written around 1100 BC; the great Greek cavalry officer Xenophon, in 450 BC, praised "the gifted Iberian horse" for helping Athens defeat Sparta; and in the third century BC, Hannibal used Iberian cavalry to defeat invading Romans many times. In 1066 AD, William the Conqueror rode an Iberian horse for his invasion of England.
The premier cavalry horse of Europe from ancient times, the Iberian  was displaced only briefly when heavily armored knights dominated the field of battle, then returned to prominence when the introduction of gunpowder favored a quick and agile cavalry. Known as a great cavalry mount, the Spanish horse was also noted for its trusting and kind disposition.
          Building on these great traditions, King Felipe II of Spain unified the breed in the sixteenth century, formally establishing the standards for the "Horse of Kings"--what we know today as the Pure Spanish Horse. For many years, exporting these horses was against Spanish law, and one could only obtain one as a gift of the Spanish throne.
Eventually, though, the Iberian horse became known as the "royal horse of Europe," the favorite mount of royalty and cavalry officers--as well as the foundation for great riding academies in Austria, France, Italy, and Germany. It also served as the foundation for many great European breeds--the Lippizanner among them--and for such New World breeds as the Peruvian Paso and the American Quarter Horse.
          In 1667, the Duke of Newcastle called the Spanish horse "the noblest horse in the world, the most beautiful that can be. He is of great spririt and of great courage and docile; hath the proudest trot and the best action in his trot, the loftiest gallop, and is the lovingest and gentlest horse, and fittest of all for a king in his day of triumph."
Of course, kings--who could afford to have the very best--did not prize a horse merely for its beauty. They valued horses for their athleticism, their agility, lightness, and endurance, their intelligence, their trainability and willingness, their courage, their loyalty and disposition--indeed, for all the traits that make the Spanish horse of today one of the most versatile and desirable horses in the world.
          From the bullrings and working cattle ranches of Spain to the dressage arenas of the world to the family trail ride in America, the Andalusian is still "The Horse of Kings."

 

 

Some Prominent Cross Breeds

Azteca
The national horse of Mexico, the Azteca is a cross between the Andalusian, or pure Spanish horse, and the Quarter Horse. The Azteca is highly valued for its balanced combination of the two breeds' virtues, and is also prized for its tremendous versatility, from a wide range of performance events to bullfighting and pleasure riding.

 

Hispano-Arabe
Widely preferred in Spain for their combination of the Spanish horse's courage, movement, and unflappable temperament with the Arabian's heart, endurance, and ruggedness, the Hispano-Arabe is especially prized in Spain for Doma Vaquera riding and for the demanding life of the working cow horse on the vast unfenced plains of Andalusia.
These horses are capable of simply breathtaking displays of harmony between horse and rider.
Anyone wanting a new understanding of the possible relationship of horse and rider should follow this link to a video of the famous Spanish rider Jesus Morales on his magnificent Hispano-Arabe, Halcion, in an exhibition of La Garrocha. Note that Sr. Morales works with the reins tied off to his waist...

 

Jesus Morales Garrocha Video

 

 

 

 

 

Doma Vaquera

 

 

 

          Doma Vaquera riding, prior to February 1983, was known in Spain as Doma Espanole de Compo, which literally means “cowboy riding.” Its origins date back centuries to when cattle roamed the rolling grasslands of Andalusia, Spain, and men riding horses had to tend to them. Today, the fenceless countryside of Spain is devoted to agriculture, and what few cattle remain are primarily those raised on the fighting bull ranches. On these ranches, as in many western states in the USA, cowboys still work the cattle on horseback—a big difference being that in Spain, they are not working placid domestic cattle, but aggressive fighting bulls. On these ranches, there are only two types of horses and cowboys—very good ones, and very dead ones.

          As opposed to Doma Vaquera, which simulates the actions of bullfighting, the workaday handling of cattle is celebrated in the art form of La Garrocha. The toppling of cattle from horseback for branding, injections, and so forth, is not done in Spain with a lariat, which is an American innovation, but with a long pole known as a garrocha. This jostling technique for downing cattle descends directly from the methods used by Spanish mounted warriors for unhorsing their enemies in ancient warfare. Just as the skill of team roping is perfected and preserved in rodeo competitions in America, the skill of downing cattle is preserved in Spain with a competition known as Acosta y Derribo, which translates as “pursue and knock down.”

          The horse used by the cowboys in Spain, and for both of these formalized competitions, is known as the jaca (pronounced ‘haca’). Traditionally, the jaca is a gelding of either Andalusian/Arabian blood—what is called a Hispano-Arabe—or a “three-cross,” which is an Andalusian/Arabian Thoroughbred mix. These crosses are still preferred by the working cowboy where the natural bravery of the Andalusian in facing a charging bull can make the difference between a good day and a bad one—which is why, in actual bullfighting, the purebred Andalusian is preferred. (It should be noted that “Andalusian” is a breed name used only outside Spain; this breed is referred to in Spain as Pura Raza Espanol—hence the “P.R.E.” initials appended to descriptions of horses with this bloodline.)

          With the exception of the flying changes of leads on a straight line, the movements of the horse required in Doma Vaquera competition itself are all the movements required for a working cowboy’s horse. During competition, the judges must constantly imagine that an aggressive bull is ready to charge the rider and his horse. This fundamental understanding is what distinguishes the Doma Vaquera horse’s movements from the classic dressage movements. The rider must perform a complete set of pre-established figures and movements at both walk and canter, with minimal to no visible aids. Balance and body form are the objectives of the rider, while the horse is judged for smoothness of gaits and transitions, impulsion, submission, and collection. After the prescribed tests, the rider is allowed approximately two minutes to perform freestyle.

          Doma Vaquera and exhibitions of La Garrocha are traditionally performed to guitar music. In Spain, the guitar has been the fundamental musical expression of the sensitivities of its people, and in  Doma Vaquera, competition without this musical background would be considered as incomplete as ballet without music!