The Andalusian Horse
History
and Reflections
"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...
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!