Triunfadora XXX, 3 times Champion of Spain.

Picture from www.certamenesecuestres.com.

What is a PRE horse?

El Caballo de Pura Raza Española, the Spanish Purebred Horse, is a horse with origins from the Royal Stud Farm created by King Philip II in 1567. A Spanish horse has approved parents and is registered in the studbook for Pura Raza Española. In order to get approved for breeding the horse has to fulfil the criterias of the studbook; minimum height at withers (150 cm for mares and 152 cm for stallions), a good race type and be free from visible defects.

Since the year 2002 all colours of the coat is approved. Before that the Spanish horse was only allowed to have a grey, black or brown coat.

The studbook and rules of breeding of the PRE are handled by the breeders association in Spain, ANCCE.

Approved stallion?
In many breeding associations an approved stallion is an individual that has passed a breeding evaluation test and has been selected among many other stallions in his age and race. The stallions participates in these tests in a early age.

Only a few stallions fulfil the highly set criterions and breeding goals set in these breeding associations and these are normally the only stallions allowed for breeding.

In Spain most horses passes the basic approval as long as they are healthy and have the right measurements. These basic criterions don’t necessarily mean that the individual is breeding material; it only means that the horse passes the criterions of the minimum height at withers and is free from visible defects. It is up to the breeder to decide if the individual suits his or hers breeding goal as well as the breeding goal for the breed.

Nero II, Champion of Spain 2008 (SICAB).

Picture from www.certamenesecuestres.com.

Breeding programme

The breeders association in Spain, ANCCE, have breeding programmes in order to increase the gentic improvement. The are working with equine genetic scientists at the Univeristy in Córdoba. There are breeding programmes (information in Spanish) for young recommended stallions (3-6 years)who are selected for their excellent qualities and results in these 3 important selection criterions:

-dressage competitions,

-breeding shows (morhological competions) and

-(future) rideability capacity.

Their breeding value has to be higher than average (100).  There is a  programme for stallions older than 7 years, with the same criterions mentioned above.

Examples of recommended young stallions:

Enorme,  owned and bred by Yeguada Susaeta.

Anterior,  owned and bred by Yeguad Militar de  Jerez de la Frontera.

Jeque XXII, owned by Cortijo el Robledal and bred by Joaquin Marquez Gonzalez.

Calificado and Elite
It is possible to show your horse for a higher (qualified) approval; Calificado or Elite. The criterions are much higher and the horse has to be free from defects (proved by an X-ray) and fertile (which has to be proved). The horse has to have an excellent conformation as well as movements and the stallions must be shown under saddle. The highest approval is Elite. The criterions are set even higher than Calificado. The individual has to prove that it passes on its excellent qualities to its offsprings.

Artificial insemination and Embryo Transfer

Only stallions that are approved for Calificado are allowed to be used for AI (Artificial Insemination). Mares that are approved for Calificada can be used for Embryo Transfer to allow them to spread there genes. If you are interested in this, take a look at this webpage; Yeguada Mater Christi.

Soñadora XXIX, Champion of Spain 2007 (SICAB).

Picture from www.certamenesecuestres.com.

Conformation and race type
I’m not going to take time to explain the conformation and race type since there are so many that can do it so much better. I recommend this home page, it has a lot of pictures that shows correct horses as well as defects elpre.

Gitano XXXII, the Champion of Spain 2007 (SICAB).

Picture from www.certamenesecuestres.com.

Movements

The movements of the Spanish horse are decribed as; "brilliant gaits, agile energetic, cadenced and elastic, with notable elevations, extension and harmony.." (Definition from the Studbook register).

SICAB
Every year,the last week in November, the most beautiful and talented Spanish horses are gathered in Sevilla. During this week there are competitions in many different disciplines as Doma Vaquera, Alta Escuela, Show Jumping, driving and dressage, breeding competitions and breeding shows.

Throughout the year, there have been competitions and shows all over the country and the best horses qualifies to the finales at SICAB.

Any person who finds the Spanish Horse fascinating must visit SICAB at least once!

Some history about the Spanish Horse for the interested one

Statue of Felipe II in El Escoria, outside Madrid, where he died in 1598. Picture taken in March 2009 when I visited El Escorial.

Felipe II, founder of the Spanish Horse

The horse population in Spain has been influenced by wild horses from the south and the north and the horses that conquerors brought into the country. During almost 800 years Spain was conquered by Arabs which has strongly influenced the culture and the horse population.

When Christopher Columbus discovered America in 1492 Spain faced a new age. Gold was brought into the country and a new culture flourished.

The horses that Columbus brought to America were “Hacas”, British cold blooded horses, most of them were pintos of different colour. Maybe you could compare them to the Irish Cob horses of today?

Philip II became the King of Spain in 1556. He was a very religious man who loved horses. He decided to create the perfect horse, the one the Greeks had described. In November 1567 he sent a Royal Order to built Royal Stables in Córdoba. He giave orders to find and purchase 1200 mares of good quality to start his breeding.

King Philip II trusted Diego Lopez Diego to manage the breeding programme. Diego reported directly to the King every week. The mares were strictly guarded and Philip created laws to forbid common people from breeding horses.

A studbook was created in 1572 and it was very strict and controlled. Every covering had to be confirmed and there was a special book for the coverings. Every foal was registered and its sex, colour and markings were noted in the studbook. Every foal was marked with the Kings emblem at the age of 1. If a foal died, the skin had to brought to the person responsible for the studbook as proof of its death, before the foal was registered as deceased.

All the papers were strictly controlled so that the King could read it.

In 1583 the King sent 25 Spanish horses to Vienna. These horses were the foundation of the Lipizzaner breed.

Do you think Felipe II was riding here in the park in El Escorial with some of the first Spanish horses?
El Escorial in March 2009.

During the baroque and until the end of 1700 it was very popular to ride dressage/higher school exercises and many different riding academies were founded.

The young Ludwig XIII of France was taught by Antoine de Pluvinel and inspired many to learn the noble art of dressage. Pluvinel wrote books about dressage, books that are used and read today.

The Spanish horses were excellent for this kind of riding and the horses were spread over the different courts of Europe.

Since the 1700 all horses in Spain has to be registered and all changes of owner has to be registered.

In the year 1734 there was a fire in the castle where the Royal horses were kept and a huge part of the stables were destroyed. It was necessary to sell horses and monks from the Jesuit order bought a lot of these horses. These mares were placed in different parts of Andalucía. This was the first time Royal horses were sold to private persons.

King Karl III (Carlos III) who became King of Spain in 1759, was told that the Jesuits were deceiving and swindling him. 1767 the Jesuits were driven out of Spain and sent to Rome. All their belongings were taken and the horses were sold to private persons, mostly noble, and the horses were spread all over the country.

After the French revolution things changes and the military in Spain takes over the breeding of the Spanish Horse. Most of the stallions were used in war, so the horse population consisted mostly of mares. 1893 the government decided to create a stud farm. They bought 75 horses; Spanish, English and Arabians. They bought land outside Jerez. The Spanish foundation sires at the Yeguada Militar Stud farm were Melena, a huge chestnut with a strong conformation and Borgeño, a brown beautiful stallion. 

Source of the History of The Spanish Horse:

lecture with Juan Carlos Altamirano autumn 2008.