Spain's royal war horse was once too precious to export
For centuries European kings rode Spanish horses, and Spain handed them out as diplomatic gifts. The Andalusian, or Pure Spanish Horse, has barely changed shape since the 15th century. Spain restricted exports until the 1960s, and one prized bloodline is still identified by warts under the tail.
The Andalusian comes from the Iberian Peninsula, where its forebears have lived for thousands of years, and has been a recognised breed since the 1400s. Nobles valued it as a war mount, and royal courts across Europe filled their stables with it. The 19th century was hard: war, disease and crossbreeding shrank the herds, and the slump dragged into the early 20th century. Once exports opened in the 1960s the breed spread worldwide, and by 2010 there were more than 185,000 registered animals.
Compact but graceful, it has a long, broad neck, a massive chest, a short back and a thick flowing mane and tail. Horses average about 156 cm at the withers; stallions weigh around 512 kg and mares 412 kg. Grey dominates, making up roughly 80 percent of American Andalusians, with bay next. Breeders praise its intelligence, sensitivity and docility. A 2001 study found that at the trot Andalusians bend their joints more than Arabians and Anglo-Arabians, which suits the lofty, elevated action prized in dressage.
The Carthusian strain is marketed as the purest line and commands higher prices, though no genetic evidence backs the claim. Its supposed founding stallion, Esclavo, passed on tail warts that some breeders treated as proof of descent, and occasional bony bumps near the ears called horns. Rival registries dispute what counts as a true Andalusian, and in 2011 at least one lawsuit was fighting over who owned the Spanish stud book.
Early horsemen read fortune in markings: a horse with no white at all was thought bad-tempered, and hair whorls where the animal could not see them spelled bad luck, while two near the tail meant courage. Originally bred for dressage, bullfighting and herding, Andalusians now do show jumping and driving and appear constantly in historical and fantasy films. Their blood runs in Portugal's closely related Lusitano, many European warmbloods and the Azteca.
Source: Andalusian horse
