Andalusian Blog from Spain
A real life collection of horse stories and blogs, together with my andalusian blog from spain. Written as it happens. Unique videos, photos, stories, and horse diaries of our horses from Yeguada Peregrino who are now spread across the world.
Anything and everything to do with life and iberian horses in spain and across europe. Thoughts and Fun, Ponderings and Opinions. Reads from most recent post, earlier posts linked from the side menu. *Quick links to the latest pages.*
Dec 31, 2011 - An End and a Beginning
Thanks and appreciation to all the understanding readers who have granted me the space to get things more or less in order after the move. Notes and fotos are going up as you read, and will be available in early January on the new Blog page.
Today is the eve of a new year. Clichétime ? I don’t think so. Some truths simply are, and the passing of time with the cycles and seasons is just such a truth.
Equally a truth is man’s tendency to pause and reflect, and to allow the stirrings of anticipation as to what the next 12 months may hold.
As is my custom, I will begin a new page on the site for the Blog on January 1st.
Looking back on this site, the past 3 years are clearly chronicled in the pages and the diaries. The history of the four years prior to that can be read on our second site.
Seven years. A living diary of our spanish life, our ways, our thoughts and our horses. There has been laughter, growth and learning; we have shared tears, discoveries and joys.
We have made friends, fallen down some muddy slopes, seen mountaintops, - and overall, continued on in the faith that all things work together for good for those who love the Lord and are led according to His purpose.
We have made no secret of our Christian beliefs, but the main focus of the site has concentrated on the horses and the research/information aspects.
As we face the new beginnings of 2012, what now?
Seven years is a time span that holds aspects of biblical significance. We may explore those in later posts. For now suffice to say that we are at a point of change, a change that is reflected in this blog. Past posts can still be accessed, starting here, while the 2012 blog is changing location.
From Jan 03 the blog now appears in the Peregrino Section of the site. Will it change in direction and content?
To discover the answer you are invited to visit a section of the site that has previously not been open to the public, and to get to know Peregrino.
This is the SECTION home page for News and Blogs
This Section covers a number of Horse Blogs, and the Spain Blogs.
. . .this from one who a few years ago considered the word Blog a sign of the decline of the english language. . .
The Falcon Has Landed - Peregrino Move Complete
News to follow in a few days. As anyone who has moved knows, arrival equals start trying to figure out all those boxes you thought you had marked so clearly . . .
Good news is that we have now been connected to internet so I am busy catching up.
September 27 2011 - Sad News for Spain
Jade de MV, the 12 year old Grand Prix dressage horse selected for the Spanish Olympic Team for 2012, has died as a result of colic.
Jade was trained and ridden from the time he was a 4 year old by Claudio Castilla, a dedicated and sympathetic rider, and they competed widely in Spain and across Europe.
Jade has been stabled recently in the same yard as Norte;, and A saw them in Dusseldorf when he flew there last month. They formed part of the Spanish Dressage Championships at Windsor in 2009, and their last appearance was at the recent European Championships in Rotterdam.
Bred by Manuel Vidrié, Jade was strongly PRE, with some Lusitano input, and he was classified as a CDE Caballo Deportivo Español, a Spanish Sports Horse.
Un abrazo, amigos.
September 01 2011 - Bodega Pages updated
The Bodega blog has been updated with some images, and more pages.
She is now 16 weeks old, and the Blog is a few weeks in arrears, but this last month has been dedicated to THE move.
Yes, finally we have all the paperwork in line for the initial move to Peregrino. Not all the paperwork in total, but enough for us to be there, with the horses running free.
Catch up with Bodega's story from the right hand menu Bodega Blog link. And a reportback soon on the visit from S and H - owners of Bravio and Bodega.
August 27 2011 - Thieves on the Net
I am about the most laid back person around. It takes a LOT to get me hassled. But hassled I was a few days ago.
Why? Because someone is freeloading on my years of work, originality and creativity.
A person or persons on FaceBook has set up a so-called blog which is nothing more than a list of all of my carefully crafted page descriptions and original writing.
One can only guess at the non-ethical techniques favored by such types. This one scraped my pages, and now sits back - having done no creative work - to ride on my expertise, my knowledge, my website crafting and my writing.
Does it matter? Well, to me it does.
Firstly, as artist and creator, I feel robbed.
Secondly, as SBI-ers know, a successful website does not just happen. Mega businesses are made out of people promising to get you to the top of the rankings.
Thanks to SBI’s learning curve, I am there, time and again on page one of Google. In one case at least I hold this place with keywords competing with over 10 000 000 pages. Yes that is 7 zeroes, in a niche subject. For another keyword I hold 6 out of the top ten places.
Who is SBI? In my opinion simply THE best option for anyone with a passion about what they do who wants to build a successful website.
To build my successful websites I did not use tricks, link farms, SEO companies, directories, article sites or anything else except my own brains and hard-wrung sweat. It took WORK, and a unique and in depth knowledge of my subject to get there.
Along comes this person and picks my words as though they were blackberries on a roadside, there for the taking. Do they give me credit? No, they link the visitor to their supposed blog; harvest personal details by telling the visitors that they must register, then do a closed frame type link to my page that still gives me no link credit.
Was I upset when I discovered this? Yes I was.
But . . . I believe in the law of sowing and reaping. I have sown effort and knowledge, and am reaping my rewards. Those who sow laziness, lack of ethics and downright theft will also reap.
August 07 2011 - Clinic in Quebec
Helene Arianoff is conducting a Clinic in Quebec in October. For anyone interested in attending as a rider or auditor, you are invited to contact Denise Doiron at 450-994-1480 or cell 514-229-8563; or at Email Address: Clasico@videotron.ca Denise adds that Helene does speak english as do most of those involved, so riders can take the course in english.
July 13 2011 - Spanish Horse Websites
This is one of the five websites about Spain and the horses of Spain that we maintain. The sites are in spanish, english and catalán
and deal with horses, tack, breeding, hoof care, books, and website building for the small stud and horse owner.
When I set about the refreshing of this site, I had a niggly feeling that the spring-clean surge would then spill over into the other sites. Too true!
With over 250 pages on this site alone, one aspect I am striving to keep current and clear is that of Navigation.
Sections, Subjects and Series:
A SECTION is one of the main - well, sections (!) - as seen in the Sections Menu.
Each Section has its own Home Page.
- In theSections are SUBJECTS, and a Subject may sometimes divide again into a
SERIES. A menu appears on each page.
For Example . .
This is the Section Blogs and News, and this is the Section Home Page.
In the right hand column
- the Sections Menu reminds you of the other main areas covered on the site
- the Subjects Menu takes you to the different blogs.
- The Blogs develop into the Series about that particular horse.
A Subject page also lists related articles. We encourage browsing, as some articles may fall into more than one section.
We support the dream of the spanish horse. And in the pursuit of that dream, our intent is to help in guiding people to the correct sources. That is what it is all about, why we spend the hours we do.
It may be "tossing starfish back into the sea," but for some starfish it can make a real difference.
July 05 2011 - The Urban Myth
An interesting question to our Open Line prompted me to review and expand on what I have said in earlier blogs about an Urban Myth regarding the Movement of the Spanish Horse.
We are breeders and lovers of the horse, and spend our lives in the middle of this world.
We go to the shows, we visit the farms - and I may well see more PREs in a month than some people see in a lifetime.
- From top level international dressage horses to good mid-level pleasure horses.
- From the country’s top studs to small family breeders.
- From the casual backyard horse to the good and the badly trained.
- And from baroque olde style to the newer sportier PRE.
Movement of the Spanish Horse
I don’t know it all, but I can confidently say I know a fair bit. Plus which I am a breeder, looking to develop dressage horses, and so I have a deep interest in the dressage lines and in conformation, movement, competition ability etc.
The unfortunate Urban Myth is that the Spanish Horse has a sewing machine movement, a movement that is high and limited. But let’s look at the bigger picture.
More than One Model of the Spanish Horse
Within the PRE, the closed breed that is the Pura Raza Española, there are many variations of types. All are true to Breed Type, but they are not all identical clones.
This is a breed that has been developed over hundreds of years. Within the breed there is a wide range of conformation and movement,
and a range of purposes for which the historical horse was used.
- A horse in the past was for riding, for working in the fields, for battle, for pleasure, for harness. A PRE could do all these.
Dressage is a relatively new discipline.
- The spanish horse was often used for carriage work, and for this a dramatic higher movement was considered desirable.
- The Airs above the Ground, for which the Spanish Horse is famous, favour the short-coupled horse - remembering
that short-coupled is not necessarily short-moving.
- There are many, many spanish horses with the classic high movement who at the same time display a free forward movement that has nothing of the ’sewing machine’ about it.
Comparing Apples to Apples
Certain bloodlines still produce the higher dramatic movement. But not all. And you cannot compare a horse bred from bloodlines designed for carriage-work with one who is bred for dressage.
There are PRE bloodlines that produce horses with beautiful athletic conformation, well set shoulders, excellent engagement of the hindquarters, and flowing movement. One has only to look at Fuego in the recent World Games, or at the Olympic dressage horse Invasor.
Good Spanish Horses and Not-So-Good Spanish Horses
Just as with any breed there are good horses and not-so-good horses within the breed. Just as with any horse marketplace, there will be showy horses sold as desirable or typical spanish when in fact they are not.
Unfortunately, this means that people who do not know the breed may only have these to make their comparisons on, and it can leave a wrong impression.
Spanish vs Warmblood for Dressage
Spanish horses intended for dressage, or being assessed in comparison to a dressage warmblood, must be judged on the dressage basics.
The conformation of back and hocks that will allow for impulsion. The tracking over. The open shoulder. And of course, don’t forget temperament - more about that in another post.
There are an increasing number of spanish horses who are making a mark in dressage, from novice and elementary up to Grand Prix levels.
July 02 2011 - Copyright is a Moral and Ethical Right
Everything you find on our site is completely original and we provide everything we do at no cost to our visitors. We are more than happy to share it - that is why we write it!
But it takes time and work, and as the Bible states: The labourer is worthy of his hire.
- I get no financial remuneration whatsoever for assistance given and queries dealt with from our Open Line.
- The horses you see today on the Horses for Sale page do not have a commission added to the price.
What we do has value, and it does cost us. Some costs are measurable in euros, some not.
- The experience and personal involvement shared cannot be bought, and cannot be reproduced.
- The crafting to an article that is logical and clear takes time and a writer’s skill.
- The presentation on the website is hand coded and illustrated with original fotos.
- The website has running costs.
I am first and foremost a writer/artist. As a creator, the greatest reward is in seeing a creation come to life as envisaged. It is not produced in competition against others, but as a constant challenge to oneself to reach further.
So for a site such as this, a ’worthy hire’ is not mere money. It is found in the fierce pride of individual creation that goes with the striving. This pride is an earned pride, a pride of creation and ownership.
This pride is what energises us and enables us to share freely.
This pride is far from the arrogance of selfishness shown by the lazy, greedy and unethical websites who take our work as though they had an unearned right to it.
Immoral, unethical theft.
June 26 2011 - Marathon Blog Build
The first 5 weeks of the B Babies’ lives are now documented. Orphan foal Bodega in the Bodega Blog, and Son of Invasor II in the Bravio Blog pages. see side menu. Still have to upload more fotos, but we are getting there.
June 25 2011 - Stolen Horse Alert
I received this email over the weekend. A great example of a co-ordinated effort to help a fellow horse owner.
Stolen from Dainewell Fields Carrington, Manchester: Andalusian gelding called Spirit stolen from his field in Manchester, the UK, on the 8 May 2011. His registered name is ’Espiritu Volador’ He is 15.2hh (157.48cm). Grey in colour with fading dapples.
He has several distinctive marks, which include a scar on the inside of his right hind leg, a small snip between his nostrils and three white hooves, one black The black hoof is his off fore/front right.
He is BAPSH IV registered and microchipped. His micro chip number is 941000001549969. He has a website, www.findspirit.co.uk. with details and pictures, and contact details for his owner. It is possible that he may have been repassported under a different name.
June 10 2011 - Catching my Breath
The site refreshing is moving along well.
- Each page is being reviewed then rebuilt in the new design.
- New spanish horse image galleries are going up.
- Books we have been promising for so long are crystallising into form and reality.
- The Spanish Horse Buy Wisely Guide. Hoof Care. Mane Care and Plaiting.
- Our reference library is being updated and expanded.
- The list of questions answered from the Open Line is being written up.
- And of course the Horse Blogs are appearing, especially the Blogs of Bodega, the orphan foal, and Bravio the Cheeky.
Sleep? What’s that?
May 24 2011 - The Financial Crisis and Horses in Spain
I believe that the ’crisis’ is helping the spanish horse market, and that both serious buyers and serious breeders are profiting from the shake up.
There has been a fair amount of buzzing about supposed ’going for nothing’ top horses in Spain - tho’ in our experience it is not quite as the urban myths would have it.
Yes, a number of the PRE breeders we know are breeding less, but they are still not selling ’cheap’, and buyers are not in short supply.
Good PRE horses, with good bloodlines in meaningful combinations, are still commanding good prices.
And, as in any horse market, there will always be those asking unrealistic prices for very average horses. The good thing is that in a tight economy, a lot of the chaff gets blown away.
What is notable, tho’, is that our Open Line is receiving high numbers of genuine enquiries about ’life behind the scenes’. Serious buyers - whether breeders or simple aficionados - are becoming more discerning, and are taking time to investigate what Spain really has to offer.
We find more questions are coming in about bloodlines and about papers before people go ahead with a deal - unlike in the past when we often found ourselves asked to help discover information after the event.
Are studs going bankrupt?
I would be inclined to ask rather: Are there studs that are reducing because of good breeding foresight,
because the horse market is slow, because the stock they have bred is not up to par,
or because other business concerns are flagging?
And are good horses being abandoned? None that I know of.
May 19 2011 - Spring Clean
The website is undergoing a major spring clean. Time for some updating, re-writing and all those geeky things that web-aholics like doing.
We have a new design in the making, so quite a few pages are in transition. You'll see one style with two colour modes: a dark background for the photo pages, and lighter colours in a blog type mode for easier reading in the articles.
If a page seems to have disappeared, or you can’t find your way around, please let us know :)
May 17 2011 - the Ferris Wheel
Nearly a month since the last entry, and what a ferris wheel that month has been !
I will write up more in a few days, suffice to say that I have been on 24 hour duty with an orphan foal. Not Serranilla’s - tragically it was our Quijotita who died. Her baby, Bodega, will soon have her own blog - once I get through the night feeds!
Bodega’s Blog now added. Starts here. Bodega - Orphan Foal
April 25 2011 - Mother and Foal Doing Well
At 2 a.m. on April 25th, 2011 Andres and I were able to share the wonder of the birth of Serranilla’s colt foal by Invasor II.
Early-days impressions:
- He is big
- He has long legs, and strong hocks
- He has the look of his daddy’s head
- His head, neck and legs are black. His body in between is a dark smokey grey. Kind of looks like he has a monk’s cowl on.
Mother is marvellous, and it was an easy birth. She carried him for 335 days - exactly 11 calendar months from the day of covering. A. and I are tired after a broken night, but it is always worth it to see the wonder of a new life.
Two foto galleries now up, and his blog is in writing. See the menu alongside.
April 22 2011 - The Perfect Horse Equation
I believe we can say there are two separate aspects to the horse that a person seeks: The internal and the external.
- Each of these aspects has multiple factors that apply.
- These factors are what influence personal choice.
- That choice is both personal and influenced by the End Purpose of the horse.
The ’Internal Factors’ are those of character: personality, temperament, trust, intelligence and so on. Some is nature - the PRE truly does have that much vaunted nobility. Some is nurture: what has been developed in the years the particular horse has spent with particular humans.
With the PRE, as with horses of all breeds and in all countries, there are those who have been well handled, and who trust and interact with humans in confidence. And there are those who have been ill-handled, and who carry hidden burdens and nervous reactions.
The ’External Factors’ are to do with physical attributes and appearance, and training.
- Appearance includes color, size, movement, conformation and the overall ’look’. This is nature.
Training is directed to a discipline, with cumulative input and long term impact. This is nurture.
Within any pool of horses it is mathematically logical that the more specific the parameters that are applied, the fewer the candidates who will fulfil them all. The PRE as a breed has limited numbers and so the final reality of a perfect horse in theory may need to be re-evaluated in practice.
March 14 - Unity
Manssur - the Arabian Gentleman mentioned a few days ago - goes out alone, into the big paddock or the arena. He is aware of the mares, but is a gentleman and causes no trouble. A couple of weeks ago, a new surface was being laid in the arena and A thought to put Manssur out into a small paddock adjoining the Laydeez.
Now those three have their herd structure clear
- Serranilla is generally alpha, with occasional spats with QD, who is OK with being beta.
- QD in turn occasionally spats with QT
- who is such a cutie that she doesn’t want to upset anyone and gets along with whoever.
Feeding is no problem - everybody knows their own spot, hay is happily shared, and they will wander around in amity for most of the day. Sometimes they choose to stand alone, sometimes QD and QT will have a mutual scratch. So just like in most groups, there are times of peace and times of quickly resolved disagreements.
Enter Manssur into the adjoining paddock.
The lazing laydeez heard some distant trumpet, and lined up like a cavalry front line. Ears forward, they stood shoulder to shoulder looking towards this intruder. Manssur stood on his side of the fence, not making any move - and not particularly interested.
The three did not so much as exchange a glance. They wheeled in absolute unison, in as precise a movement as the Escuela could have asked. And in absolute unison was the thwack-thwack-thwack of three sets of hind hooves addressing the now rather surprised arabian.
He moved down to the far end of his paddock, and I would swear that the Laydeez exchanged a ’Yes!’ look and a definitive nod of the heads.
March 10 Thank You Cathy
A big thank you to Cathy B from the UK who took the time to send us a lovely note:
This just a comment to say how much I love your website. I first found it nearly 2 years ago when researching PREs since
I was looking to purchase a youngster to bring on and a 14.3 PRE was on my list of potential acquisitions.Needless to say, her lovely temperament and smooth paces sold her to me!
Your site helped me loads in understanding her background, what she was originally bred for and in inspiring me to own and train one of these lovely animals. Just wanted to say how I love your site and always find something new on it when I return for another look. Thank you for giving me the confidence to buy a PRE, and to feel able to do her justice.
Feb 21 - Do PREs jump?
The three Laydeez - QT, QD and Serranilla - spend their days in the smaller paddock, and - during our Jan-maybe-Feb rainy and cold spell - their nights under cover. The stables are big and ’open plan’, set up with round pole sections in a large old barn.
It so happened that Serranilla’s stable (?stall?) had a pole lying across the bottom of the door area - necessary to keep the support structure functioning. Now this was only a round tube, at ground level but she regarded it as tho’ it was an alien from a far off galaxy - of some breeding stock that produces poles-that-eat-PREs.
Ears forward, pregnant tummy balanced, she took THE most enormous leap-levade to enter the box area. Performance repeated on exit, and on each passing for at least a week.
Finally she decided that the pole must have been suitably cowed, and deigned to walk over it, tho’ stil with high steps and a look on her face that would have gone down well with Lizzie II.
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