Carthusian Bloodlines

Carthusian bloodlines in the PRE

The existence per se of the Carthusian bloodline is the subject of discussion. It has both its supporters, and those who say it is more myth than history.

For myself, I am a lover of history and its romance, and a weaver of stories at heart.

I have spent time at the monastery, and at the modern Yeguada de la Cartuja, and choose to go with the romantic.

It means accepting a history that may be not totally provable, but which is fitting to the dream that is the PRE.

Carthusian bloodlines in the PRE - myth or merit

The facts are there, their clinical correctness can be charmingly diluted by the smiling ’perhaps’.

Undoubtedly, the name Cartujano comes from the order of the Carthusian monks. They were diligent and commerce-wise, as well as devoted to their calling.

They remain represented by the monastery of La Cartuja, a building where time has stopped, located on the outskirts of my beloved Jerez de la Frontera.

Myth begins to drift among its old bulwarks and tall walls, to say that it was here that a breed of Spanish horse originated, back in the rich shadows of the 16th century.

Exceptional in their beauty, noble in character, they were bred and cared for by these Carthusian monks.

Pure Carthusian bloodlines in the history of the spanish horse

In the days before mechanisation and automobiles - almost unimaginable to recent generations - horses were creatures of practical necessity. They worked in the fields and were ridden for pleasure - but most of all they were a necessity for war. And war took its terrible toll.

Hundreds died under shell and cannon fire; starving soldiers would not hesitate to eat them, and so an invading army would commandeer any horses that came across their march.

Came the French invasion of Spain, and the horses of la Cartuja were threatened.

A spanish monk of the Order, remembered as Don Pedro Jose Zapata y Caro, and his brother Juan Jose, gained ownership of a large number of the horses and managed to hide them from the French troops.

Thus the first Cartujano stud was formed. The sons of Juan Jose inherited the stud, and after their death records show that it was bought by Don Vicente Romero Garcia. After his death, as so often happens after the loss of a breeding visionary, the stud stock was dispersed.

Carthusian bloodlines in the PRE around the world

Some of the horses were sold into Mexico, where the PRE has always been highly regarded. The majority of the Carthusian stock, though, remained in Spain. Of these, the majority stayed in the region around their origin.

Romero Benitez, a respected name in PRE annals, acquired most of his first line of horses from the stock of Vicente Romero Garcia.

The dispersed stock made a definitive impression, and some of the most famous Spanish studs were based on these original horses.

By mid-century the names of Pallares, Osborne and Terry were names inseparable from the unique ideal of PRE beauty.

Pallares stamps with elegance till today.
The Osborne Stud is still in the family.
Terry is recognised in the genealogies by the brand of the Widow Terry.

Pure Carthusian bloodlines in the modern day spanish horse

Horses of the old Terry bloodlines are considered a foundation line for today’s Carthusian bloodlines in the PRE.

In the 1980’s- ’90’s the spanish Government took over what had been the Terry stud.

Edited quote
In 1981, Rumasa S. A. bought the vineyard from Fernando Terry, together with the livestock. In 1983 the State Heritage department took charge of these assets, and in 1985 the livestock was separated from the other assets belonging to the vineyard.

In 1990, the State Heritage department incorporated the stud farm into EXPASA Agricultura y Ganadería, S. A., which was given the responsibility of maintaining and improving this unique genetic heritage.