Horses in Spain

The archive of our 2009 blog. A real life mix of stories about spanish life and reports on horses in spain, fun, the casual and the serious. Links out to the many original articles on site.

Dec 22 - Close to Christmas

And yes, I am doing 27 other things, which I will get around to listing come New Year.

I am also continuing my reminiscent rambles through the site and the videos. This was in my Diary of Barquillera in August of last year.

In Spain, tradition and show protocol are clear as to how the manes and tails of foals and mares are to be cut.

Today was spring shaving session for Baturra and Queridita. Both stood as good as good could be while the manes were taken off, the top portion of the tail shaven, and the tail hair trimmed straight across at hock level.

Back in the paddock Baturra ambled long in her usual casual fashion, idly flicking the newly-styled tail against the first flies of the season.

Barquillera was fascinated. This white tipped fly-whisk was just waiting to be investigated.

But first, she had to catch it.

So we have Baturra in front, Barquillera following close behind, snatching at the elusive tuft of tail.

Finally her teeth managed to grip the tassle. Baturra stopped - she never kicks - and looked around, mildly questioning. Barq stood there, head on one side, holding with determination to the few hairs she had captured.

If this lady wasn’t, I would have to invent her.

to see fotos, visit Diary of Barquillera

Nov 29 - Horses in Spain at SICAB in Seville

SICAB is Spain - and the world’s - largest breed show for the PRE. It takes place annually in Sevilla, my husband's birthplace in SW Andalucia.

SICAB is usually held in the first 2 weeks of November - though this year it was at the end of the month - and is a high point of the show year for the PRE people of spain.

The classes include breed classes in hand, dressage and functionality classes, and then traditional equitation displays of an evening. Many of the top riders are fully occupied for this week, and many of the breeders are focused on the show.

Nov 22 - Back on the Soapbox about PRE horses in Spain

We are deeply involved in the heart of the spanish horse world, with the family tracing involvement back over 4 generations. We are trainers and breeders, and while we look to sell our stock, it is not our main source of income. I am a moderately successful author, and in general we remain somewhat outside the mainstream.

We have a passion for our horses, a loyalty to our fellow breeders, and a desire to see the full truth about the PRE spread abroad.

We have answered many questions, and assisted in the unravelling of a number of situations, but over the years we have learned that not everyone wants to hear an honest opinion.

We have given our perceptions in the past, voluntarily, to see more than one person prefer an agent’s adjectives to our frankness, with the subsequent results.

We have continued to be pro-active in our quest, continuing in our own way of operation through the websites.

Our articles are original, our information is shared from practical experience and involvement, and our videos are noted for their comprehensive coverage. In all we write and film we adhere to our stated Code of Ethics and Principles.

We have learned that after this it must be for people to consider or discard our contribution at their discretion.

We will always speak out - but only on a person asking.

Oct 23 - Horses in Spain Recognised Limitations

continuing oct 16th train of thought

Because of the way we function, almost every horse has a story attached.

108P, PINITO
I filmed and foto-ed Pinito a couple of years ago, and carried him on the site at no charge.

He belonged to a good friend, a young man who is aiming to gain entrance into the Royal School of Equestrian Art in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain’s equivalent of Saumur or Vienna.

That entrance, by the way, is not easy. Aspiring students have to do theory and practical exams, and at the end of it a very few are chosen in each discipline for each year.

Pinito was his from young. As a serious rider, he needed a horse that he can take on up with him. On Pinito’s page you will see it says **RL - Recognised Limitation. He had something with a hock, I can’t remember offhand what it was, but it did mean he would probably not have held up to heavy collected work.

Pinito sold as a pleasant hack for someone local, who loved his looks and his temperament, and didn’t need the concentrated collection. As I say on the page, I left his videos up for viewing pleasure.

He is also my model in the mane braiding video that I have had such a copyright drama over.
If you want to view that vid it is on a Private page at present. Just contact me direct.

Oct 16 2009 The Danger of Shattered Dreams

We are realistic and experienced. We do not try to present every PRE as the ultimate longhaired dream, or the next Invasor.

NB: We do have longhaired dreams in our stock, and we have a personal acquaintance with Invasor.

Some horses in spain are great for pleasure and all round riding. Some horses are most suited for breeding. Others have true potential for dressage.

There are also horses with what we name Recognised Limitations who may well serve as pleasure or schoolmaster horses, or for breeding. They are good horses who must be presented honestly and considered realistically.

A limitation may be be due to, for example, a scar which will not hinder a dressage horse in performance or a breeding stallion in his function. Or an old injury that puts a ceiling on how far a horse can go in the demands of high level performance, but does not change his training or ability.

We have one such horse ourselves, a pure bred Arabian stallion of championship lines. He was a top level 3-phase event horse in Europe, winning notable championships.

A tendon injury, and he can no longer compete at that level. But what a companion, what a schoolmaster - and what beautiful foals he breeds.

Horses that are presented with honesty from the breeder mean there will be no disillusionment and shattered dreams on the part of a buyer.

Equally a buyer who looks frankly at the end use of the horse will not become unrealistic in demanding a horse that ticks all the theoretical boxes, while still expecting to pay an average price.

Sept 29 2009 It was nice to receive this last week

"I am currently looking with a view to buy a Pura Raza Espanole stallion and I have found all the tips and advice on your site absolutely invaluable!

I had a broker try to pass off a Media Carta papers as proof that the horse was pure Andalusian. I would not have known any better without visiting your site first! It’s brilliant, even for a person who knows nothing about Spanish horses."

Imagine the Scenario . .

Imagine that a journalist films a video with her own camera. She takes the tape and exercises her professional skill to edit it, adding effects and music - which she uses correctly under copyright, and pays to use.

She uploads it to a Private Video Host, and pays the Host to host it. (i.e. not a host like YouTube, which is free)

The Video Host gives her a private code to put on her websites, www.andalusians-for-you.com and www.pure-spanish-horse-spain.com so she can show the video to her visitors.

She creates pages for the video, and puts in clear copyright statements.

So . .What Would You Call it if a Website . .

Accessed the source code for the video pages, and took the video code.

Reproduced that code so they could show the video on a page of their own website.

Completely ignored the copyright statements, and reproduced the video with NO permission asked and NO acknowledgement given as to who the video actually belongs to?

I know what I would call it. Legal advice is being sought as to what the law calls it.

Sept 13 2009 The ’Choppy Trot’ of the Spanish Horse

WARNING -SOAPBOX

I may well see more PREs in a month than many people see in a lifetime. And we are speaking of top level international dressage horses, as well as across-the-board, good mid-level horses from average breeders.

The wide-ranging diversity of Spanish horses as Spain produces them.

Plus which I am a breeder, looking to develop dressage horses, and so with a deep interest in the dressage lines, conformation etc.

The ’choppy trot’ does exist, but true spanish breeders and riders disdain it.

It got a place in the early days - and a subsequent exaggerated bad name - because of naive buyers picking up externally flashy, showy, horses cheap, and selling them to the equally naive as ’desirable spanish’.

Harsh judgement? Yes, perhaps, but they have done us immeasurable disservice, leaving a wrong impression and a too-often repeated urban myth.

Spanish horses must be judged on the basics like any other. The conformation of back and hocks that will allow for impulsion, the tracking over, and the open shoulder.

There are many, many spanish horses with the classic high movement who also display free forward movement - nothing of the sewing machine about it.

These are they who are making a mark in dressage, and as with any other horse their abilities vary from the novice and elementary up to Grand Prix levels.

Sept 06 2009 Reviewing the Articles on Horses in Spain

I am steadily reviewing and indexing the articles we have written and presented on the two main spanish /andalusian horse websites over the years.

Providing resources and information is a major part of what we do, and everything we publish is original.

You can find PRE horses for sale here - never a great amount, and never horses that are carried on dealer sites. We know every horse and trainer you meet on these pages. There are also some Private Treaty horses entrusted to us that we present when they fit a profile.

There are nearly two hundred pages devoted to articles, stories, art, answers and info about andalusian and spanish horses on our sites.

Why? We have a philosophy based on sowing. And a vision for a project. More on that soon.

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Aug 22 2009 Value of a Safe Horse

A PRE is usually a considered purchase, a long term investment, so you do not want any hidden surprises. Pick your horse with wisdom, and with a realistic approach.

There will always be the ’spanish walk-ers’ that grab the eye, but that are frankly of no practical use in terms of the real-life, everyday requirements.

The keen buyer looking for an all-rounder, a pleasure horse, wants beauty, performance, and above all safety. Yet some think that because this is not a competition horse, it should cost less.

In fact it has a high value, primarily because of that safety factor, and the seemingly simple sounding ’only a pleasure horse’ is probably the most difficult horse to present as a complete package.

Your competition riders know horses, expect some uphills, don't mind a few hiccups - and are capable of handling the curve balls. what a mish-mash of metaphors but you know what I mean.

July 21 2009 Bloodlines and Videos of Horses in Spain

Pallares is one of the oldest and most impactful lines on the horses that have that edge of spanish classic beauty. I work with, and am breeding from, quite a few horses of these lines and mixes, and have never been disappointed. They tend to taller, longer moving, intelligent and v receptive.

Romero Benitez are classic, often pure white. Tend to be of the rounder build. Truly baroque these PREs, not the clunky, neck-heavy horses that some would have you confuse with baroque.

Martinez Boloix are higher temperament, strong bone. He is known for his blacks, one of the truly good lines of black PREs.

Comparing here is not a case of one being better than another. They are all good historical lines. Qs to be asking are how much of what line does a horse have, and what else is in the mix.

May 21 2009 Horses in Spain at the Feria de Jerez

Jerez Feria del Caballo - The feria of the horse in Jerez de la Frontera, Andalucia

Jerez Feria can be thought of as in three parts.

• Equisur, the serious horse showing section
• Sementales, at the Military depot
• The Feria de Jerez, which truly belongs to the Jeresanos.

Equisur in the Ifeca hall next to the Feria grounds has the horses in stables and stalls, and the breed classes for Arab, Hispano-Arab and PREs, mostly in hand.

The Military Depot, across the road, has the driving and Doma Vaquera displays.

Feria itself, in the large grounds in the centre of town, is the traditional display of all the everyday people. Colourful, with riders of all ages, standards, and presentations. No competition, plenty of food, fellowship and sherry. People come because they are jeresano, and this is our Feria.

May 05 2009

I have (finally) written up a page on how we work when evaluating horses that we accept onto this website.

We do not by any means feature every horse we see, and we do not take the routes taken by many - have you ever wondered why you keep seeing the same horses on so many sites?

Next chapter in this saga soon. In the meantime, you can read up our modus operandi by following the link at the end of today’s post.

An I-was-there story about correct training and ground handling of PRE stallions:

Imagine a stable-square, the entrance on one side, two boxes on the right, two on the left, and three boxes across from the entrance. Not big.

In this enclosed area, all 3 stallions that we had come to see were tethered, outside their boxes. The other boxes held stallions, and the farrier was directly outside the entrance, working on two mares.

For the time it took us to see, evaluate, take out and try the horses - nearly 4 hours - they stayed like this, without a murmur. At one point, one slipped out of his head collar, wandered round, and was quietly restored to his place with no fuss.

How we select horses for this site. More to follow.
Find a spanish horse

April 21 2009 Finding Horses in Spain

We are regularly commissioned for ’search and evaluate’ projects for overseas buyers.

We work on behalf of the buyer, to search and locate a specific horse, and present a complete evaluation report. This report includes extensive video, full observations, and analytical reports, including input from a team of vet and rider where necessary.

Currently one such project is locating a dressage horse with potential for Grand Prix.

A somewhat ubiquitous word that ’potential’ - too often thrown out, and in fact non-defining.

Our rider-advisor in this particular project is a direct pupil of our Olympic rider, Rafael Soto. His comments, (supported in a recent conversation with Rafael) paraphrased:

"For a successful dressage horse, of first importance is the mind. Then he must be conformed in a way that means he will be able to perform the exercises asked.
Then a good base must be established.
Then comes good training.

You can only discover the mind, and determine the physical ability after some 12 months of work.

There are no guarantees, but the better your starting point, the better the chances of reaching the end goal."

April 09 2009

These are the first thoughts for an article being developed on Choosing Your Spanish Horse

The PROFILE sought:
This is an algorithm that is weighted individually for every buyer. The base factors that make up the algorithm can be broadly summarised as

• end purpose
• bloodlines
• temperament
• colour
• price

Depending on the weight assigned to each factor, the possible horses emerge.

Sure, first prize is 100% in all factors.
The reality is we are dealing with living creatures.

And reality tells us that this differs from choosing a consumer designed product - e.g. a MacDonald’s order where the customer-satisfaction ’made to order’ options are endless: with onions or without, fat-free mayonnaise, burger well done, brown bread etc.

A buyer who can look realistically at the facts, is less likely to be overwhelmed by the peddlers of fluff, the overblown advertisements and ambiguous claims.

Wondering about ’something someone said’ or a claim from a would-be seller?
frequent questions about andalusian horses
and some tips if you are thinking to
buy a spanish horse in spain

March 29 2009 - Spanish Rumours

Recently a rumour was racing around the chat forums. It dealt with the supposed acceptance in Australia of a Part Bred Andalusian into the Spanish Stud Book.

As is the way of rumors it was presented as startling revelation, as categoric fact, and as an opportunity for nay-sayers to berate ANCCE and their Australian representatives.

Fortunately, one level-headed PRE breeder in Oz - who also happens to be a member of our IberianHorse-Worldwide Group - did the sensible thing and went straight to source.

The answer received from the Pura Raza Española Association of Australasia (PREAA) was clear and reassuring.

Message from Catherine Nicholls, President PREAA

This is incorrect. The horse in question is a Hispano Arabe who was brought to Australia by his UK owner who emigrated here last year. The Hispano Arabe register also has similar gradings to the PRE ones. He is "inscribed" into their registry, and she contacted us about having him revised at the next valoration.

As he is not PRE I contacted ANCCE and they told me the information about how the Hispano Arabe registry does a similar thing, but it is not done by them, and they could not view the horse. I got her the details of who to contact regarding having him "valorated" under the Hispano Arabe ruling, and she was going to do that. In Australia he is a 1st cross by AHAA rules, and he is NOT a PRE, so is not graded as such

If you could pass this information on to the relevant chat sites so this rumour can be dispelled, I would appreciate it. You can quote me verbatim.

Regards
Catherine Nicholls
President Pura Raza Española Association of Australasia (PREAA)

Thank you Catherine for the well-handled reponse, and thank you L for taking the correct action.

If you hear the rumour, please tell folks they are mistaken, and give them this link.

March 10 2009 - Spanish Walk

Spanish walk is popular among feria goers. Visit the latest video, a charming little alta escuela and espectaculo horse. Lovingly raised and nicely ridden - and that hair . . .. spanish walk and a long mane

. . . and spanish horse prices

There are a lot of spanish horses in Spain. Not all horse prices are the same. When I have

• selected and kept a mare
• studied bloodlines and progeny
• selected a stallion
• paid up to 2.000 euros for a cover
• raised a youngster with care and attention
• had him in training with members of the National Team

. . . this horse will probably cost more than the incidental foal out of a mare that Pepe keeps in the back garden and rides to the feria.

more on spanish horse prices

Feb 14 2009 A Horse Rescue Story

We are opening up to contributions, and this story from Tracy is a gem.

When I first moved to Spain over 10 years ago a friend took me to a ’yard’ to go for a ride and see a little of the countryside.

We rented horses and I was given Maria La Tonta to ride. A very nervous, typically skanky, know-all mare somewhat on the light side of healthy!

We had a great ride. She ditched me on a rocky river bed as she high-tailed it away from an iberian giant donkey stallion that appeared in the middle of nowhere!

I had to walk back to the yard and in so doing I came in the back way. There I saw a row of 4 concrete stalls with all the doors shut. No windows, no light, no air. It was July!

They were clearly occupied, and I couldn’t resist a peek.

The first two stalls contained well kept, if long in the hoof, stallions. Their bedding was clearly a couple of days old, but it was 5 star compared to what I saw next. The third stall was where the chickens slept.

Upon opening the top door of the final stall a fire breathing dragon snapped his head out with all teeth bared. Eyes blazed out from a magnificent head and the longest, tangliest mane I ever saw.

To read the complete Andalusian Horse Rescue Story . . .

Feb 10 2009

Thoughts on Spanish Horses in Dressage

A recent enquiry for a straight-moving, tall, modern sport horse style filly or mare to breed and produce for dressage set me thinking.

There is an increasing vision to produce PREs such as this for dressage. We have seen this in our enquiries from overseas, and in developments in the breeding trends of the spanish horses here in Spain over the past few years.

There are those who would have it that this type is not the ’real PRE’.

When we look at the old lines, we can find that definite distinction between the baroque display horse, and the more ’rangy’ horse, who is better suited to modern dressage.

Notable here are the historic, and highly regarded Pallares lines, as well as those of the emblematic Albero II.

Both types are still indubitably PRE.

This will be developed into an article on the Spanish Horse in Dressage

2010 blog on Horses in Spain