Domestic Breeds & Types Codexery

Andalusian horse

Spanish breed prized for war, dressage, and diplomacy since the 15th century.

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The Andalusian horse is a breed from the Spanish region of Andalusia, descended from Iberian horses of Spain and Portugal.[1] The breed is known for being elegant, strongly built, and docile yet intelligent.[2][3]

Biology and range

Andalusians have a straight or slightly convex profile, with ultra convex and concave profiles penalized in breed shows.[2] They possess a short back, broad hindquarters, clean legs, and energetic gaits.[3] A 2001 study found Andalusians overtrack less but exhibit greater flexing of fore and hind joints at the trot.[4] In 2010, a total of 185,926 pura raza española horses were recorded in the Spanish database.[5]

The breed is characterized by a thick, long mane and tail, while the legs are clean and lack excessive feathering.[3] The researchers who conducted the 2001 kinematic study proposed that the breed's trotting characteristics may help explain their effectiveness as riding and dressage horses.[4] Research published in 2008 indicated that Andalusians have a notably higher rate of ischaemic diseases affecting the small intestine compared to other breeds.[6] The same 2008 investigation revealed that Andalusians have a reduced frequency of large intestinal obstruction.[6]

What the specialist sources record

The International Museum of the Horse notes that the Iberian horse was identified as a talented warhorse as early as 450 BCE.[7][8] The same source states that mitochondrial DNA studies show Andalusian and Barb horses crossed the Strait of Gibraltar and influenced each other's bloodlines.[7][8] The United States Equestrian Federation reports that around 8,500 Andalusians are in the United States.[9][10] The United States PRE Association states that the Iberian horse is enjoying a remarkable rise in international prestige.[11]

The Association also reports that the U.S. market has become one of the most important stages for its expansion.[11]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Andalusian horse" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Bennett, Conquerors, p. 159; d'Andrade, "Sorraia", Boletim Pecuário, 1945, p. 1–13; Royo, L.J., "The Origins of Iberian Horses Assessed via Mitochondrial DNA", Journal of Heredity, 2005, p. 663–669; Jansen, Thomas, "Mitochondrial DNA and the origins of the domestic horse", Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, August 6, 2002, p. 10905–10910; Cai, "Ancient DNA provides new insights into the origin of the Chinese domestic horse", Journal of Archaeological Science, 2009, p. 835–842; McGahern, "Evidence for biogeographic pattern en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Andalusian horse" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Andalusian", International Museum of the Horse; "Chapter AL: Andalusian/Lusitano Division", United States Equestrian Federation, p. AL7 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Andalusian horse" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Andalusian", International Museum of the Horse; "Andalusian", Breeds of Livestock (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Andalusian horse" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Kinematic characteristics of Andalusian, Arabian and Anglo-Arabian horses: a comparative study", Research in Veterinary Science, 2001, p. 147–153 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Andalusian horse" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Genetic parameters of biokinematic variables at walk in the Spanish Purebred (Andalusian) horse using experimental treadmill records", Livestock Science, 2008, p. 137–145 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Andalusian horse" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Retrospective analysis of exploratory laparotomies in 192 Andalusian horses and 276 horses of other breeds", Veterinary Record, 2008, p. 303–306 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. "Andalusian", International Museum of the Horse. facts only, no text reused. imh.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Andalusian horse" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Andalusian", International Museum of the Horse; Royo, L.J., "The Origins of Iberian Horses Assessed via Mitochondrial DNA", Journal of Heredity, 2005, p. 663–669 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  9. "About Andalusians", United States Equestrian Federation. facts only, no text reused. usef.org
  10. Wikipedia, "Andalusian horse" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "About Andalusians", United States Equestrian Federation (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  11. "About", United States PRE Association. facts only, no text reused. usprea.com

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Andalusian horse (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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