History of the P.R.E./Andalusian
The Andalusian - strong, athletic, beautiful, noble in appearance and character, easily trained and ridden - The Pure Spanish Horse -- is the horse we honour today, tomorrow and always.

There are cave drawings dating back to 5,000 BC found in the caves of Altamira and Canforos de Penarubia in northeastern Spain depicting native horses whose body types are remarkably like today's horse. These drawings depict the predecessors of the Andalusian Horse. The Andalusians as they are sometimes called today (because the horse was primarily bred in the province of Andalucia) is truly called the Pura Raza Española in Spain and The Pure Spanish Horse in the United States and Canada.

While the historical use of the Pure Spanish Horse in Spain was first as a farm horse to work with the brave bulls destined for the bullrings, it was also the horse, which carried its lords into battle and equally proudly carried them in their moments of triumph as a parade horse. The Pure Spanish Horse is still used in Spain to fight in the bull ring and still used to work stock on the farms, and of course, is considered one of the national treasures of Spain, an inheritance handed from father to son through generations. The horse is used in dressage competitions, in competitive driving as single horse or four-horse hitch, and in the discipline distinctly Spanish, the doma vaquera - formalized as the show ring version of farm work, most closely related to a reining pattern with combined dressage elements.

In Australia, we don't have bull fights, but the Pure Spanish Horse has been found to be adapt at all the disciplines one would expect: dressage, performances, eventing, western pleasure, parades, trail, and certain of our horses even excel as open jumpers. Their conformation hints at their capabilities: strong boned legs, good slope to the shoulder, deep heart-girth, round powerful haunches. The classically beautiful head of a Pure Spanish Horse in unique and an instant identifier of its breed. One can read the history in their large oval eyes inside a triangular-shaped orbital arch and can imagine strength for extended efforts in the inverted comma-shaped nostrils, which expand downward, to bring in large quantities of air. And of course there are the unique racial characteristics on the shape and dexterity of the upper lip, the sensitivity of the mouth and the point of the chin.

Perhaps the best quality of the Pure Spanish Horse is the willingness to work with his less than perfect human companion - the nobility and grace with which he participates joyfully in anything requested by his rider. From the drawings in the caves where early man was shown leading the prototype Spanish horse to today, the Pure Spanish Horse has been know and respected for its submission to the aids and the assistance he offers his weekend rider. The Pure Spanish Horse is truly a horse that can offer its best qualities to his rider, even after days unexercised. Spanish horses have been esteemed for their quality and appearance since Roman times. The Moors invaded Spain in the Seventh Century and brought Barb horses with them. These oriental horses were crossed with quality native Spanish stock, and the result was the Andalusian. In the Middle Ages, the Andalusian was the favoured mount for European nobles. The Andalusian was a major influence on the Lipizzaner breed in the 1500's. More recently, it was used as a cavalry mount. Its numbers at one time diminished, but today the Andalusian's physical appearance and flashy action make it one of the world's most desirable riding horses.

Physical Description:
The Andalusian horse is very beautiful, displaying colours of white, grey, bay and black. Today about 80% of Andalusians are grey or white, 15% are bay, and 5% are black. The common height for this horse is about 15.2 to 16.3 hands. It has a flat, slightly convex nose, small ears and a strong neck. The tail and mane are very thick and full. It has broad and very strong quarters and a very large chest making it a desirable riding horse for shows around the world. On top of beauty these horses are renown for their extreme intelligence to learn and their great temperament. The mane is thick and abundant.

Origin:
The Andalusian got its name from the province that it originated in, Andalucia, Spain. The Andalusian horse is one of the most ancient of horse breeds. It has lived on the Iberian Peninsula since pre-history and is represented in cave paintings dating back 25,000 years. When the moors invaded Spain in the 17th century they brought Barb horses with them. These were crossed with native Iberian horses and formed the Andalusian breed. The success of the Andalusian is owed to a band of Spanish monks called Carthusian Monks. These people were excellent horse breeders and trainers who continued to breed Andalusians during time of war and epidemic. They keep the blood of the horse pure and in 1832 the only pure Andalusians was a small herd at the Monastery of Cartuja. With the help of these monks the population was able to return. Today Andalusians are still very rare. Andalusians were never exported from Spain until 1962. There are only about 12,500 left in Spain today. There are also a couple thousand throughout the world, which have bloodlines that are very hard to trace. These horses carry a very distinct mystique about them stemming from their history and their ever present strength and beauty.