The Iberians

Those other great contributors to the bloodlines of modern light breeds, the Iberian horses (Spanish horses and Lusitanos), while they have not suffered quite as much as the Arabian from misinformed judgement, have still attracted their share of nonsense. Before we consider some of the nonsense, let us have a look at the breeds themselves.

As we saw on the page devoted to the ancestors of the modern horse, Spanish horses (which for much of recorded history included Portuguese horses) were prized throughout the western world since the time of the Romans right up until the seventeenth and at least part of the eighteenth centuries. At one time almost all the Iberian Peninsula was called Al Andalus by the Moors, who invaded in 711 A.D. – hence the name often given to Spanish horses, Andalusian.^[1]

The native Iberian horse, descended principally from the primitive Sorraia, is thousands of years old. Whether the Iberian horse was at any time influenced by oriental blood, and if so to what extent, is still a matter of controversy. As with the Akhal-Teke (and, in spite of claims regarding its purity, the Arabian), it would seem most likely that at some time or another, there was indeed such an admixture of alien blood, though probably not as widespread or significant as has been suggested, since the type remained remarkably consistent for many centuries.

Many breeds of European light horse owe a great deal to the Iberian. The Lipizzaner was originally founded with Spanish horses imported in 1580, and expanded using horses from the royal stables of Naples, Fredriksborg and Lippe-Buckeburg, together with those of Kladruby, which were themselves of predominantly Spanish blood. So, with the exception of some Arabian blood introduced in the nineteenth century, the Lipizzaner was almost entirely Iberian in origin. The Friesian, Fredriksborg, Kladruber, Connemara, Cleveland Bay and Welsh Cob, among others, are all heavily indebted to Iberian blood, as are the modern Warmbloods. In the Americas, all but a few of the breeds developed there are the descendants of Spanish horses imported by the Conquistadors.

The qualities which made the Iberian horse so much sought after as a riding horse and as a charger were the short-coupled body with its wide, powerful loins and quarters, and the high action with well-flexed knees and hocks, all of which made for  a horse that ‘rounded’ naturally. This, together with the high head carriage, made this a horse ideally built for the extreme collection practised in the manège during the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries. the spectacular high-stepping action, and the horse’s extravagantly romantic appearance, made the Iberian the natural choice for a parade horse.

M. Philippe Karl of the Cadre Noir at Saumur, on Lusitano stallion Odin in piaffe

The changes outlined in the discussion of modern horse origins (see above) meant that the Iberian breeds fell from popularity, until they became scarce outside the Iberian Peninsula itself, where the fiercely exacting mounted  bullfight, or corrida (in Spain, the rejoneo) , which requires unprecedented courage and athletic ability, have always ensured that the Iberian’s qualities remained in demand.

Lusitano stallion Prazer (photo by L.Skipper)

Today, the high-stepping action, the deep, close-coupled body and even the noble, hawked profile of the classic Iberian horse are rather unfashionable. Yet there is nothing at all coarse about this profile; on the contrary, it is surely a most aristocratic look, nowadays perhaps more often found among Lusitanos than among Andalusians.

Some people object that the Iberian breeds lack forward impulsion; yet while their powerful quarters and hindlegs generate a tremendous amount of impulsion, this is directed both forwards and upwards into collected movement rather than simply forwards and ‘out of the front door’. The bullfighting horse needs to be able to turn that impulsion in any direction in order to challenge and then evade the bull.

One often reads statements to the effect that dishing is a characteristic of these breeds, and it is true that a great many Spanish horses (and perhaps fewer Lusitanos^[2]) do dish noticeably. However dishing was an unwanted side-effect of breeding for a certain ‘look’. A modern authority on Spanish horses, Colonel Juan Llamas, is quite scathing on this subject:

New arrivals to the horse world often ask me innocently whether dishing is a good thing or not. I always give the same answer: Run a few yards trying to imitate the horse and tell me yourself. The most common reaction is that it is extremely difficult to make any headway at all without falling over.^[3]

The flashy effect of high, wide action, especially in horses intended for parades, meant that this action was specifically bred for; the fact that it is wasteful of energy mattered little when the horse was only going to be ridden for an hour or so. However it is unsuited to the working stock horse, who may have to be ridden for many hours over rough or slippery terrain. Indeed, some Spanish stockmen refuse to work with horses which have a pronounced dishing action, because of the risk of the horse unbalancing on hard ground. Llamas comments that a a rule high stepping, dishing horses suffer from splints and break down earlier than most others, and for that reason he condemns an exaggeratedly high foreleg action.

The prevalence of dishing in Spanish horses may in part be due to the preference many Spaniards have for horses that are over-broad in the breast; as we saw in Chapter 4, dishing may be a result of the horse’s efforts to compensate for this excessive broadness .

Some English riders maintain that Andalusians and Lusitanos have stiff backs and too high a head carriage; however, as with Arabians, this is more often than not the result of tension. These are sensitive horses, and although they may not have the extreme reactivity of the Arabian or the Akhal-Teke, they are so responsive that a less than tactful rider can cause them to seize up completely. The more subtle rider, on the other hand, will find the backs of Iberian horses in general wonderfully  soft and rounded, and very easy to sit on.

Another charge often levelled at the Iberian breeds is that, while their conformation makes collection easy for them, they find it difficult to extend their paces properly. Now this may be true of some Iberians, but there are many more who, if correctly trained and ridden, are perfectly capable of producing extended paces which, if not as spectacular as those of the big Warmbloods (against whom they are generally measured), are nevertheless more than adequate for covering the ground efficiently.

Many riders are starting to look increasingly to trainers of the Iberian Peninsula, not least because of the surpassing excellence of the Iberian horses as schoolmasters. These horses are so responsive that it is they who train the rider to sit well and to give the aids correctly.

During the last two decades of the twentieth century a number of Spanish and Portuguese horses have come to the fore in international competition, most notably the Lusitano stallion Novilheiro, who with John Whitaker had an extremely successful showjumping career; another Lusitano, Orphée, together with rider Catherine Durant, gained France’s highest dressage score in  the 1994 Olympic Games; and the pure-bred Andalusian, Evento, has worthily represented Spain on the international dressage scene.

Lusitano gelding Imortal Ruço competes in endurance events with his owner, Jill Holding

As more people rediscover the virtues of the Iberian breeds, their numbers are increasing outside Portugal and Spain. As with any breed, greater popularity brings with it the danger of indiscriminate breeding to satisfy the market, so anyone thinking of buying one of these noble horses would be well-advised to do their homework first. At present a top-class representative of the breeds is likely to be beyond the means of the average rider, although youngstock may sometimes be obtained at reasonable prices. However, judicious crosses of Andalusians or Lusitanos with other breeds are proving extremely versatile and more accessible price-wise. These may well prove to be the answer for someone seeking to combine the best of both, or indeed  several, worlds.

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