Features of the Andalusian horse

Andalusian horse was brought to the Russian Federation from the distant sultry Andalusia, which is located in southern Spain. Andalusian horse breed is the pride of the local population.

Characteristic of the Andalusian breed

The horses are beautiful in appearance and in good location. In the paintings of Renaissance painters you can see images of these royal horses, which testifies to antiquity and kind.

Physiological characteristics

The Andalusian horse is characterized by a high step and a smooth course.Most of the representatives of the gray color, however, there are black and dark-bay individuals.A breed of Andalusian horses combines the best qualities of European heavyweights and light horses of the south.

In motion, the Andalusian horse is plastic and graceful. The manner of movement resembles an unusual dance, thanks to the peculiarities of the structure of the legs. Refined forelimbs have pronounced muscles and are raised to the chest. The hind limbs, together with a slightly raised croup, make the breed representatives compact.

The history of the breed goes back to ancient times. The first selection was carried out by the Moors.Subsequently, cross-breeding of Andalusians with Hispanic-Arabian horses took place to improve physiological and exterior data. Today, Spanish stallions have firmly taken their place among the factory riding horse categories used in horse riding, horse racing and racetracks.

Exterior

Appearance:

• Andalusian horse has dry features, its head is medium-sized with a wide frontal part and ears are high;
• eyes are expressive, almond-shaped, large size;
• the nose is marked with a small hump ;
• the cervical region is powerful, muscular, with a graceful curve;
• the tail is set low.

Appearance of the Andalusian breed

The body of the Andalusian horses is rounded. The withers are wide, clearly defined. The main feature of all representatives is a wide chest. The back is flat, with pronounced muscles. The croup is a little bullied, but not long. The tail and mane look simply amazing.

The joints are clearly drawn on the dry limbs. The growth of the breed is 154 cm. The body weight of handsome men reaches 400 kg. There are no restrictions on the suit of the Andalusian horse.

The Baroque era is associated with luxury. It is very difficult to imagine that time, without Spanish horses with their magnificent appearance.For every aristocrat at that time it was a matter of honor to bring such a stallion to the stable. Widespread use in Europe has made the Spanish driving style dominant. It is based on the close work of the horse and rider, it involves the execution of a huge number of complex ligaments.

Moral

Andalusian horse belongs to the universal breeds. Her temperament is truly Spanish: persistent and energetic. Despite this, the animals are affectionate and easily get used to the owner. Thanks to their quick learning, they are used in all kinds of parades.

Spanish horses are naturally bold and have a good ingenuity. They are very popular among equestrian enthusiasts.

Character features

Among the characteristics of the Andalusian horse breed, a high degree of learning is noted. Animals grab information on the fly. Even with hot Spanish blood, horses quickly adapt and dutifully work, performing all the necessary elements and ligaments. Representatives of the species can often be seen in all kinds of circus programs.

Use

In colorful countries such as Spain and Portugal, Andalusian horses often act as participants in horse-drawn bullfighting. In such competitions, their unusual ability to do weight transfer to the hind limbs is in demand. Dressage begins at the age of three.Horses are trained for a battle with a bull for 6 years.

On a bullfight, a horse is controlled only by means of a shankel and a spur, without using reins. Andalusian horses who have mastered certain types of movement are allowed to participate in the fight:

• synchronized forward and sideward movement;
• gait with a high rise of the forelimbs;
• dancing step;
• capriole and kurbet;
• baplotada.

Compact males are selected for participation in the battle. During the fight, the stallion is completely unprotected. The outcome of the battle depends on the natural qualities of the horse.

Andalusian horses are used in the service of the Spanish cavalry squadron. Representatives of this breed are involved in their own type of competition – shepherd’s dressage. This kind of sport involves controlling the movement of the horse with one hand. The rider’s second hand is busy with a long lance. Most of the elements involve moving when a peak is stuck in the ground and the horse runs around.

Sometimes the Andalusian horse is used as a participant in a harness. Once a year, a fair is held in the homeland of the species with a grand procession of retro carriages that are harnessed by an even number of horses. The manes of horses are laid and fancily decorated.

Features of the content

Andalusian is a heat-loving animal, due to which the maintenance in many regions of our country is complicated.In frosty weather, horses need warm shelter and enhanced balanced nutrition, because the body spends a lot of calories to heat. Already in a very slight frost of -5 ° C, animals should increase the amount of feed by at least 15%.

Like any other horse breed, Andalusians need optimal physical activity and a sufficient walk in the fresh air for full development, even in cold season. At the same time, they may need blankets and bedspreads to prevent horses from catching a cold.

A light suit makes horses susceptible to diseases of the dermis. If the animals are improperly horseshoe, there may be cracks in the hooves. The development of Andalusians ends only by the age of 3-4, so before they were not recommended to give great physical exertion. Loads increase gradually. The development of a new trick should take no more than 20 minutes a day.

Andalusian horses are particularly jumping, so the stalls in the stalls should be made quite high. In the wild, animals eat food with a low sugar content, so when breeding at home, representatives of the species often have intolerance to sucrose, for example, if beets are introduced into the diet. Barley and high protein feed are not recommended. The reaction will manifest itself in the form of a skin rash, disorders of the digestive tract, and inflammation of the hoofed part.

Breeding

Andalusian horses are universal riding horses that are easy to train and able to perform many of the most complex elements. The price of pedigree horses is extremely high, therefore it is not practical to breed them as domestic animals to obtain meat and dairy products. Representatives of the species are extremely rarely used to participate in races. For these purposes it is better to use English riding breeds.

Due to their extraordinary insight and high speed of training, animals are often involved in competitions in show jumping, dressage and driving. Horses have proven themselves in hippotherapy. Due to their complaisant disposition, horses are often used in teaching children to ride a horse.

Andalusian horses are good riding horses

Unfortunately, it will not be possible to build a profitable business in breeding this breed on the territory of our country. In the first few years, keeping a horse will not bring the desired income, because they begin to train to participate in competitions only in 3-4 years. The second problem is the poor development of the horse market – to sell a horse, you need to go to a higher level.

Significance of the species

The breed of Andalusian horses became the progenitor of many Baroque varieties.Among the descendants of the Andalusians, representatives such as:

• Federixborg horses;
• Kladrub breed;
• Neapolitan;
• Lippitsian horses, are noted.

In addition, the Andalusian horse was used to improve the quality of the Hanoverian, Frisian, Holstein and Trakenen horses. In addition to participating in the selection, the Andalusians played a large role in the development of a large number of territories. Even today, animals remain in demand.

To summarize

Andalusian horses adopted the main features of the exterior from their eastern ancestors. The breed gained great popularity during the Baroque. Only the Frisians can compare in ease with the Andalusians. The distinctive couple of the breed is an unusual move.

For representatives of the species, a characteristic feature is their energetic, hot and at the same time flexible disposition. Horses can be trained very quickly and are used in all kinds of equestrian sports, which involve the implementation of bundles of the most complex elements.

Breeding of the breed in our territories is difficult due to the origin of the species. Animals are used to living in warm regions, so the room for their maintenance should be well insulated. When walking in frosty weather, horses must be covered with waterproof blankets. Representatives of the species are often prone to skin diseases, and also suffer from hoof problems.

An important aspect in keeping animals is a balanced diet. Due to the fact that the food of Andalusians on wild pastures is low in sugar, owners often have problems with feeding at home. In horses, sugar intolerance often manifests itself, which looks like skin irritation, hoof inflammation. More beautiful horses than the Spaniards are hard to find. They are distinguished by chic manes and magnificent posture. The body is lean, with a raised compact croup on strong graceful limbs.