spanish or portuguese by sylvia loch page 1

Spanish Or Portuguese? Andalusian Or Lusitano?

What's In A Name?

by Sylvia Loch

People get very confused about the name of the indigenous horse of the Iberian Peninsula, which is hardly surprising since a plethora of names is often used for the same horse even in the same area. To solve this riddle let us look at some of these names, one by one so that first they may be put into their historical perspective and secondly help us be sure of how, why and when they should be applied today.

In my book The Royal Horse of Europe (J. A. Allen & Co. Ltd, London, 1986) these differences of name and characteristic (where appropriate) are fully and clearly explained. For simplicity's sake we have used the name "Iberian" as an all-encompassing general term for the entire region's indigenous hotblood (purebred) riding horse whether he be of Spanish or Portuguese derivation or both.

Thus we find that the Iberian purebred has certain very specific characteristics which make him quite distinct from the other hotbloods of the world such as the English Thoroughbred or the Arab and these are summed up below:

The Iberian horse should be of noble proportions constituting a spectacle of beauty combined with efficacy of performance as a suitable mount for work with bulls and cattle, manage work and as a versatile, comfortable horse. His height should be between 15 and 16.2hh.
His colour may be any true colour, including dun and chestnut, and there is a traditional preponderance for darkly dappled grey.

His head should be of noble aspect, with a slightly rounded forehead; alert, vivid eyes inclined to be almond-shaped; generous well-shaped ears; a straight or sub-convex profile lengthening into a finely tapering muzzle. The cheek is normally deep and well rounded.
The neck is well proportioned, deep and muscular with a pronounced arch on the upper line, set into a powerful, sloping shoulder. The wither is long and high allowing excellent forward and upward movement from the forelimbs.
The back is short, with strong, broad lions; the rib cage is deep and inclined to be flat at the sides thus enabling good elevated movements.
The hindquarters are rounded on top with a sloping croup and low-set tail which is heavy and held tightly when in movement.
The extremities are slender but muscular with excellent dense bone. The cannon bones and hocks are somewhat longer in relation to the forearm than is normal in other breeds, and the stifles have a slightly elbowed appearance. The pasterns are sloping and elastic giving spring to the gaits especially over hard ground. The second thigh is often well developed. The hooves are neat, round and high.
The gaits are powerful, rounded and lively and the horse is noted particularly for his excellent trotting ability which stems from his energetic forward-going hock action. The horse is famed for his acceleration over a given distance and his ability to collect and gather himself into a position of supreme balance. It is this athletic control of his compact frame which has led to his success as a fighting horse and enables him to enjoy the demands of school work.
Lusitano Stallion & rider (from the conte drawing by Sue Wingate)

Strong and hardy of constitution he survives well on relatively modest feeding, and the adult horse should give an overall impression of roundness, particularly in the back and quarters when ridden.
His outstandingly fine temperament makes him easy to school and train; he is sweet and gentle in the stable, and combines gaiety with courage and obedience in all his work.
Stallions and mares tend to build up a very strong relationship of trust and fidelity with their owners.
Moving onto specific names let us now examine the derivation of the name Andalusian. This term was used both for the horses of Spain and Portugal at one time. From a genetic and historical point of view it is probably still the most popular name for the Iberian Saddle Horse generally in today's parlance.

Continues........

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