The Spanish Arabian
The Arabian horse is the oldest and purest breed of horse in the world today. Some may even argue that it is the most well-traveled; today, the Arabian is bred in every habitable continent, and unique identifiable strains exist in such diverse places as England, Poland, Egypt, France, Russia, and Spain. Throughout history, different breeders in different locales had various reasons for choosing the Arabian horse, and because of this each of these strains possesses a specific set of selectively bred qualities. A Spanish Arabian, for example, is essentially the same breed as any other Arabian, yet to a practiced eye the Spanish Arab is a distinctly different type of Arabian, with its own specific collection of natural talents. The Spanish Arab can probably trace its bloodlines back to the eighth century, when the Moors began their occupation of Spain. The Moors imported desert bred horses, which were undoubtedly bred locally and crossed with native stock throughout the 800 year occupation. The Moors were expelled from Spain in 1492, and it is probable that they left some or all of their horses behind. Official records of Arabian horses in Spain don't begin until 1847, when the Spanish Stud Book (SSB) was first established. Though the SSB is a relatively recent chapter in the long history of Arabians in Spain, it is also the oldest modern stud book. Thank Queen Isabel II of Spain for this; it was her deep interest in the lineage of her horses that led to the creation of the SSB. Early entries indicate that the queen imported many desert bred horses, and the oldest pedigrees in the book are written in Arabic. As was often the case during the time, the imported horses were mainly designated for breed improvement programs. For this reason, none of the early names in the book can be found in the pedigrees of today's Spanish Arabian. As the 19th Century waned, the Arabian began to play a greater role in the military. The widespread use of gunpowder in war had contributed to a profound change in the stature and ability of the warhorse. No longer did Europeans want heavy, cumbersome battle mounts; now they needed tough, quick moving horses with endurance qualities. The Arabian was a natural choice. When the Spanish established the Yeguada Militar (a breeding facility dedicated to providing the military with horses), the acquisition and breeding of Arabian horses was a function of the Department of War. That tradition has not changed today, though horses no longer play a role on the battlefield. Perhaps the most important Spanish acquisition of Arabian horses occurred in 1905, when a group of veterinarians and military officers was sent to the Orient with the express purpose of finding quality Arabian horses. The expedition brought nine stallions and 11 mares back to Spain. The stallions were slated for breed improvement programs, but the mares were designated for purebred breeding. Five of these mares can still be found in the pedigrees of today's Spanish Arabian: Bint, Ymm, Zarifa, Yamila, and Zulima. The tradition of importing desert bred Arabians continued until 1927. Expeditions were frequently sent to Egypt, Poland, Russia, and Turkey, and from 1927 to 1930 horses were also imported from England. By 1934, though, the practice of importing new stock had ended. The Spanish Arabian was now being bred within a closed gene pool, and it was rapidly developing into a distinct strain with its own presence. In "The Spanish Significance," S. Gordon Shreffler wrote: "[Spanish Arabians] have superb top lines and powerful hindquarters, and remarkable trainable and cooperative dispositions. They tend to produce size, and many, though not all, of the most prominent imported Spanish stallion are actually 15 hands or a little more. All Arabian horses have one region of origin. The significance of the Spanish Arabians ancestry is the selection process that gave strong importance to good dispositions. Mares that rejected or savaged foals or even were disruptive in the mare band, as well as untrainable, obstreperous stallions, were rigorously culled from the gene stream. After all, these horses would be military mounts or working horses - they had to be reliable under difficult conditions." These qualities can still be found in the modern Spanish Arabian. Today, there are 40 to 50 private breeders in Spain, and Spanish Arabs are rapidly gaining popularity on the American show scene. Proportionally, Spanish Arabs win in American show rings at a higher rate than other strains. American breeders are developing their own American-bred strains of Spanish Arabians, and the willing nature, quality confirmation, and undeniable presence of the Spanish Arab continues to win over a new generation of Arabian enthusiasts.
Past articles by Becki Bell:
The Arabian Influence (July 2002) | Horses on the Arabian Peninsula (May 2002) | Witez II (March 2002) | Arabian horses in America: *Leopard (January, 2004) | Turkish Arabian Horses: The History of Cirit (August, 2004) | The Spanish Arabian (June, 2003) |
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