Horses of this breed are perfect for the traditional riding style Doma Vaquera that is all about agility and smooth movements.
Breed:
Pura Raza Española
Group:
Warm-blooded horses
Height at the withers:
150-165 cm
Appearance:
very elegant head, lush mane, slightly curved neck, slender and muscular physique
Colour of coat:
predominantly white – also dun-coloured, brown and black but no dappled horses
Character:
baroque horse, intelligent, spirited but well-balanced and eager to learn
Gait:
energetic, rhythmic and flexible
Origin:
Spain
Prevalence:
worldwide
Suited for:
show and dressage riding
Did you know? Pura Raza Española horses learned how to pick up objects with their mouth in the Middle Ages. In the early days, riders were wearing armour and unable to dismount every time they dropped something.
In the past, the horse breed was taught to pick up objects from the ground.
Pura Raza Española (PRE) horses originate from Spain. They are among the oldest horse breeds in Europe. These popular horses are closely related to Berber horses. In the past, like many other breeds, this breed was refined by crossbreeding with Arabian and English thoroughbreds. In 1912, the thoroughbred Spanish horses were separated as a breeding line of their own that is still strictly regulated today. Stallions and mares can only be referred to as Pura Raza Española if the fact that they descend from recognised Spanish breeding lines can be proved. Horses without papers are assigned to Andalusian horses. Carthusian horses are considered a particularly elegant PRE line. Their breeding line was started by Carthusian monks in the Middle Ages.
The horses are considered particularly beautiful.
PRE horses are suitable for almost every riding discipline as they have been bred for particular purposes as a tradition that goes back centuries. Their beautiful feathering, their elegantly shaped head and their smooth gait gives these proud Iberian horses a particularly aesthetic look. Their harmonious appearance has always been similar to that of classical Andalusian horses. They are known to show off their muscular body, their curved neck and their triangular-shaped expressive eyes in a particularly graceful way. This makes the elegant horses perfect for advanced and classical dressage. Today, Pura Raza Española horses come in many different colours of coat. In addition to white horses, their most common colours are dun-coloured, brown and black. The breed however does not include dappled horses.
The PRE horses beauty and elegance as well as their nature makes them extremely popular. Typically, the Spanish horses are intelligent and energetic yet obedient. Latin temperament meets a well-balanced nature – a combination their riders especially appreciate. And since they have a great memory, they are perfectly suited for well-founded training.
Horses of this breed are masters of advanced dressage.
Their harmonious physique and their eagerness to learn makes them perfect for the difficult Doma Vaquera, the traditional riding style of the Spanish cattle herders. This style requires both horses and riders to be highly concentrated and skilled. But the versatile Pura Raza Española horses are also perfect for dressage riding. They are masters of advanced dressage and their light-footed movements make them born dancers.
