Pure Spanish Andalusian & Iberian Crossbreds of Colour
 

Doug is a lovely Classical type of Andalusian. He responds well to the natural horsemanship form of handling and would make a magnificent demonstration//exhibition horse. Priced way below his value, as he had a  bought of whooping cough//pneumonia in Spring of 2011 and we believe he may have some residual lung damage ... It won't be known just how significant, until he is started under saddle and subjected to ongoing work. For the simple reason that we don't want a rider putting alot of time & effort into developing a wonderful horse that can't reach it's longterm potential, we are selling this fellow primarily as a breeding stallion.

If you are interested, he needs a patient and experience handler who understands the ordeal he has been through and is willing to help him regain his confidence through kindness. He is a sweet natured horse and wants to be your friend. It is unfortunate that he became so ill we had to administer  two courses of injectables, back to back, simply to lift his immunity so he could fight the virus. Needless to say this treatment took a toll mentally, physically and emotionally. Even so, you will find he is a lovely mild-manner stallion who is finding his way back to enjoying human company. At the moment he is still a little shy about being caught, especially with unfamiliar people around. But really who can blame him for being  wary?

What is important, is that he's a very intelligent and extremely sensible horse, so it won't take long for an able bodied person to overcome any reservedness, by visiting & playing with him on a daily basis. We are only selling him as part of our dispersal sale (due to our own chronic health problems).

He is a lovely horse that we would most definitely keep, if our stud was to continue breeding Spanish Andalusian's. He is a horse with excellent leg conformation and movement which is straight & true. This alone makes him stand apart from the majority of Andalusian's. In fact, it has become so common for poor leg conformation to be accepted, that I was recently told by one of the newer Andalusian breeders that "you don't get Andalusian's with straight action"(?) ... This was someone who had  recently imported horses to this country and was marketing them as superior. What a shame their knowledge of the breed had been so bastardised, by the propaganda published  by poor breeders. If you doubt me, take a look at the clean, straight action, on the  horses  used in Spain's & Portugal's Bullrings, where the functionality, soundness & reliability is tested at every appearance.

Obviously the breed's soundness and longevity, will start to suffer, if those arguing to promote the poor conformation of their horses as "The Standard" are allowed  to do so without opposition. So Doug is a perfect example of a fantastic individual that would not have been accepted to the Spanish Studbook 20 years ago; For no other reason than his colour. And that raises the even bigger question of how Spain now has Dilute P.R.E.'s flourishing within it's ranks, after 80+ years of exclusion, not just through one person's assessment but two team assessments i.e. Inscription & Revision?

Surely this makes it clear that a studbook is simply a record of parentage and does not issue golden tickets. Therefore relying on a pile of papers does not promise a world beating horse; It is only looking at the horse itself as an individual and how well  it functions. If your aim is to breed sound horses with clean, elegant movement to ensure the future welbeing of the P.R.E. in this country then this stallion is worth that look.