Nowadays horse riding is recognized as a sport, but we must not forget that horses have been in our civilization since the ancestors. One of the most surprising species is the purebred Arabian horse.
What is not in doubt is the role that this horse has played in civilizations related to the desert and there are also references to these horses in the time of the pharaohs. This horse was used by all the nomadic tribes of the Near and Middle East.
The entry of the Arabian horse into Spain
Spain is, logically, the first country in Europe where the Arabian horse enters due to the Muslim invasion (8th to 15th centuries).
The official status of Arabic in Spain
The first stud farm was created in Jerez de la Frontera in 1847. The first registered Arabian horses seem to have belonged to Queen Isabel II. In 1893, the Yeguada Militar took charge of breeding the purebred Arabian, reinforcing it with continuous imports of stallions and combining good selection criteria.
The Duke of Veragua
In 1920, D. José María Ybarra and the Duke of Veragua began the private initiative of breeding Arabian horses. The descendant of Christopher Columbus greatly boosted his livestock with imports of valuable stallions from England such as Razada and SIirio III and numerous mares, eventually having a very important selection of the best horses of this breed.
From the Civil War to our times
The Spanish Civil War of 1936 decimated the livestock of Veragua: horses were killed, documents were lost, horses were requisitioned for the front... After the Civil War, the Yeguada Militar was the pioneer in the breeding of these horses; without forgetting the enthusiasm and hobby of some private ranchers.
Features
The Arabian horse ranges between 1'48 and 1'52 m. height and its coat is usually grey, chestnut or chestnut. It is not, as can be seen from the indicated measurements, a large horse but it is an agile horse, with easy movements, great lightness and the greatest resistance.
Without a doubt, given that the most significant characteristic of the Arab is resistance, the raid is the discipline in which he triumphs. inevitably. The winning raid horses, which are not pure Arabian breeds, have a very high percentage. This horse is also very appreciated by riders who like outside riding. There are also races reserved for Arabian horses and of course the morphological championships arouse passions in many countries.
The influence of Arabic
From the point of view of horse breeding it is well known that the Arabian is the undoubted breed improver; both heavy and warm-blooded horses. We must also remember that the English thoroughbred al Just like the Anglo-Arabian, they come from the Arabian horse.
