THE EXCELLENCE OF THE
SPANISH HORSE
*
"The animal which has been of the greatest importance to
the Spaniards of all those brought to these Indies [the Amer-
icas] is the Horse; because with its aid they have been able to
make so many and such notable conquests, have discovered so
many regions and have spread in so short a time through so
many and extensive lands."
1 So wrote the Jesuit father Bernabé
Cobo in the seventeenth century. The following translation of
a XVI century authority is presented for the purpose of perhaps
throwing a little light on the origin of the horses which Cobo
credited, and rightly, with playing so important a part in the
conquest of the Americas, and for the evidence which it may
furnish regarding the excellence of the original Spanish stock.
In 1580 Pedro Fernández de Andrada, in praising the stock
whence these horses sprang, emphasized four points, namely:
that the Spanish horsemen held their mounts in high esteem,
that the Spanish horse was of excellent stock, in fact the best
in Europe, that the best horses of Spain came from Andalucía,
and that, although some writers were of the opinion that the
Spanish horse had been improved by the introduction of the
Arabian stock, he and others had reason to believe that the
opposite was true.
The above views are especially interesting in the light of
modern writings concerning the Spanish horse in the Americas.
Present day historians, for the most part, are in accord with
Fernández de Andrada's first three conclusions. But the same
historians would perhaps distress this Spanish caballero
by their
common acceptance of the thesis that the original horses of the
Iberian Peninsula were improved chiefly by over seven centuries
of crossbreeding with the fine Arabian animals brought by the
Moors when they invaded southwest Europe.
On what authority did Fernández de Andrada write? Espasa
states that he was of noble birth, instructed in letters, and was
highly regarded by his contemporaries, that he had a passion
for horsemanship, and that his writings on horses and eques-
trians were drawn largely from first hand experience.
2 Con-
sidering these qualifications, his fourth contention, as shown
above and expressed in the translation from his De
la
natvraleza
del
cavallo
which follows, merits consideration.
Emanuel Philiberto, Duke of Saboya and Prince of Piamonte, said that
in this world there were three things in which Spain excelled: first, in
the fineness of her gold; second, in the strength of her men; and third,
in the beauty and swiftness of her horses. We shall treat of the latter,
as they are our profession. We shall discuss the topic briefly by pointing
out the provinces of Spain which produce the best horses, without con-
fusing the mind with references to all the horses of the world. Absyrtus,
in an account which discusses nearly all the horses of the universe, says
that the Spanish horses are large of body and have a fine and beautiful
stance, they are proud, have beautiful heads, equally well proportioned
bodies, and strength to endure the hardships of travel. He adds that they
are broad and heavy but do not require much spurring because they are
naturally swift, and above all he commends them for their good temper
and loyalty. Bohemius states that Spain was always noted for the beauty
and swiftness of her horses and that the rich saddle trappings indicate the
antiquity of horsemanship in Spain. Even Solinus and Pomponius Mela
write that Spain was always rich in natural products and particularly in
horses. Strabo says the same thing, adding that the Spanish horses are
as good as the horses from Parthia, for they excel all the others of the
world in gentleness, speed, and beauty, a fact which our experience veri-
fies; and although it is true that all Spanish horses are exceptional, still
some are better than others, and some men praise one group of horses
while others praise another. So Martial, after praising his native land,
which today we call Calatayud, for its wealth of beautiful horses, says
that in Asturias, which is commonly Viscaya and borders upon Cantabria,
there were many good horses though they were small. Pliny stressed
the various qualities of the horses of Galicia, another lauded the excellence
of those from the Alcárez Mountains, and still others those from the
kingdom of Granada; while there we authors said the best and most
perfect horses came from the kingdom of Murcia. There is no doubt that
the men who praised these provinces had never been in Andalucía, nor
had they ever seen the Andalucian horses, or they would not have dared
to rob Andalucía of its glory. In the abundance and breeding of superb
horses no province of Spain equals Andalucía. It is so fertile in grass
and pasture lands that the ancients spoke of its luxuriant verdure as the
Elysian fields, for no other land produces such excellent fruit, and just as
nature is more fertile and productive there, so does Andalucía produce
the greatest number of the best horses. Though it is true that Spanish
horses are the best, and the best of them are from Andalucía, even there
some are better than others, such as the horses from Sevilla, Jerez de la
Frontera, and Córdoba. The gentlemen of the latter two cities are
brothers-in-arms, yet they continually quarrel over the respective merits
of their horses. Likewise the horses from Ubeda and Baeza are among the
best, although they are not so trim; those of Jaen, Ecija, and Marchena
are considered good, as well as those from other parts of Andalucía where
gentlemen do not breed them, though there is fodder and grass which,
together with the climate and temperature, naturally produce good horses
from which nearly all the kings and princes of the world fill their stables;
for they value no horse that does not come from Andalucía. Some writers
say the excellence of these breeds comes from having mixed them with
African horses, but there are others who consider it more likely that the
African horses have been improved by the excellence of our horses, which
we can well appreciate, since we have so many of them that it would be
difficult to give an account of the superb horses that live today; and in
order not to go into too great detail I will not mention them here.
3
FOOTNOTES:
work entitled De la natvraleza del cavallo (Seuilla, 1580).
de bibliófilos andaluces, ser. 1, v. 19:2, 350.
Fernández de Andrada, Pedro.
horsemen and to historians working on the Spanish horse are Libro de la
gineta de España (Seuilla, 1599), and Nuevos discursos de la gineta de
España sobre el uso del cabezón (Seuilla, 1616).
How to cite:
John J. Johnson, "Excellence of the Spanish Horse", Volume 47, Number 3, Southwestern Historical Quarterly Online, http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/publications/journals/shq/online/v047/n3/contrib_DIVL4419.html
[Accessed Thu Dec 4 12:42:29 CST 2008]
