Purebred Spanish horses are some of the most beautiful horses in the world, but their most appreciated characteristics are intangible. This includes having a good nature, being very submissive and having a strong work ethic. This combination alone makes them excellent athletes.
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In his work, The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry stated that “what is essential is invisible to the eye.” The truth behind this statement has become an aphorism. Purebred Spanish (PRE) horses are eye-catching. They are some of the most beautiful horses on the face of earth. However, they have a series of characteristics that make them unbeatable. These virtues are imperceptible at first sight; you comprehend them once you are in direct contact with the horse, when horse and rider blend together to become a single element.
Purebred Spanish horses are friendly and easy to handle; they are horses that make things easy right from the very beginning. Moreover, PREs are proud of their emotional stability, which translates into important advantages in terms of the amount of time and effort invested. The experts say that when you ask a PRE horse for more than it is able to give, it will give you everything.
PRE horses, in addition to being beautiful and obedient, are excellent athletes. In 1996, three PRE horses were members of Spain’s National Team at the Olympics in Atlanta (Georgia, USA), where they were the motivation for the breed in dressage.
The ease with which the breed performs collected and extended gaits places them in the limelight. In addition to this, factor into the equation their good personality, willing submission and huge work capacity.
If that is not enough, it is an extremely appreciative horse—one that puts its heart into all that it does and enjoys doing it; that is an advantage over horses that shy away from work and are in constant conflict with their riders.
PRE horses are outstanding in dressage thanks to their persistence and ability to blend movements with elegance and the natural beauty that characterizes them.
After ample experience in the world of elite dressage, PRE horses have earned well-deserved positions (Atlanta 96, Sydney 2000, WEG Jerez 2002, Athens 2004, Pekin 2008, WEG Kentucky 2010, London 2012 and Río 2016), which has placed the future of the breed at a turning point.
Breeders are much more demanding and selective with their horses for sports; Purebred Spanish horses are ever more functional when riders are more professional. These horses are ridden with more appropriate criteria for their rational development. This leads to a long list of young and adult PREs with enormous talent in the hands of excellent riders who count on a support structure with the suitable training together with breeders, who have laid their stakes on dressage.
Jose Daniel Martin Docks and Malagueño, Teia Hernandez and Romero de Trujillo, Guillermo García-Ayala and Poeta de Susaeta, Isidro Maldonado and Pomelo CEN, Alberto Garcia-Briñon and Joya FS, Francisco Gil and Israel X, Alejandro Sanchez del Barco and Quincallo de Indalo are but a few of these pairs who are performing well at major national and international events; they represent the breed majestically. All of the aforementioned horses have what it takes to reach the top and their riders are performing wonderfully with their steeds. Currently, proof of this latest milestone for the breed lays in the list of Grand Prix horses.
The breed’s achievements in sports are not limited to success in Spain; it transcends national borders, with a growing number of Olympic riders (from the US, Dominican Republic, etc.) who acquire PRE horses for their stables to then compete with them and enjoy the experience.
One example is Olympic rider Yvonee Lesos de Moso from the Dominican Republic who has stated: “A PRE is patient, noble, gives what you ask of it, and what’s more, is so good-looking. It is classy, and willing to work non-stop. Most of them have a good temper; you need not push them to move forward, and with that, half of the work is already done.”
Olympian Sabine Schut-Kery from USA recently acquired a PRE; she is thrilled with its mentality and interior strength. “I always say that if I had to gallop into a fire or go to war, it would be in the saddle of a PRE. They are extremely intelligent and strong but at the same time, gorgeous. Looking into the eye of a PRE is magical,” she specified.
Dressage is a sport that takes nothing for granted, but the reality is that the horizon of a PRE is presumable. The essence of it all arises from the efforts of both national and international breeders, who have invested their work and passion in the legacy of Purebred Spanish horses.
Success lies in balance. This perfect balance is why the PRE is one of the most appreciated breeds in the world. Its beauty and temperance are the result of the care provided and the respect for a clean bloodline without crossbreeding, and a genetic quality that is passed down from one generation to the next.
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