 | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
 |
A symbol of prestige, a fighting weapon, irreplaceable work utensil and mode of transport, the Spanish horse covered the Route of the Discovery at about the same time as Christopher Columbus marked it out. More valuable than gold itself, our horse was the object of contraband and speculation. |
| This is what Justo del Río wrote in his work extracted from his thesis "Beginnings of agriculture and stock farming in the New World". The first horses to arrive in America were transported by Christopher Columbus on his second voyage. Before he left on the 25th September 1493, the Catholic King wrote to his secretary, Fernando de Zafra to ask him to choose twenty fighting horses along with five "dobladuras" mares from the members of the "Santa Hermandad" which was in Granada. It was customary among the men of arms to ride a non-castrated horse, meanwhile by "dobladura" we understand a second horse in case the first one goes down. Now, these were not the only horses which left Andalucia 1493; among the 1,500 people on board, some took their own animals. Andrés Bernáldez, who had a very close relationship with the admiral, took a total of 24 horses and 10 mares. That is to say, nine of these were brought by some of the most important figures accompanying the Discovery. Inspite of this, the spirited horses shown in the Seville parade were exchanged for "scabby horses" which arrived very weak and ill-treated after the journey. Columbus had no option but to complain to the Monarchs about the exchange that the squires had made. |
|
| The horses were not only neccesary for defending the island, but also for ploughing the fields and transporting materials for new constructions. Because of this, there were more dispatches later. In the memorandum given in Arévalo to Fonseca, twelve mares were included. Shortly afterwards, Columbus, through Antonio Torres, requested 6 extra animals, while Juan de Aguado transported 7 mares from Seville, Carmona and Hinojos. |  |
| Little by little, the first group of American breeding mares was formed. In spite of this, the animals had to suffer several problems, from tropical illnesses to theft from the rebel Roldán and his followers. The reports sent to the court around 1496-97 showed that the essential aim of maintaining the horses was accomplished and that with the twenty horses they had on the island of La Española, they could defend the Spanish colony from any assailant. Despite this, more animals were necessary to work the land and for transport, etc. The same admiral had to transport 14 mares on this third voyage. With the passing of time, it became obvious that the drove of horses could not be sustained by the royal monopoly. TheCrown was soon to allow private initiative. Thus, in the fleet commanded by Ovando in 1501, they carried 59 horses, of which at least 49 were transported by individuals. The Royals only sent ten stallions for the improvement of the drove of royal mares. However, the commercial monopoly still continued. In 1503, they gave a licence to the inhabitants of La Española who wished to take mares for their personal use. |
|
 |
For the first time, the settlers who so desired, had the possibility to use horses to move around the island, to carry out certain work, dreams and luxurious social necessities, etc. The demand grew so much, that in 1504 free trade, with its lucrative possibilites, was permitted. As a result of this measure and the discovery of gold mines between this date and 1507, there was a true flood of Andalucian horses into Santo Domingo. Men like Rodrigo de Bastidas, Miguel Díaz de Aux, Martín de Gamboa, etc., began to invest the capital gained from the mines to buy horses. |
| On the other hand, other Sevillian merchants, like Rodrigo Martín, Luis Fernández, Fernado Díaz de Santa Cruz and also Genoese, like Jacome de Rivero, etc., were encouraged to take part in an activity which was guaranteeing profits of more than 200%. Transport was so important and plentiful, that in 1507 the Catholic King was forced to prohibit the export of any more animals. The last legal consignment left in December of that year with 106 mares, but, contrary to what was was made to be believed, the prohibition was nothing other than a bureaucratic control. In the future, the Crown granted licences and permits for the transportation of mares and horses, although the beneficiaries were the royal officials and those who had links with the Royal household, as was evident in Diego Colón´s fleet. Others, on the otherhand, preferred the risk of smuggling. | |
| request@spanishhorses.com |
 SpanishIndex.com |
 Pagina Home SpanishHorses.com |