Frequently, in discussions about our horse, and perhaps from a feeling of regionalism, some assert their claim on the name Andaluz, justifying their argument by the fact that in some countries it is known as the Andalusian horse.

From medieval texts and from those written later, up to the present day, we can appreciate that many authors include those horses reared "on the other side of the River Tagus" as one single race. They did not take into consideration the different races which were bred, such as "Hacas", "Hacaneas" (1), "Frisones" (2), "Cuartagos", "Trotones" (3), etc. Possibly, not knowing this, has led present-day authors to define inappropriate characteristics in our race and even certify their cross-breeding.

This assumption can be explained if we take into account that in the past and before the word "race" had today´s meaning, horses were named according to the place of origin. Any example which came from Andalucia was called Andalusian horse, irrespective from which race. For horse-lovers who lived outside this area, the "Haca" which came from England but was reared in the region, was considered as "Andalusian" as the native horses. When they referred to a horse from another country it was called by the name of the country. In this way, if a horse from Friesland, it was called "Frisón", from Naples, "Napolitano", etc. Even today, it is common to say "I have bought a Geman horse", without specifying the race. If one wishes to distinguish between the different regions of a country, you would use the same principle, so, those which came from Extremadura were called "Extremeños", from Galicia, "Gallegos" or from Asturias, "Asturcones". And they are differentiated by sub-races within the geographical regions of origin: so the Carthusian horse came from the Carthusian Order, the "Marismeños" from the marshes, "Valenzuelas" from Valenzuela. Within these sub-races there are lines like the famous Rucio, Esclavo and Soldado, etc.

Once the basis was established of sustaining the project of breeding this long-awaited race, the first fruits appeared. The first Rule of the Spanish Race of 1572 was established - that in spring, the foals were to be branded with an iron. Until that date, an R with a royal crown above it was used for the royal breeding mares, and which was still used until a few years ago. But, as we said, they were dealing with an achievement of such importance, that the King ordered these foals to be identified with a special iron, which was to be a mark of their quality. And so the new iron consisted of an R within a C in acknowledgement of the city where they were reared, keeping the crown (9). For this reason, we can say that this was the first branding iron of the first Spanish horse.

The Spanish horse was to conquer the world because of its qualities. It was the symbol of an empire and a culture which was able to achieve what everyone was long awaiting, the perfect horse.

In order to preserve its pure blood, a book entitled Register of Spanish Horses and Hacas was established, in which, like today, the geneaology of all animals of recognised origin was registered. It would be absurd to take away the importance that Andalucia had in the creation of the Spanish horse, but it would be equally so, to negate the evidence that the name by which it has always been distinguished since its creation has been Spanish.

It is said that people are condemned to repeat their history if it is forgotten, and that is what happened with our horse. The steps that have been taken recently to define the race and also to open a register, were already taken four hundred years ago.

Although it sometimes happens, we should not forget what was looked for to make our horse the most desireable: its beauty, its nobility and its movement which distinguished it from other races and made the King seem dignified.

If it is common to find Pura Raza Española (Purebred Spanish Horses) in Europe, America and Australia, where there are consolidated breeder associations, today we are going to offer you a sample of Andalusians from over the Urals, from the ex-Soviet republics.

There, they have recuperated one of the primitive tasks: use as an element for transportation and communication. It has also been used for a collection of postage stamps based upon images created by Robert Vavra.