FULLY ORGANISED TRAINING AND EDUCATIONAL "HOLIDAYS" AT THE COVECA INTERNATIONAL SALES CENTRE NEAR MADRID. SEE CLINICS AND EDUCATION.
URGENT NOTE: FIONA FOY CLINIC DAY HAS ALTERED: NEXT CLINIC 17TH JANUARY 09
21.11.08
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FOR OUR LOVELY CLIENTS WHO KNOW JON... PLEASE SEE NEWS AND EVENTS!!
At North Farm Andalusians Sheila Sheppard imports Pure Bred Spanish Horses (Pura Raza Espanola, or PRE, often known simply as 'Andalusians') direct from some of the finest studs in Spain. Our horses are chosen specifically for the British Market with great care and expertise. They undergo stringent vettings in Spain and are transported home to our idyllic yard in Wiltshire. Once the horses have been settled and acclimatised, they are offered for sale.
FANDANGO XCI (see for sale page)
Sheila and her staff between them have over 15 years of experience importing, handling, training and presenting Spanish purebreds for the British Market (we’ve exported horses to France and Spain too!), and North Farm Andalusians are today northern Europe’s leading importer of PRE horses.
We have the largest selection of fine PRE horses for sale in Great Britain , all settled and available from our yard in Wiltshire. Our horses range from highly schooled stallions to family geldings, youngstock and riding/brood mares.
Clients are invited to come to Wiltshire to try a horse which has already been adapted to life in the UK. We offer an introductory education into the management of the Andalusian horse in order that new owners can develop the best possible partnership with their new purchase. Our links with leading dressage trainers and extreme care in matching clients with their horses ensures that buyers and potential buyers get the very best from guidance.
INTRODUCTION TO SPANISH HORSE DAYS
We can also offer a very special day to clients (either individually, or in small groups) who would like to be introduced to this wonderful breed. We indulge your every enquiry; offer a very pleasant light lunch, the possibility to ride, and a complete introduction to the Pure Bred Spanish Horse. Clients are also given the chance to have some “hands on experience” if they wish. We have many glowing testimonials from very happy clients who have spent the day with us and left our yard feeling they had not only had a wonderful day, but really learned a great deal about this breed. Please ask for full details.
TAILOR MADE PURCHASING VISITS TO SPAIN
For those clients seeking a more advanced dressage horse ( GP , PSG levels included ) , or for those who do not find their ideal horse at “North Farm Andalusians – UK ” we can offer a fully organized purchasing excursion to Spain. Those interested in purchasing high quality breeding stock ( stallions, brood mares and youngsters ) might also be interested in this option . All your arrangements will be dealt with and you will be collected at the airport and accompanied to some of the most esteemed studs and equestrian centres by excellent and highly knowledgeable bi-lingual experts. We have many years of experience organizing these visits, which have proved to be very successful for many clients. Prior to your visit you will be sent videos via the internet of horses selected with great care and expertise, which most closely match your criteria. You will then be taken to visit horses which specifically meet your requirements and/or those that have appealed to you on the videos .
A LITTLE ABOUT THE PRE
The PRE is a true “breed” in that any individual PRE is registered as such in the Spanish State Studbook. To achieve registration a horse has both to have a PRE bloodline and to pass an individual inspection. In other words, not all horses of PRE bloodlines will themselves be PREs—just those with the requisite colouring (grey, white, bay, black and chestnut) and other physical characteristics make the grade.
The modern PRE has a long lineage. Their antecedents were used as cavalry mounts by Greeks and Romans, and were brought to Britain after the arrival of the Normans. Their star appears to have waned from the late Middle Ages as the spread of firearms rendered their strength and endurance in warfare less essential. Interest in the line revived in the early 19th century on the basis of the line’s physical aesthetic, and from the early 20th century to the present the breed’s appeal has steadily grown and spread.
PREs are compact and very strong, with well-developed fore quarters and neck. Their thick, long manes and tails give them a fairytale look (although mares' manes are often cropped), while their precise movement has brought them to the fore in classical dressage, in which PREs took the team bronze at the 2004 Athens Olympics.
Any rider new to the PRE is most likely to be struck, however, by a PRE’s personality and intelligence. A rider can rapidly develop a bond with a PRE which he will notice to be qualitatively different from that which can normally be built with a warmblood or other hotblood (see our web page a day in the life for some pictures of bonding in progress!). And the achievement of this bond is one of the key reasons it is so important properly to match a horse and rider--when these bonds are formed, an incredibly rewarding partnership naturally flows.
For a history of the PRE, try the Wikipedia article 'Andalusian horse' at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andalusianhorse
Other links that may be of interest:
The British Association for the Purebred Spanish Horse, at
http://www.bapshweb.co.uk/
The International Andalusian & Lusitano Horse Association, at
http://www.ialha.org/
The Foundation for the Pure Spanish Horse, at
http://www.prehorse.org/
The Spanish State Studbook administration (FESCCR), at
http://www.librogenealogico.com/
