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[RC] andalusian crosses - Donna DeyoungAs a breeder of purebred Spanish horses (PREs or Andalusians) and also a beginning endurance rider, I will chip in here. The Spanish horse is not seen that often on the trails only because it is an expensive animal that most people buy as an investment of sorts. Not that many trail riders willing to throw down $12,000 on a foal that has not even been born yet... The best horses are often sold in advance and very young. People are willing to raise them up... they are super easy to train...rarity and current market, as well as expenses involved in importation drive the prices... The Spanish-Arab and TB crosses - sometimes all 3 crosses together - are very popular in Spain and make up the "working" horse crowd. The TB adds height and endurance/slimness, the Arab a compact body. These horses are ridden all day working cattle and I've seen video of them -super athletic, good bone, body. You might lose a little bit of the mind. The Spanish horse in of itself makes a super great trail horse. Their first objective is to take care of the rider. They "think" of the rider before doing anything. They anticipate your wishes. They are not out for themselves. Body-wise, however, they are easy keepers and can be a little plump. The breed standard calls for it - round lines, arched (thick) neck, and such. Thinner/leaner ones can be found but would be a "cull" for a top breeder. The breed in general tends to have excellent bone and feet. The best ones have nice long legs, good muscling, toplines. Super smart, kind, noble, ideal overall riding horse. I'm talking about the Spanish breed here, not the "Americanized" version which is incorrectly bred and loses the "breed fidelity" required of breeding horses in Spain (a whole nother topic of which my website is dedicated to). Anyways, a top notch Spanish-TB-Arab would almost have to be imported from Spain or created at great expense from the better Spanish mares. Or at great expense from a better Arabian mare. You just don't see the top mares being bred to other breeds. More likely its a backyard mare bred at a whim to the local stallion available. Not saying a good cross isn't out there, just more expensive and harder to find than the average/low quality ones. Lusitanos (the Portuguese version) and Andalusians stallions are often cross-bred w/ quarter horses and a few w/ Arabs - can be purchased rather cheaply in the U.S. as the re-sell market is not strong. Any of my Andalusian horses could do endurance but you won't see them out there, they are much too valuable back home creating more babies. good luck and contact me privately if you want more info. Donna DeYoung
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