PRE • ANDALUSIAN • LUSITANO • A Brief Explanation

This article is from the December 2019 Horse Deals magazine.

PRE (Pura Raza Española)

A Purebred Spanish horse whose sire and dam are included in the Spanish Stud Book (ANCCE).

LG-PRE-ANCCE Stud Boo k is authorised internationally to issue official documentation for PRE Horses. This is the sole guarantee for breed purity and it applies the internationally accepted controls for the breed: DNA confirmation of the paternity; completed graphic description and microchip at weaning; breeding stock assessment as a 3-year-old; assignment of a registration code in the Stud Book, etc. The passport issued by ANCCE is the only documentation which guarantees that the horse is a PRE and that it fulfils all the requirements for the identification of equines as established by the European Union.
PREAA (Pura Raza Española Association of Australasia) PREAA is the only association affiliated with LG PRE ANCCE in Spain for all services in relation to the PRE horse in Australia.

ANDALUSIAN

The PRE and the Andalusian are the same breed, however the PRE is one whose lineage is proven and has registration papers in the Spanish Stud Book (ANCCE).

The word ‘Andalusian’ has always been used in Spain to refer to the classic Iberian type horse from the south of Spain (Andalucia). It is an ancient regional term that was in popular use in the early 1960s to describe a broad group of horses that included the horses bred along the Spanish/Portuguese border.

The AHAA (Andalusian Horse Association of Australasia) deals with Andalusian, Australian Andalusian (e.g. third-cross horses) and other part breds in Australia. Some of the ‘Pure Bred Andalusian’ horses (registered with the AHAA) may also be registered in the Spanish Stud Book.

LUSITANO

Lusitanos are the Portuguese pure bred horses, but originate from the same gene pool as the Andalusian or PRE. The Portuguese started their own stud book (APSL) to breed the characteristics they sought. This breed’s original purpose was as a warhorse and later for bullfighting. It is noble, brave, powerful and quick, with compact conformation, which inspired the description, “a horse for a King in days of victory”.  Lusitanos range from the larger, heavier-set, Spanish-looking ones, to the more traditional, finer, agile, almost ethereal and “hotter” Veiga-type. 

A Lusitano is similar to an Andalusian or PRE, its distinguishing features are a narrower and sub-convex head and a more slanting croup.  They are considered to be more serious and bolder than the Andalusian or PRE with a great aptitude for concentration.

In 1966 the Studbooks of Spain and Portugal formalised their language and breed definitions to make it clear that horses born in Portugal were called Lusitano, and horses born in Spain were called PRE. This strengthened the barriers between the stud books and allowed the Lusitano to develop into a separate and distinct breed type.

In 1967 management of the Lusitano studbook went to the Portuguese Association of Purebred Lusitano Horse Breeders (APSL) which still manages that studbook, while the Spanish Ministry of Defence continues to manage the PRE Studbook. In 2007 the government of Spain turned over the management of the PRE Studbook to the National PRE Breeders’ Association of Spain (ANCCE).

Written by Suzy Jarratt.

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