Hi All
I was wondering what most dressage people think about Andalusians for the sport? I kinda like their looks but the ones I have seen moved a little different. I ask because I am putting pennies away for my “dream” horse and thought I would ask!
Thanks
We imported an 8-year-old stallion for my mom this Spring. We chose an Andalusian because of their extremely reliable, laid-back temperment, and their very comfortable gaits (my mom’s got two bionic hips!). She took him to one show at Training Level, scoring a 74%; I’ve shown him at 3rd level with scores to 71%.
He is certainly a different “type” to ride than most of my warmbloods - he’s very short coupled, with quite a bit of curve to his back, and a big, cresty, high-set-on neck. I really liked the training he had from Europe, though some of the others we sat on were very much man’s horses, big and strong. I’ve found the greatest difficulty to be in the elasticity of the back - he’s got very fancy legs, and quite a bit of ability to engage the hindquarters and bear weight, but he can sometimes get “stuck” on his hind legs and not swing through. I also struggle a bit with the carriage, though I think that’s more the somewhere-between-3rd-and-PSG thing and not a breed trait, and with the ability to get bigger, longer steps instead of quicker, gaity-er steps, similar to any other breeds with a lot of knee action (Fresians, hackneys, arabs, etc).
When my mom is in town I only get to ride him about once every two weeks, so his progress up the levels takes a backseat to his real job - taking care of and teaching her. His greatest asset is that she feels 100% safe on him, all the time, but he is also sensitive to her balance and seat aids without being over-reactive, and is teaching her the fine art of being a quiet rider, a director instead of a manufacturer.
I’ve found the judging of him to be generally quite fair, although one judge penalized him rather severely for not having the poll at the highest point; with his thick, cresty neck, the poll can be the highest vertebrae point without being the highest fleshy point, which I’m not sure this judge realized. That was a very big ah-ha for me; every now and then I feel like I’m riding him a little deep, when in reality he’s in very good carriage. They consistantly encourage me to find bigger, longer steps, and to encourage him to move forward, not fast. He is unusual in that he has quite a nice straight-front-legged extended trot; many of the horses with a lot of knee action struggle with that.
He is certainly distinctive. He’s a bit like riding a Barbie horse, hair everywhere. They tend to be EXTREMLY easy keepers, the epitome of “air fern,” so I’ve had to take care in devising his feed and supplement regimine. He’s doing great on Purina’s Wellsolve WC, and a great supplement from Uckele Nutrition called Glycosemic-EQ, for insulin resistant horses. The shape and breadth of his back makes him a tricky saddle fit, but we ride in a wonderful cob saddle from Advanced Saddle Fit’s Detente line. They are traditionally kept intact, and while I do not take chances with him (he is kept in a paddock away from other horses, always led with a chain over the nose, we don’t let other horses pass him while he is on cross ties), he is not remotely studdy, and is a joy to handle and deal with every day.
Domestically, it’s hard to find ones with training, and because of their novelty, they tend to be quite expensive. I know my mom’s not planning on selling hers anytime soon! 
Sheesh, sorry for the novel!
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I enjoyed your ‘novel’. Please feel free to continue and add pix!!!
Hi
I heard they were pretty tempermental. But look very comfy to ride! My friend lives next to Andalusian farm and I really like the looks but not sure about thta knee action. So I am to hear you have had good things to say about them. Right now I am riding a very nice Arab stallion who is great but I want a more " dressage type" horse( I am not dissing Arabs…I love them!:)…) and I thought the Andalusian would fit that bill and be different so thats why I posed the question.
Thanks
I have three and love them for dressage. I bought them for the sport so looked for ones that reached more with a straighter leg instead of the heavy knee action. All three can extend and collect. The short backs mean you don’t get as much swing and one of mine moves more like a tank while the other two are daintier movers. I took my one mare to a WAZ clinic and he commented on how light footed she was - he said her footfalls were barely audible (it was a compliment).
Just from my experience, I’d say andalusians have a LOT of personality and are definitely people horses. After I ride, they like to hang around and watch what you’re doing. You do have to watch them as they are the type of horses that like to explore and get into things.
The one thing that may make them hard for some is their springiness. They seem to bounce around easily when in spooky moods. I find it easy to stay on and seldom even lose my balance which isn’t just because of my seat but also because my three like to stay balanced themselves which makes it easier to stay on. It’s like they stay under you even through the stupid stuff.
After riding and training these horses, I would never want to be without an andi. Still, they are like any breed, there are good ones and bad ones (ones more suitable to dressage and an ami rider and ones who aren’t).
I bred my mare (appendix QH) to a Lusitano for a dressage horse, and I have to say I love the breed and the resulting filly, who happens to not be much like her mom.
I have noticed that there are some very different types when it comes to Andy’s and Lusitano’s. There are the more dressage type and the ones with the higher knee action and more upright movement, almost like a saddleseat horse. I have also found them to be very willing to work and very friendly. My filly is just like her father and his other babies in that she wants to be around her people. She is almost a pest in the way she wants to be scratched, and she will even tuck her head under my arm to have her head hugged.
After my introduction to the breed, I will never be without one again!
I’ve had 5, and currently ride 3 stallions. I love their intelligent, kind temperaments and rideablility. One of them showed I-1 in Europe, another was reserve YR champion and also showed PSG with scores in the upper 60’s to low 70’s. I don’t show myself, so I don’t know exactly how the 3 I ride now would score, except they all have nice gaits, and like most PREs, have much talent for collection. Because of their shorter backs and (often) shorter strides, it’s harder for them to do extended movement. But ya can’t have everything! Or, maybe you can, but we can’t afford it!
Well is seems everyone agrees that they have great temperments Are they as comfortable to ride as they look? or are they choppy? I hate a choppy going horse mainly because I have kidney issues as well as some back as do alot of people! But it’s my kidneys that really concern me about a choppy horse:eek: I don’t know if I can save enough pennies for a Andalusian or not but I am interested in them.:winkgrin:
I don’t know exactly what you mean about choppy. You would just have to try them out and see how it feels to you. I’m not sure they all feel the same, and some seem shorter or less flowing and fluid, also most don’t move over the back quite the same as others.
There is also a lot of variety in temperament in Andalusians. I just tried some of them and am hardly expert on them, but they are absolutely NOT all ‘laid back’. That is baloney. No, I’m no expert on them, but still, suggesting all of a breed have the same temperament is doing a disservice to a person who is looking for a horse to buy.
I did look at one in Florida who most definitely was exactly like what Lauren got for her mom. Not only was he laid back, he was also green and had very little training, and was STILL laid back. You had to positively boot him to get him moving and he was perfect for someone who is a little cautious or getting back into riding. He was 5, had six weeks of under saddle training or so, and was at a big show at Canturbury. And he was STILL laid back.
Usually, if you ask a breeder or agent about it, they will point out specific blood lines that are very well known for being laid back, and others that are quite hot, and usually, the horse’s temperament is similar to its parents, so you can often follow that. For some types of riding hot is really is desirable and they want that. For someone starting out in dressage especially after a long time not riding or wanting to work without an instructor 5 times a week, that type is not ideal.
What’s meant by hot? Usually, if you ask horse people, they say it means more sensitive to the aids, quicker to get upset and confused, more likely to over-react to the rider’s aids, easier to get short and tight in the back and gaits, more easily frightened by outside distractions and noises, more likely to get upset in a new situation.
As I was told, ‘an andalusian isn’t going to run away with you, but you might wind up cantering on the spot for 10 minutes!’ I don’t believe that’s something that’s always true, but I do think that it can happen.
One trainer I worked with got one in for resale. A very earnest lady who adored the breed from afar for a long time got a 4 year old with a year of training, and after getting dumped a dozen times, decided she had to sell him. The trainer described him as trying very, very hard to do what you want, but very, very hot. Kind, but very spooky and very excitable. He said if yiou made the slightest twitch in the saddle, or if anyone sneezed, and that horse would spook.
Contrast that with the youngster with 6 weeks of training munching away in his stall at Canturbury like he was 22 years old.
There are very, very different temperaments within the breed.
I just tried some of them
How many is ‘some’? How many did you actually ride, slc? ONE?
Tres is EXTREMELY comfortable - a big, squishy brown couch.
http://community.webshots.com/album/568138877CPynoM has photos from just a few days out of quarantine, so please pardon the DREADFUL saddle and my inability to sit remotely well 
You sure can pick them! Really nice.
Dressagediosa…okay, him I want. :yes: Andies and Lusitanos have always been on my “must have” list as fun, talented all around type horses. Love their personalities and I have a thing for stocky, big bodied horses that aren’t tall as heck. Rode a couple Andies in my younger years and a few Andie x QH (not sure if they qualified as Azteca or if there was even an Azteca registry back then). Honestly fun horses and all of them were pretty darned competent in multiple disciplines. They seem to jump quite well, at least the ones I knew did. And of course there’s the “fun to just look at them” factor. 
Hubby and I really considered looking for one a couple months ago more seriously, but the lack of availability and price made us shelf that idea for now. Not only are there not that many around…and even though I’m definitely not a color buyer…I really didn’t feel like spending forever and a whole lot of cash trying to find a non-grey one. And since there are more Andies than Lusitanos around here and it seems Lusitanos are easier to find in colors other than grey, we gave up shopping. I’d adore a bay Andie or Lusi. (out of the 5 I knew personally, 4 were grey and all 4 had issues with melanomas…not the benign types so I shy away from greys)
But I just can’t justify the price to myself at this time for a personal “for fun” horse.
Well it wouldn’t have to be a for fun only horse. many do very well at dressage shows.
When I was younger, I lived in southern Spain and rode Andalusians. To me, they are one of the most beautiful horse breeds in the world. They are much more hot and sensitive than your average, everyday warmblood, and they are also very smart. They are very comfortable to ride, and easy to train. They are probably not the most athletic horses, however. We used to do everything with them - dressage, jumping, trail riding, driving, herding cattle, etc. They were great all-around horses. They have super personalities, I’ve never met a nasty one. Their strides are a little short perhaps, and like someone said, they may not move through their backs quite like a warmblood. But you never know, you could find a really brilliant one out there!
No, of course not all of them are laid back. But the vast majority love to be around their people. In Spain and Portugal, they mainly ride the stallions, and they are kept in stalls a lot more than people are accustomed to here. So they have selectively bred for that nice people-friendly temperament. Some are very hot, and some I would put a child on.
As for the color, many breeders are starting to breed more “color” into their Andy’s. You will now find more bays and blacks, and even the occasional chestnut. Lusitanos are available in a greater color selection because the Portuguese were not nearly as concerned with color as the Spanish. There are some minor differences in the two, but they are almost considered the same breed. They are frequently interbred and still considered “pure”, though unable to be labeled PRE or PSL.
Thanks for all the replies! I must be the odd person… I LOVE they greys!
My experience is they are either very laid back and gentle, or they are very hot. Seems like not a lot in between! The laid back ones are tolerant, and in general, they are a people oriented, smart horse. The hot ones are also people oriented and smart, but they are uber-sensitive, and require a strong, tactful rider. Some are nice movers - check out Rociero or Invasor, both are beautiful, nice moving, talented FEI horses. I recently saw a horse that was bred by a place called (I swear, I didn’t make this up) Jack Ass Ranch - and he was just FABULOUS. Nice enough to be Olympic bound in the next eight years. By the way, there are PREs (Pura Raza Espanol), Andalusians, and Lusitanos - they are all different breeds, but people like to lump them together.
If you are serious about competition dressage - don’t get one.
If you want a fairy book horse to enjoy - get one.
I know they can win some comps, but they don’t do as well as good moving warmbloods.
I don’t think that this boy moves too badly.
He also does quite well in competition.
