Revision news! What does it all mean anyway?

We've had a whirlwind year or so here lately. While I've done well to keep up with our FB page, this blog has been quiet too long! Earlier this month, we presented two of our mares for Revision with ANNCE. They both passed so their offspring are now eligible for inscription (registration) in Spain's studbook which is run by ANNCE. Their website with more info here......http://www.lgancce.com. Sounds simple enough but in reality has been anything but simple.

When I decided many years ago to discover my dream horse, it was clear that it was to be a PRE, Pura Raza Epanola. The reasons why aren't important here & if you know much about them are obvious enough! I found a good deal of information on breeder's web pages as well as the sites for IALHA & The Foundation for the Pure Spanish Horse.

So there was the PRE, who at that time was run by the Spanish Government group Cria Caballar; Lusitano or PSL the horse of Portugal; and the cross of the two that while considered a cross in other countries, in this country (USA) can be registered as "Purebred" by IALHA. IALHA's site here.... http://www.ialha.org. IALHA also registeres PRE's & PSL's as "Andalusians" designating 'S" by those of PRE ancestry & 'P" by those of Lusitano ancestry. Offspring of any horse registered by IALHA as 'S', 'P', or the cross of the two are eligable to be registered as well down the line of generations irregardless of those horses having duel registration as PRE or PSL. There are many fine horses in our country who had a PRE, PSL or SP (Spanish Portuguese) ancestor that have Purebred IALHA papers but are not eligible for papers from the "mother countries". It's my personal opinion that the quality of a horse should not be judged by their papers but by their quality. That said, as a breeder it's important to be clear about your goals, the organizations you will support & make decisions so your horses are the best representatives of their given breed.

Back to my decision to find my  own dream PRE.The PRE foal must be the offspring of two PRE parents who have been revised or presented for breeding approval & passed that inspection. That foal must have the appropriate paperwork for the initial registration (inscription) to be completed which includes a breeding & birth certificate that is provided by the stallion owner. If the dam of the foal is not yours, the mare owner will also have to complete a portion of the breeding and birth certificate. A bill of sale is also required. If you have those documents, you can go forward with getting your foal inscribed. This includes paperwork that must be completed by a Vet who has been approved, blood DNA testing & placing a microchip. After that is done & submitted, one might hope to get your Carta or document proving registration of your PRE foal. If you are interested in breeding that individual, they must be presented for breeding approval after age three. More paperwork & fees are involved of course. Then you must either host or attend a host site for your horse to be presented to a Vet from Spain who will take measurements & watch movement. If the horse passes, they will place a sticker on your horse's carta showing the horse is now revised or approved for breeding.

When I purchased my own 1st PRE, it was a time of upheaval as far as getting just about any document from Spain. If you look back historically although, it seems like change & upheaval has been the one constant in our country with this issue. But at that time, revisions were not being held, many people who had presented & paid for their horses to be revised has not gotten documents or documents were lost, quite a mess. Once I got a stallion report, I then began to pursue getting my filly inscribed. I believe the organization at that time was Fab-Pre followed closely by the Foundation for the Pure Spanish horse. I won't share all the details but will share that I had to submit her paperwork four times before it actually made it to Spain. Thankfully only having to pay once since I had my receipt.

It was during my own annoying experience with PRE inscription that the Foundation for the Pure Spanish horse split from Spain (the stud book now being handled by ANNCE). They started their own registry service for PRE horses. The choice to use that title has made what was already complicated almost beyond understanding for many new people drawn to the breed. There are four registries that register PRE horses at this time in this country.

One might ask, what is a real PRE? There are different opinions but most finally agree that it is designation by Spain, who at this time is run by ANCCE. It is not easy to get PRE (ANCCE) papers (no matter what anyone tells you!). One should do their research to be sure you know exactly what your getting as far as registries & that the horse you are purchasing has all the necessary paperwork in hand for the registry of your interest.

Personally, if you are shopping for a partner & riding horse, my suggestion would be to shop for quality. If you are wanting to participate in breed shows, IALHA papers are needed. They register crosses & are, in my experience, easy & polite to work with if even when there are blips in the process. If interested in breeding, decide up front what your are breeding for. Be absolutely transparent about your stock & their offspring as far as registries. Make getting the desired registry papers in hand before breeding a priority. If using outside stallions, make sure they have the appropriate registration & that the stallion owner understands what they need to provide to you for you foal's future.

If breeding for PRE's, it's nice if you live in an area where revisions are typically held. Obviously picking up & moving to CA, TX or FL is not an option for everyone. So be prepared to either host revision at your home which involves covering the Vet's travel expenses if the minimum number of horses are not presented (less than 15 at this time) or travel to a revision site at very short notice. I attempted to present my 1st filly twice before getting it accomplished. The 1st time, we were going to host & cover costs but only received a weeks notice & were going to be out of town the date they wanted to come. The 2nd time, had planned to travel (10 hour trip) but literally had 4 days notice then at the last minute they moved it up a day! The mare unfortunately got a minor injury so we were not able to make the trip. Finally I moved my mares to a site that had offered to host so they would be there "if & when" it did happen. It's been complicated but I now feel involved enough with the registry organizations & have learned so much through those frustrations that I think I've got it figured out......until it changes again that is!

All this said, the horses are magic & obviously ignite a passion in people to inspire such chaos. I've had a positive but challenging experience with ANCCE. IALHA has many benefits and does best when our breeder's lend them support. I've not registered a horse with the Foundation for the Pure Spanish horse (PRE Mundial) or the Heritage groups. The bottom line really is the horse & what you want out of your own experience with them. Each of mine are literal treasures to me, papers or no. But I must admit that having my PRE Revised mares is a wonderful thing that I don't take for granted.

Winter Update

We had a lovely fall this year thanks to a wetter than usual summer. Our trees typically seem to drop their leaves with one big shrug but this year kept them long enough for a beautiful display. Heading into our coldest time of year, things are on the wet and muddy side so life slows for the horses as far as exercise.

Our 2013 filly, Kiva, enjoys being a member of a mare herd. She is almost as tall as her mother and clearly showing the build and structure of her sire. She has inherited her mothers grey gene but in all other ways seems to be like her fine father. Her temperament has quieted from the playful foal we saw early on and is my most "laid-back" horse. Besides normal grooming we have started working on trailer loading, going slowly & making it interesting.

Kiva's mother Kisia is back to riding. We're lucky to be close enough to trailer for some dressage lessons at the wonderful facilities at Cedar Winds. After almost two years off and the stress of pregnancy and birth, Kisia has had some kinks to work out. Help from the chiropractor, regular stretches and just getting moving again has all helped her. We had what was probably the most fun riding lesson we have yet to have last week. Evie at Cedar Winds had us try a new exercise to supple Kisia. It went something like this.....make a large turn with the rider's body turning from eyes to hips to look over the back of the horse almost leading the horse, ask for movement with the inside leg, allow the horse forward then leg yield to the side. We did this at walk & trot. Kisia came ALIVE! It felt like we were both having fun and I could almost imagine the lightening quick power & grace of these horses in the bull fight, such was her enthusiasm and sensitivity to all that I asked. She & I are working at 1st level and, excluding getting our canter depart more consistent, are ready to show at training level.

Zorra is on a bit of a break after getting started under saddle last October. She looks amazing as always. She gets stretches (which she begs for anytime I work with Kisia). I continue to moisturize the scar on her leg and do a bit of light massage as suggested by our favorite local physical therapist. She will go out for some training next year to get her established riding.

Valencia is now well into the 3rd trimester of her pregnancy. She has been very peaceful and content only just recently seeming to appear somewhat tired. Her pregnancy has been quite uncomplicated. Her foal is swimming around seeming to be "awake" in the afternoon. The mares are off the foaling paddock which is getting a good rest, has been limed and treated for ants in anticipation of a new baby spending some time there next spring.

My retired dressage horse Miles is a few months from turning 23 years old. He is doing well this winter, so far keeping his weight on which has always been a challenge. We built him a smaller paddock just about in the center of the mares pasture where he can always see the other horses. He has slowed down somewhat which for an old racehorse means on occasion standing still. He is a grey horse who when I got him at 10 had melanomas. They have yet to cause any issue for him. I do think that one area of growth may have affected his hearing which has surprisingly lead to less worry and spooking for him. Always a difficult to please horse, he seems content in his retirement.

A few more months of muddy cold and spring is just around the corner with much to anticipate! Kiva pictured above on a cold winter morning. Kiva is a grey pure Spanish Andalusian filly.

Zorra's story

Our big black filly Zorra participated in a large public event recently. More on that in another post, but will say that she proved she is every bit as lovely as I've always believed. Easy to be biased when you've raised them yourself so is nice to see others reactions your horse. I got tons of questions about her. She drew many admirers and even more compliments. When you first see her, one might think she was bred for beauty. Not so! My foremost thought in matching her parents was temperament. That said, beauty, conformation & movement were all important in the equation . Zorra is an unusual cross of two breeds. Her dam is a registered Tennessee Walking Horse and sire an Andalusian stallion of Spanish & Portuguese bloodlines. Zorra's mother, Foxy, is a chestnut mare who never spooks, is trainable in the extreme & is very forward to ride. She is also gentle enough to be handled & ridden (in an arena) by children of about any age. She's quietly given many 1st rides to children and adults alike, even bareback rides to a couple of two year darling girls. If you've been around horses long, you know that the combination of forward energy & no spook/no argument is rare. The type we all dream of having....including myself. I imagined for several years a horse like that who also trotted. When I decided to try to breed for just that, I went in search of the perfect stallion. Zorra's sire, Chulo, was the perfect fit. His temperament is relaxed & friendly. One of those stallions people think is a gelding. I had also seen many foals by him in which he consistently added that nice temperament but also added height & good bone. Zorra is tall, at least 15.3 and stout of body. She's wide through her body & put together with total harmony. She has three floaty forward gaits...plus one. As a foal, I did observe her gait like her mother. She was a big leggy foal. At two weeks old, she figured out those longs legs & began to trot. So while I have not encouraged or observed her to gait much since then, the ability is there if someone wanted to develop it. She is an easy keeper, has a long thick mane & tail, a beautiful face & excellent feet. I missed her birth by 40 minutes. When I arrived she was up, walking around & nursing. Excluding one injury, she has always been strong & healthy. Zorra has been handled literally daily from birth. She happily comes in the barn, stands tied, is good for farrier & vet & has recently been started under saddle. Her first ride was a beautiful experience where she was ridden in a hackamore...walk/trot/canter with not a hint of wanting to buck or rear. She has experience in front of a large & loud crowd, has had several trailer rides with other horses & alone, has always been up to date on farrier & veterinary care. We've given the best start one could want for a young horse. She has true "dream horse" quality & beauty. She is the epitome of what we are trying to bring to the table with our breeding & young horse training program. She had her 1st ride with me yesterday in the round pen. We'll start going out on some trail rides around the property. Zorra is registered with IALHA and therefore eligable to participate in their shows. It's our intention to take her to Nationals next year to show in halter. Her sire is a two time IALHA national champion stallion and I expect she will easily follow in his footsteps. A new video of her 1st ride is in the works so watch for it here. Inquire with alicefbarr@gmail.com with serious inquiries on this special individual.

Walkabout!

Walkabout, as I like to call it, is a great way to teach foals many important early lessons in a fun way! Of course you don't want to force it on an individual who isn't ready. The foal should be well halter trained, yield to pressure, not invade it's handler's space overly & be independent enough of it's herd to not be stressed. Depending on the individual foal, I like to go for a walkabout in the morning while the rest of the herd is resting in the barn after breakfast. I leave the barn gate open so the foal has the option to head back in at any point. All of my horses love going into the yard....the grass is great & there are many curiosities about to investigate. As far as leadership from the handler, I basically set up some mental boundaries as to where I don't want to go then let the foal explore this new world with me coming along for the ride so to speak. Our new Andalusian filly shown here on her 2nd walkabout recently was quite curious about the deck on our house. Now there is a lot going on over there. She had been exceptionally brave on her 1st outing with no spooks but still I didn't think ready for so much stimulation. So we had a brief discussion & decided to go elsewhere. "Elsewhere" in these cases needs to be somewhere good.....like a little patch of clover or excellent grass. This way your ideas, when you need to present them, are a nice alternative. If you allow your baby into a situation that over_faces them or even worse, they get hurt....you run the risk of doing more harm than good in your relationship. That said....things happen & horses are forgiving. If my young horse seems overstimulated I typically make the decision to head back in. Also, if they are difficult (which is rare in one adequately trained) they are immediately put back up as this is to be a treat. I've found that early Walkabouts teach my young horses that it's ok to leave their herd. If you've ever dealt with a herd bound horse, you know the frustration as well as danger that particular vice can be. Many horses are not parted from their friends for the 1st time until several years old. Doing it in a low stress & interesting way early in life is invaluable. On Kiva's 1st few outings, a couple of her herd mates called to her a few times. She could not have cared less which was great! She knew they were there & she could go back whenever she wanted....but never did. So of her own choosing, she's been exposed to tarps, a hose on the ground, a garden with all kinds of oddities to help the plants grow, a swing, dog coming out the garage, vehicles going up & down the road, a driveway, etc, etc. All at just 4 months old. These things may seem benign. But speaking from experience of having been on a 12 year old 1200 pound Thoroughbred the first time he ever saw a tarp.....well I just wish someone would have had the for-thought to give him that kind of head-start in life! All of our young horses as they show they are ready get the pleasure (for them & me!) of many walkabouts. It's a good thing & I believe not only helps the horse learn to be brave but also builds trust & confidence in their humans.

Bloodlines.....Kiva

Kiva is our 2013 pure Spanish filly out of Kisia H & by the stallion Klickitat. Kiva is a combination of two of the best & most decorated breeding programs in our country, Herradura Andalusians & Jackass Mountain Ranch. A good deal of research went into choosing a match for her mother. Her mother clearly out-produced herself with the stallion adding his most fine qualities to the cross. I'm very pleased with her.

Kiva's mother, Kisia H, is a cross of the stallion Gitano MOR with a daughter of the great Remate. This particular cross has been repeated several times. It produces a horse of correct conformation, correct & straight movement, versatility, bravery & beauty. For a detailed look at Kiva's dams's bloodlines, see her blog here.......http://lvandalusians.blogspot.com/2013/07/bloodlineskisia-h.html

Kiva's sire, Klickitat, is an impressive black stallion & rising star. While the number is increasing daily, in comparison to other breeds, there are not many Andalusians competing at the highest levels of dressage in our country. You will see lots of  "dressage prospects" or those "bred for dressage". One must also note that there is a difference between a horse that is great for lower levels of dressage & one that can excel at Grand Prix. The horse must have not only the physical ability to perform the movements but also the mental stamina needed as well. I'll stop here rather then venture into a totally different subject, but will say the point of this is that Klickitat has proven himself capable in several different arenas. As a two year old, he won IALHA National Champion Colt and IALHA PRE National Champion Colt. A halter champion. He has also been a best movement winner. At present he is actively schooling FEI Grand Prix and showing PSG and I1. He was also 2013 IALHA FEI highpoint winner at Prix St George. These are impressive feats & prove the exceptional quality of this stallion. Klickitat has added height, length of leg, quality of movement & temperament to Kiva. She inherited extreme balance from both her parents along with striking beauty. She has her dams athleticism, bold nature & super charisma.

Her sire line includes several impressive horses. Her grandfather is the famous Kianto who has produced numerous champions in all venues. Kianto is a son of Genio III, a black stallion imported from Spain who is sire to many IALHA champions & brings Bocado bloodlines to Kiva's pedigree. Mare lines are vital to good breeding & often left out of discussions. Kianto's dam, our Kiva's great grandmother is the mare Samba III. Samba III has produced get of such quality that several of her sons are herd sires in some of the most prestigious breeding programs in our country. She also has a daughter that is one of a handful of qualified mares in the USA. Kiva's paternal grandmother, Alegria AK, brings older lines to the mix. When I think of horses like Imaginario, Castiblanco, Leopardo & Temario V, I envision classic Andalusian style & beauty. The unicorn or fairy tale white horse of legend. 

Kiva's lines come together nicely to create an exceptional athlete with all the style & beauty known to the breed. It's unlikely she will ever be mistaken for anything but an Iberian, such is her clear type. I'm proud to have participated in creating such an individual & look forward to her future.

Bloodlines......Valencia ADP

If interested in performance, one would have a hard time finding much better breeding than Valencia. Valencia is a 2010 Andalusian mare who is inscribed with ANCCE & registered with IALHA. She is a tall bay daughter of Noble GF & Palena KDW. Our "Valli" carries the rare ability to produce chestnut in her offspring. Valencia was bred by Andalusian Dressage Partners, a rising star in the breeding of dressage type PRE horses. Truly she has it all...height, conformation, beauty & movement, movement, movement. No surprise considering the wonderful bloodlines which have so richly contributed to her quality. Valencia's sire is one of a handful of PRE stallions to have competed at Grand Prix in dressage. Noble GF was bred by Gremlan Farms, a standout program for dressage type breeding. Noble's sire, Gaucho III, is a qualified stallion who was imported from Spain & was also a successful Grand Prix horse. Gaucho is half brother to Invasor II, a two time Olympic horse for Spain. Noble's dam is a daughter of "The Lion of Spain" Indiano XVII, known for his stunning movement & classic Spanish type. Noble's dam is ,as well, a grandaughter of Regalado II who not only was a successful dressage horse before he passed but a son of the great stallion, Leviton. Valencia's dam Palena KDW is a line-bred mare to the stallion Granadino XIV 1978. Granadino was a son of Leviton. Leviton is considered the #1 military stallion, siring many champions including Evento, another Spanish Olympic horse. Palena is also a grandaughter of the great mare, Quizas III, a Vasallo II daughter. Vasallo II was a Champion of Spain & foundation sire for the famous Miguel Cardenas Osuna stud. Valencia's pedigree, indeed, brings together powerful performance bloodlines. She is a type that might be bred to many stallions. She's so nicely put together with such perfection of movement that it will be hard to go wrong. That said, we'll be picky in the extreme as to who we choose for her. She came to Lafayette Valley at two years old. She spent the next year getting to know her new herd & new owner. She has blossomed into the stuff of dreams in that time. At three, she was bred to the several times Grand National Champion stallion Gitano MOR for a 2014 foal. After her foal is weaned next year, she will go into training to get a riding foundation in place & hopefully show off that incredible movement in some forum. Excluding a black filly, her 2014 foal will be available to support our program. It's impossible to imagine this foal will not be of the highest quality........ so like it's mother, a gem for someone. Valencia's future is bright....we're graced to be a part of it!

Bloodlines.....Kisia H

This post starts a short series on some of the bloodlines in our program. The gorgeous mare pictured here is my first Andalusian mare, Kisia H. Kisia is PRE inscribed with ANCCE & of course registered with IALHA. Born late 2006, Kisia was purchased in utero & came here at five months old. I've had the honor of raising & enjoying her most of her life. Primarily a riding horse, she produced her first foal, a filly by Klickitat, this year.

Kisia's bloodlines are excellent with her sire being bred at Cortijo Las Morerias in Mexico. Las Morerias is one of the most famous breeding programs in Mexico having won numerous titles in Mexico & the USA. Kisia's sire Gitano MOR, himself a many times IALHA National Champion, is a son of Corsario IV who is considered the most honored Mexican stallion. Corsario IV was a son of the qualified mare Bizarra XVI & the stallion Macanuo III both of whom are of Jose luis de la Escalera breeding. Gitano MOR has sired several national champion get himself. He possess great beauty & is stunningly masculine with the presence & charisma of true breeding stallion. Gitano has a powerful pedigree which mostly consists of Escalera & Military breeding. He also has many famous siblings & relatives as his lines are prominent in the Las Morerias breeding program.

Kisia's damline is also impressive. Her dam, Habana H, was bred by one of our favorite programs, Heradurra Andalusians. Habana is an exceptional moving & powerful mare. This is no surprise considering Habana's sire is the famous & now deceased stallion Remate II. I was graced to have had the opportunity to meet Remate. He was known to pass on elegance & movement to his get which continues to show up even in later generations. Remate, who was a several times IALHA national champion, was a son of Champion of Spain, Jugueton V. Jugueton V was bred by Miguel Cardenas who is probably the most famous breeder of the PRE horse of our day. Habana's mother & Kisia's grandam was a mare named Jibara IV. On our first visit to Heradurra, Jibara was one of my favorite mares. A lovely bay mare who carried bloodlines of Paco Lazo, Terry, Military & rare Muira breeding.

Kisia was lightly started at three years old. She & I then spent the next year lightly riding, mostly trail type riding around our property. She spent three months at four years old at the Mid-South Dressage academy with one of their excellent senior trainers for some real education. From four to five we attended several clinics in our area, had some dressage lessons & even spent a month in FL where we attended a two week course in Natural Horsemanship for fun & learning. Thanks to excellent breeders & trainers mentioned here, Kisia is a brave, athletic & powerful mare. She has many fine qualities of her forebears. She has outproduced herself in her 2013 daughter which in itself is a mark of her excellent quality. We've started back riding & look forward to getting out again when her daughter is weaned.