As i am hoping to buy my first horse in the near future after 13 years of riding other peoples!, i was wondering if you could suggest where to go about purchasing an Iberian horse or cross and the guideline prices. It seems that they are sooo expensive unless you get a baby, which i would not have time or knowledge even to take on myself.
Yes, unfortunately Iberians are expensive, primarily because
a) they are so fab!
b) they're still a bit of a rarity
I had to go down the 'buying a yearling' road and my filly ( alter real/ lusitano) cost £1500 at 18 months.I considered it to be a real bargain!!! From experience I'd say that pure bred mares will increase in value at approx £1000 a year and for a stallion you can add another £1 - £1.5K onto that.
Part breds are (depending on the cross - natives & thoroghbred are common) still commanding similar sorts of prices.
A classically trained stallion will set you back £8.5K +++++
A lot of people still import from portugal and spain but there are some excellent home bred horses coming up the ranks.
A couple of contacts you may wish to try are The Lusitano Breed society of Great Britain website http://www.lusitano.co.uk
or try the premier Andalusian stud Yeguada Iberica who also have a web site ( I can't remember the web address!) they're on most search engines. There is also a andalusian breed society but in a total fit of forgetfulness I can't remember that either ( my excuse is that I'm at work!
There is a Lusitano thread on here ( i'm obsessed - sorry!) and if you want any more info mail or p.m me, I'm happy to help if I can!
I bought my first Iberian at the beginning of the year. I did spend some time looking at horses for sale privately in this country, this included various crosses. The breeders that I contacted had horses that were way out of my price range and I was in the same boat - possibly only able to buy a baby, which I didn't really want to do.
I came across a lady called Miriam Frenk Kann. She is a horse broker based in Madrid. After giving her details of what type, age, training level etc of horse, she sent over some videos for me to see. Of course, I would have bought them all! but I did go over and take a look at all the horses plus many more.
Anyway, as a result of the trip, I did buy a horse through her. I can highly recommend her as I just paid the money as she sorted out everything else... vetting, transport, extensive paperwork etc. Three days later, I had my new horse
If you would like her website details or any other info then please PM me.
A friend of mine near Ashford in Kent may be bringing a consignment of twelve Andalusians over from Belgium. When I know for sure, I will let you know.
My Lusitano x TB mare Luchia, cost me just £1400 two months ago. I was just very lucky! She is 9 years old, had done nothing but hack, and hadn't been ridden for a year as her owner was sadly seriously ill.
For the first three weeks, I could do very little with her as she was so unfit, and rather poor, not really thin, but lacking any muscle, dreadul ewe neck and back bone prominet all the way down- not a pick on her shoulders either.
In two months, she has changed out of all recognition. With feeding and correct work, her shape has totally changed. She is one of the most intelligent horses I have ever worked with, learns everything with absolute ease- already doing all of the lateral exercises in walk, and beginning them in trot, going to have great ability to 'sweep' sideways as her strength develops, and offered me an amazing medium trot for the first time on Saturday.
I will post again the pics my assistant Sue took of her when she went to try her for me, and then the first two times I rode her, when I can find the URL's!
Photos are at http://www.eclipse.co.uk/sue/Luchia/luchia.html ( my assistant Sue went to try her- I couldn't go as my new horse from Portugal had complications following gelding and I had to be with him
This is the first time I had sat on her-
this is the second time. Two weeks later- having not had time to ride her more than twice that week-, she happily gave me leg yield and shoulder-in, which she has never done before- she is going to be super!
Loved the pictures of Luchia, definitely looks more Luso than TB and its great to see her relaxing down into her work. I think that,s one of the (many!!!) things I love about the breed - once you bond with them they try so hard to please - and they're so intelligent and easy to teach.
I think I have trouble sometimes remembering that Safira is only 2 1/2, she just gives so much in our in hand play/ lessons. She'll shoulder in, renvers, half and full pass and she's cottoned onto the spanish walk lark - easypeasy she reckons! I cannot wait until next summer when I back her.
Luchia is just soooo lovely. Sounds like she is still improving too! When I was there watching Heather ride her, she showed me how amazingly sensitive Luchia is. Just by the feel of the reins on her neck, she did a little turn on the haunches! She really is a special horse.
....as much as I love the Lipi's, I'm growing ever so keen on these Luso's! Gonna have to get one someday! Kay, I'm sure you'll have a great time shopping! Keep us informed!
um...am I right that "Iberian" are like Andalusians and stuff? Because I remembered hearing what you said, and it said "Go to the Iberian Horse Sources' ranch" And I clicked it and it turned out to be the site of a very good friend of mine, who is generous with her pictures
You got it right - Iberians are horses and ponies native to the iberian peninsular ( Spain & Portugal) Andies, Lusos, Sorraia ponies etc.
Similar horses which usually have an infusion of Iberian blood somewhere in their history (aka the royal horses of Europe) are Lippizanners, Freisans and the like. There are many other breeds worldwide that have the Iberian influence - many of the American breeds originate from Spanish stock. - They reckon Iberians have been around in an almost pure form for 5000 years!
Yes, Luchia is fully registered and bred by Turville Valley Stud, in Oxfordshire- sure you must know it- whose owners I know. I rang Angela to ask her if she had any further info on Lucy and she immediately informed me that she is full sister to Flora, European Champion Classical mare in Belgium a couple of years ago, ridden by her sister Diane Thurman-Baker( super rider by the way) and Flora went to Grand prix.
Lucy is by Montemor O Novo, who is now sadly dead, a golden dun stallion, out of a TB mare.
You will not believe the next photos we post of her- she looks nothing like the mare in the last lot of photos- so much bigger and stronger!
I hope to have some more soon of my beautiful Fantasia too, who is Hispano Arab and I imported from Portugal in june.
I also have a Friesian gelding, Dorac, coming in for schooling shortly- I had his stable companion here the year before last for the same, and he was an absolute delight.- I think the gentlest horses I have ever known. I have always loved Friesians and have worked with them in Holland too.
Heather - Oh my God - I knew it - I was at Turville when Lucy as I knew her was a youngster and I travelled in the lorry with her to her first home!
I worked at Turville for a couple of years when Nan Thurman was still with us and still keep in touch with Diane & Angela - I found my filly Safira though a friend of theirs.
I remember Monty well, I used to love turning him out - he'd be leaping about posing and prancing but always within the length of the rope - just teasing! He was full of fire and I was there when he was sadly put to sleep.
It was at Turville where I found and fed my passion for Lusos and classical riding.
I'm so pleased that Lucy has found such a wonderful home and I cannot wait to see the photos - I'm so so happy for both of you!
What an amazing coincidence indeed that you knew Lucy! Angela just yesterday sent me a lovely photo of her as a foal and several pictures of her full sister Flora de Abril, plus some of Monty and Primeiro, the latter whom I also know and have ridden, as Diane sold him to someone I know in Suffolk. Small world eh?
I am off to Portugal in November for Gologa, and to ride with Luis Valenca again. The Luso breeder friends Dr. Bill and Linda Sanders, from the US that I go with have now got all four of their stallions that are training in Portugal based at Luis Valenca's with whom we train ( as did Diane. Bill rnag me last night and said that i can have ride any of his four in the lessons too. They are an absoultely stunning bunch, and I would dearly love you to do a portrait of one of them, Ibis, for me one day.
Ibis is a pure white stallion, 16 hands, real old type lusitano, HUGE neck, long but refined head, short and tremendously powerful body, limbs like hardened steel with sharply defined tendons, and as light on his feet as a feather. He had done nothing in his nine years when Bill bought him at the time of Gologa last year. He belonged to an elderly gent who bred him and had ammassed around 600, yes, 600! lusitanos. He thought as he was getting on for seventy, that it was time he started cutting down, and sent Luis Ibis and another exquisite bay, Nepal, for starters.
Bill bought both, and Luis has trained ibis with one of his best riders from scratch. This horse is magnificent- he looks like the horse you would put a king on in a film. He is apprently going incredibly since I saw him in May, so I hope to take some photos and perhaps Sue can put them on her website and you can all have a look.
Nepal is perhaps the most perfect example of the breed that I have seen, with amazing paces- smaller at around 15.2hh, but just beautifully made, Bill paid $10,000 for him at the same time last year and the same week, a German woman who had taken a fancy to him offered him $50,000. Bill politely declined! When we were over last in may, she was there again, and this time offered him an open cheque, which again he declined! This horse has one of the best passgae piffe passage tours that I have ever seen, and is really a world class competition prospect, although I have to say that i did not enjoy riding him- although he looks as light as thistledown, he is not nearly so light in the hand. Sadly Luis's daughters are much more germanic in their training and competition minded and it is they who have been training Nepal.
Nilo is Bill's black stallion, over 16 hands of sheer Iberain quality and perfection. Again, a competition prospect with big, pwerful paces and $25,000 even before he started training, this is a horse that I would die for! He suits my riding very well and I am really looking forwad to riding him again.
Libreirio is Bill's other grey stallion, who I have not ridden yet. He has owned him the longest, and has kept him in training with Luis for three years. Bill had always ridden him in our lessons, but I am hoping he might ride one of the others too and let me have a ride on him too. A big and pwerful grey, he has altered in shape so much since I first knew him, when i have to say he didn't impress me, but boy, last May, I had to look twice to see it was him- the breed is often late maturing and he is no exception.
So, I have all that to look forward to, plus riding some of Luis's younger stallions, and going to watch Gologa for a couple of days after we have finished riding.
Bill and Lynda have 14 others in California and he ended the season last week as West Coast reserve supreme champion with his Palomino stallion Lacerote.
Don't some people have all the luck- 18 of the finest Lusitanos that I have ever seen- Bill collects them the way other people collect antiques or fine art! HIs poor wife just prays that another doesn't take his fancy, every time we go to Portugal. Last time, he nearly bought a superb chestnut stallion at Vila Franca Show- except this time the owner really didn't want to sell, and no amount of persuasion woudl budge him, much to Linda's relief! So she will be holding her breath again at Gologa no doubt!
I am hoping to meet Nuno Oliviera's grandson, Goncalo who is now back in Portugal and was staying with Luis until recently. I have a video called 'Training the Baroque Horse' which features Goncalo and he really is a beautiful rider.
Heather I remeber you mentioning a Luso called Maestro (I think!) when I was in Devon. Isn't he one of Bill's too? Is he still for sale? He's the one you wanted for demo's with Fanta.
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