Spanish OX Arabian Horses.
by Sharon Meyers © 1996
One of the oldest Arabian registries in the world is the Spanish Registry. Their stud book dates back to 1847 and the first registered Arabian was a bay colt named Abayoul db. The Spanish Military (War Office) were in charge of horse breeding for many decades and the Yeguada Militar Stud was initially established to improve the local Spanish horse population. Of course, Arabians were the obvious choice for upgrading these horses, and for this purpose, Arab horses were imported from the desert, France and Poland. Then in 1908 the decision was taken to create a Purebred Arabian breeding herd. Spain was to reap a wonderful harvest from their thoughtfully selected Arabian seed stock. Even so, there were several distressing episodes which sorely tested this country’s fledgling breeding endeavours. Take for instance the importation of Ursus (Dahman Amir db x Gagar) from the stud of Count Branicki, Poland in 1912. This dark bay stallion was purchased by the Yeguada Militar for the princely sum of 60,000 pesetas - an absolute fortune for those days! Back in Spain during a sitting of Parliament, a socialist member asked the Minister of War why such a high price was paid for a horse? The Minister stated he had no knowledge of the purchase. Due to the massive uproar created by the Opposition over this statement, the Minister resigned, and the final repercussion was the fall of the Spanish Government!
The tragic murder of the Duke of Veragua during the Civil War (1936 - 1939) was another devastating set back for Spanish breeders. Acknowledged as one of the world’s greatest authorities on the Arabian horse, the Duke of Veragua was also the last male -line descendant of Christopher Columbus. The foundations for the Duke’s Valjuanete Stud were acquired from Marques de Domecq, which comprised the stallion Sirio 111 (Ursus x Siria) and a handful of top-class mares. Three mares were obtained from the Yeguada Militar. The boisterous grey stallion Razada (Shahzada x Ranya) was purchased from H.M.V Clark’s Courthouse Arabian Stud in England. Interestingly, Razada’s sire Shahzada (Mootrub x Ruth Kesia) was exported to Australia, where his descendants are still sought after by astute Endurance competitors today. The Duke also obtained five precious Skowronek daughters from Lady Wentworth of the Crabbet Stud, England, along with the mares Insilla (Naseem x Nisreen), Amusheh (Rasim x Arusa), and Ranya 1 (Nasik x Riyala). Sadly, many of these splendid horses perished in the Civil War. Nationalist troops rescued the remainder of the Duke’s herd and moved them to the Yeguada Militar in Cordoba. Many were eventually purchased by the Yeguada from the Duke’s heirs. One such stallion was the celebrated Nana Sahib (Razada x Jalila). His stable mate turned out to be Barquillo and for some obscure reason these two stallions hated each other. Eventually they broke loose from their stables and confronted each other in mortal combat. It was impossible to separate them and the tragic consequence was the destruction of Nana Sahib due to two broken front legs.
At the beginning of this century the Yeguada Militar crossed the imported desert bred stock with their Poland horses and one of the mares which resulted from this successful combination of bloodlines was the grey Divina, born in 1918. She was the third foal of the bay 1907 mare Navin (Mustafa db grey 1898 x Fatima db grey 1903).
Divina’s sire was the handsome grey 1898 Wan Dick (Vasco Da Gama x Hela), bred by the Branicki family of Poland, where he was registered as Van Dyck. Wan Dick was imported into Spain by the Yeguada Militar in 1908 and died there in 1925. His sire line went back to Wernet, a desert bred grey sold by the dealer Glioccho to the Russian General Naruszkin. In 1836 Wernet was acquired by Count Wladyslaw Branicki for Bialocerkiew.
Divina was the dam of the following:
• ILUSTRE, a 1923 grey stallion by Seanderich
• JABA, a 1924 grey mare by Eco - exported to Cuba in 1929
• LABERINTO, a 1925 bay stallion by Eco
• MARAVEDI, a 1926 grey stallion by Eco
• OBLONGA, a 1928 bay mare by Eco
• RABINA, a 1930 chestnut mare by Bagdad
Divina’s influence through the Spanish bloodlines was mainly due to her son ILUSTRE and her daughter RABINA. Ilustre sired the grey 1941 handsome stallion Congo (from Triana). Congo went on to sire many influential horses, including the 1952 grey stallion Tabal (from Hilandera) and the 1958 chestnut stallion Zancudo (from Yaima), who was a prolific sire. Two of Zancudo’s well-known sons were the grey full brothers Galero (from Zalema) 1965 and Jaguay 1968. Tabal sired Jacio, a grey 1968 stallion from the beautiful mare Teorica and Jacio was arguably one of Spain’s greatest sires.
Divina’s daughter Rabina had three foals and her first was Barquillo, a 1938 grey stallion by Eco (Seanderich x Varsovia). Barquillo was the sire of the stallion Orive (from Galatife) and the grandsire of the grey 1965 stallion Garbo (Orive/Baldosa). Barquillo also sired some particularly lovely mares which included Teorica (from Galatife), Ociosa (from Imelina) and her full sister Uyaima, the dam of the famous mare ESTOPA. Barquillo’s sire Eco (from Varsovia) was a grey 1919 horse who was sired by Seanderich, a grey born in 1902 and imported by the Yeguada Militar in 1908 from Baghdad. Seanderich was sent to a stallion Depot where he remained for many years before finally ending up at the Yeguada Militar itself, well after his son Eco was entrenched there.
May the world rejoice in the legacy which Divina and her descendants have bequeathed us, as these horses have been the touchstone of Spanish and Spanish-related breeding establishments universally. Some have even reached legendary status. To catalogue all these horses would be extremely time consuming. Listed below is a small representation of these bloodlines - which I am sure any Arabian enthusiast would instantly recognise.
• ESPERADA (Tabal x Berlanga)
• ESTOPA (Tabal x Uyaima)
• EL SHAKLAN (Shaker El Masri x Estopa)
• ESTASHAN (Malik x Estasha)
• AMIR EL SHAKLAN (El Shaklan x Sascha)
• SIDI BRAHIM (Jacio x Dalia IV)
• FIGUROSO (Tabal x Bahia 11)
• GG SAMIR (Jacio x Alhaja)
• AN MALIK (Galero x Ispahan)
• GHADAMES (Jacio x Lopaz)
• MAKOR (Galero x Chavali)
by Sharon Meyers © 1996
One of the oldest Arabian registries in the world is the Spanish Registry. Their stud book dates back to 1847 and the first registered Arabian was a bay colt named Abayoul db. The Spanish Military (War Office) were in charge of horse breeding for many decades and the Yeguada Militar Stud was initially established to improve the local Spanish horse population. Of course, Arabians were the obvious choice for upgrading these horses, and for this purpose, Arab horses were imported from the desert, France and Poland. Then in 1908 the decision was taken to create a Purebred Arabian breeding herd. Spain was to reap a wonderful harvest from their thoughtfully selected Arabian seed stock. Even so, there were several distressing episodes which sorely tested this country’s fledgling breeding endeavours. Take for instance the importation of Ursus (Dahman Amir db x Gagar) from the stud of Count Branicki, Poland in 1912. This dark bay stallion was purchased by the Yeguada Militar for the princely sum of 60,000 pesetas - an absolute fortune for those days! Back in Spain during a sitting of Parliament, a socialist member asked the Minister of War why such a high price was paid for a horse? The Minister stated he had no knowledge of the purchase. Due to the massive uproar created by the Opposition over this statement, the Minister resigned, and the final repercussion was the fall of the Spanish Government!
The tragic murder of the Duke of Veragua during the Civil War (1936 - 1939) was another devastating set back for Spanish breeders. Acknowledged as one of the world’s greatest authorities on the Arabian horse, the Duke of Veragua was also the last male -line descendant of Christopher Columbus. The foundations for the Duke’s Valjuanete Stud were acquired from Marques de Domecq, which comprised the stallion Sirio 111 (Ursus x Siria) and a handful of top-class mares. Three mares were obtained from the Yeguada Militar. The boisterous grey stallion Razada (Shahzada x Ranya) was purchased from H.M.V Clark’s Courthouse Arabian Stud in England. Interestingly, Razada’s sire Shahzada (Mootrub x Ruth Kesia) was exported to Australia, where his descendants are still sought after by astute Endurance competitors today. The Duke also obtained five precious Skowronek daughters from Lady Wentworth of the Crabbet Stud, England, along with the mares Insilla (Naseem x Nisreen), Amusheh (Rasim x Arusa), and Ranya 1 (Nasik x Riyala). Sadly, many of these splendid horses perished in the Civil War. Nationalist troops rescued the remainder of the Duke’s herd and moved them to the Yeguada Militar in Cordoba. Many were eventually purchased by the Yeguada from the Duke’s heirs. One such stallion was the celebrated Nana Sahib (Razada x Jalila). His stable mate turned out to be Barquillo and for some obscure reason these two stallions hated each other. Eventually they broke loose from their stables and confronted each other in mortal combat. It was impossible to separate them and the tragic consequence was the destruction of Nana Sahib due to two broken front legs.
At the beginning of this century the Yeguada Militar crossed the imported desert bred stock with their Poland horses and one of the mares which resulted from this successful combination of bloodlines was the grey Divina, born in 1918. She was the third foal of the bay 1907 mare Navin (Mustafa db grey 1898 x Fatima db grey 1903).
Divina’s sire was the handsome grey 1898 Wan Dick (Vasco Da Gama x Hela), bred by the Branicki family of Poland, where he was registered as Van Dyck. Wan Dick was imported into Spain by the Yeguada Militar in 1908 and died there in 1925. His sire line went back to Wernet, a desert bred grey sold by the dealer Glioccho to the Russian General Naruszkin. In 1836 Wernet was acquired by Count Wladyslaw Branicki for Bialocerkiew.
Divina was the dam of the following:
• ILUSTRE, a 1923 grey stallion by Seanderich
• JABA, a 1924 grey mare by Eco - exported to Cuba in 1929
• LABERINTO, a 1925 bay stallion by Eco
• MARAVEDI, a 1926 grey stallion by Eco
• OBLONGA, a 1928 bay mare by Eco
• RABINA, a 1930 chestnut mare by Bagdad
Divina’s influence through the Spanish bloodlines was mainly due to her son ILUSTRE and her daughter RABINA. Ilustre sired the grey 1941 handsome stallion Congo (from Triana). Congo went on to sire many influential horses, including the 1952 grey stallion Tabal (from Hilandera) and the 1958 chestnut stallion Zancudo (from Yaima), who was a prolific sire. Two of Zancudo’s well-known sons were the grey full brothers Galero (from Zalema) 1965 and Jaguay 1968. Tabal sired Jacio, a grey 1968 stallion from the beautiful mare Teorica and Jacio was arguably one of Spain’s greatest sires.
Divina’s daughter Rabina had three foals and her first was Barquillo, a 1938 grey stallion by Eco (Seanderich x Varsovia). Barquillo was the sire of the stallion Orive (from Galatife) and the grandsire of the grey 1965 stallion Garbo (Orive/Baldosa). Barquillo also sired some particularly lovely mares which included Teorica (from Galatife), Ociosa (from Imelina) and her full sister Uyaima, the dam of the famous mare ESTOPA. Barquillo’s sire Eco (from Varsovia) was a grey 1919 horse who was sired by Seanderich, a grey born in 1902 and imported by the Yeguada Militar in 1908 from Baghdad. Seanderich was sent to a stallion Depot where he remained for many years before finally ending up at the Yeguada Militar itself, well after his son Eco was entrenched there.
May the world rejoice in the legacy which Divina and her descendants have bequeathed us, as these horses have been the touchstone of Spanish and Spanish-related breeding establishments universally. Some have even reached legendary status. To catalogue all these horses would be extremely time consuming. Listed below is a small representation of these bloodlines - which I am sure any Arabian enthusiast would instantly recognise.
• ESPERADA (Tabal x Berlanga)
• ESTOPA (Tabal x Uyaima)
• EL SHAKLAN (Shaker El Masri x Estopa)
• ESTASHAN (Malik x Estasha)
• AMIR EL SHAKLAN (El Shaklan x Sascha)
• SIDI BRAHIM (Jacio x Dalia IV)
• FIGUROSO (Tabal x Bahia 11)
• GG SAMIR (Jacio x Alhaja)
• AN MALIK (Galero x Ispahan)
• GHADAMES (Jacio x Lopaz)
• MAKOR (Galero x Chavali)
The Spanish Arabian Stud Book
By Cristina Valdes Colon de Carvajal
The following words appear in the preface of Volume One of the Spanish Stud Book, which was published in 1885, although its records date back to 1848:
All those stallions, mares, and Arab produce imported into Spain that are not registered in a Stud Book with the regulations detailed further on, or whose parents are not registered, will not be admitted if their country of origin is not in the following boundaries:To the North, the Taurus Mountains and the Mediterranean Sea; to the West, the Suez channel and the Red Sea; to the South, the Gulf of Aden and the Sea of Oman; and to the East, the Persian Gulf and the Tigris; these limits include Syria, Al-Djezireh (Mesopotamia) and Arabian, this last divided into five main provinces: El-Irak, El-Hauran, El-Edjas, El-Yemen, and El-Hadromout, commonly known under the generic name of Nedjd.
No inscription will be given without the certificates of origin (Hudjes), which should indicate the name of the family owning the horse and the name of the tribe where it was born.
Recorded in the first volume of the Spanish Stud Book were 27 males and 12 females imported from the desert by Queen Isabel II in 1850; two stallions imported by the King in 1879; one horse born in Spain; and finally, the importation of the Cria Caballar (the military remount) from France in 1885, which included six stallions and one mare. Volume Two, which recorded the years 1886 and 1887, had an even smaller number of horses: 12 males and three females. The next few volumes are similar in numbers, and some do not include any mares at all. Almost all of the registered horses were imported; very few were born in Spain.
Despite the small numbers, the very existence of the stud book and the strict controls that were placed on registration are important today because they indicate the careful scrutiny that was given to the purebred Arabian.
In Volume Twelve (1906-1907), the number of registered horses increased with more Spanish-bred horses, as well as the first importations from Poland (then registered in the stud book as coming from Russia). The years 1908 to 1912 saw dramatic growth, with 109 new importations, mainly from Poland, Egypt, and the desert, along with several from Great Britian and France. Although these imports were mainly used as outcrosses for the military and cavalry horses, the military stud was diligent in maintaining a purebred herd from with to obtain stallions. These stallions were then sent to depositos throughout Spain, where they were bred to privately owned mares.
Private studs began to flourish at the turn of the century, and thanks to the dedication of those early breeders, the Spanish Arabian Stud book is perhaps the oldest one in existence, with one of the most comprehensive collections of documents of origin to be found anywhere in the world. Before the private breedrs took an active role in Arab breeding, many bloodlines were lost; but with their intervention, Spain acquired and maintained some of the best bloodlines to be found at that time. In 1910 the Marques de Domecq bought the desertbred mare Zulima, founding one of the most important studs in the country. Other breeders of note were Don Jose Maria del Cid; Don Jose Maria Ybarra, who bought Babilonia (Korosko x Salambo), an extremely important mare in Spanish breeding, in 1920; and the Guerrero brothers, who imported a large group of Arabian horses from France in 1923. Last, but not least, Cristobal Colon, fifteenth Duke of Veragua, started breeding Arabians at his farm Valjuanete in 1926. The Duke of Veragua imported 12 mares and two stallions from England, including Razada (Shahzada x Ranya) and five Skowronek daughters, and later acquired all the female stock as well as a stallion from the Marques de Domecq. These foundations horses made his breeding program one of the most influential in Spain.
Just before the Spanish Civil War, the breeding of Arabians in Spain was flourishing. Volume 24 of the stud book, which covers the period of 1932-1934, includes the registrations of almost 900 horses, a great number of them belonging to private breeders. But then the disastrous repercussions of the war, which lasted from 1936 to 1939, are reflected in the next stud book. Volume 25 records entries from 1935 to 1943 – only 606 horses were registered. Many of those were new entries, which indicates the actual loss of horses was much greater; perhaps as many as 700. Although the studs in the south of Spain did not suffer the direct consequences of the war, the Duke of Veragua’s stud was on the front line. Fortunately, many horses were saved through the efforts of the national calvary, with took them to safety in the south. However, with the sudden moving of the stud, identification of young stock became nearly impossible. When the war broke out, the mares taken were either in foal or had foals at foot, or both. While their purity was well known, the sires or dams of many of those foals could not be proven. These became the “Vera” mares, which have since contributed so much to our breeding.
What at first appeared to be a tragic setback in purebred Arab breeding in Spain instead became a very important element in selection. The postwar stud book reflected a continued decrease in numbers of horses registered, but rigid culling ensured that only the finest stock was kept, and breeding continued with a rich pool of diverse bloodlines. After 1939, very few horses were imported to Spain.
As the interest in Arab horses grew in the late sixties, the number of registrations began to climb once again. Volume 39 of the stud book, the last volume published, records approximately 1,700 horses. New breeding programs have been established, and the interest of thes breeders, combined with the dedicated efforts of the older, established studs, have made Arab breeding in Spain flourish once more. The high-level competition in our shows has also become an important selection factor, encouraging continued improvement in the quality of Arabs bred in Spain.
Despite all the difficulties the Arabian has endured in our country, Spain still has more bloodlines that go straight back to the desert than any country in the world. Also, the foundation bloodlines from Poland can, in many cases, be traced back further with complete documentation than many of the horses existing in Poland today. The bloodlines we imported from France no longer exist in that country; and from England we obtained the best lines of Crabbet. The end result has been the formation of a genetic pool recognized worldwide for its good and consistent qualities, and has made the breeding of purebred Arabians in Spain a source of great pride for its breeders.
By Cristina Valdes Colon de Carvajal
The following words appear in the preface of Volume One of the Spanish Stud Book, which was published in 1885, although its records date back to 1848:
All those stallions, mares, and Arab produce imported into Spain that are not registered in a Stud Book with the regulations detailed further on, or whose parents are not registered, will not be admitted if their country of origin is not in the following boundaries:To the North, the Taurus Mountains and the Mediterranean Sea; to the West, the Suez channel and the Red Sea; to the South, the Gulf of Aden and the Sea of Oman; and to the East, the Persian Gulf and the Tigris; these limits include Syria, Al-Djezireh (Mesopotamia) and Arabian, this last divided into five main provinces: El-Irak, El-Hauran, El-Edjas, El-Yemen, and El-Hadromout, commonly known under the generic name of Nedjd.
No inscription will be given without the certificates of origin (Hudjes), which should indicate the name of the family owning the horse and the name of the tribe where it was born.
Recorded in the first volume of the Spanish Stud Book were 27 males and 12 females imported from the desert by Queen Isabel II in 1850; two stallions imported by the King in 1879; one horse born in Spain; and finally, the importation of the Cria Caballar (the military remount) from France in 1885, which included six stallions and one mare. Volume Two, which recorded the years 1886 and 1887, had an even smaller number of horses: 12 males and three females. The next few volumes are similar in numbers, and some do not include any mares at all. Almost all of the registered horses were imported; very few were born in Spain.
Despite the small numbers, the very existence of the stud book and the strict controls that were placed on registration are important today because they indicate the careful scrutiny that was given to the purebred Arabian.
In Volume Twelve (1906-1907), the number of registered horses increased with more Spanish-bred horses, as well as the first importations from Poland (then registered in the stud book as coming from Russia). The years 1908 to 1912 saw dramatic growth, with 109 new importations, mainly from Poland, Egypt, and the desert, along with several from Great Britian and France. Although these imports were mainly used as outcrosses for the military and cavalry horses, the military stud was diligent in maintaining a purebred herd from with to obtain stallions. These stallions were then sent to depositos throughout Spain, where they were bred to privately owned mares.
Private studs began to flourish at the turn of the century, and thanks to the dedication of those early breeders, the Spanish Arabian Stud book is perhaps the oldest one in existence, with one of the most comprehensive collections of documents of origin to be found anywhere in the world. Before the private breedrs took an active role in Arab breeding, many bloodlines were lost; but with their intervention, Spain acquired and maintained some of the best bloodlines to be found at that time. In 1910 the Marques de Domecq bought the desertbred mare Zulima, founding one of the most important studs in the country. Other breeders of note were Don Jose Maria del Cid; Don Jose Maria Ybarra, who bought Babilonia (Korosko x Salambo), an extremely important mare in Spanish breeding, in 1920; and the Guerrero brothers, who imported a large group of Arabian horses from France in 1923. Last, but not least, Cristobal Colon, fifteenth Duke of Veragua, started breeding Arabians at his farm Valjuanete in 1926. The Duke of Veragua imported 12 mares and two stallions from England, including Razada (Shahzada x Ranya) and five Skowronek daughters, and later acquired all the female stock as well as a stallion from the Marques de Domecq. These foundations horses made his breeding program one of the most influential in Spain.
Just before the Spanish Civil War, the breeding of Arabians in Spain was flourishing. Volume 24 of the stud book, which covers the period of 1932-1934, includes the registrations of almost 900 horses, a great number of them belonging to private breeders. But then the disastrous repercussions of the war, which lasted from 1936 to 1939, are reflected in the next stud book. Volume 25 records entries from 1935 to 1943 – only 606 horses were registered. Many of those were new entries, which indicates the actual loss of horses was much greater; perhaps as many as 700. Although the studs in the south of Spain did not suffer the direct consequences of the war, the Duke of Veragua’s stud was on the front line. Fortunately, many horses were saved through the efforts of the national calvary, with took them to safety in the south. However, with the sudden moving of the stud, identification of young stock became nearly impossible. When the war broke out, the mares taken were either in foal or had foals at foot, or both. While their purity was well known, the sires or dams of many of those foals could not be proven. These became the “Vera” mares, which have since contributed so much to our breeding.
What at first appeared to be a tragic setback in purebred Arab breeding in Spain instead became a very important element in selection. The postwar stud book reflected a continued decrease in numbers of horses registered, but rigid culling ensured that only the finest stock was kept, and breeding continued with a rich pool of diverse bloodlines. After 1939, very few horses were imported to Spain.
As the interest in Arab horses grew in the late sixties, the number of registrations began to climb once again. Volume 39 of the stud book, the last volume published, records approximately 1,700 horses. New breeding programs have been established, and the interest of thes breeders, combined with the dedicated efforts of the older, established studs, have made Arab breeding in Spain flourish once more. The high-level competition in our shows has also become an important selection factor, encouraging continued improvement in the quality of Arabs bred in Spain.
Despite all the difficulties the Arabian has endured in our country, Spain still has more bloodlines that go straight back to the desert than any country in the world. Also, the foundation bloodlines from Poland can, in many cases, be traced back further with complete documentation than many of the horses existing in Poland today. The bloodlines we imported from France no longer exist in that country; and from England we obtained the best lines of Crabbet. The end result has been the formation of a genetic pool recognized worldwide for its good and consistent qualities, and has made the breeding of purebred Arabians in Spain a source of great pride for its breeders.