Spanish Dancers
Andalusian warhorses are transformed into beings of grace & beauty in Southern Spain.
Story by Erin Deinzer
The lights in the arena dim as flamenco music fills the air—castanets punctuating the beat of the song. I sit in my bleacher seat surrounded by hundreds of other visitors to the arena, their hand-held fans waving in the midday heat like a thousand monarchs’ wings in restless anticipation of the show we’re about to watch: Como Bailan los Caballos Andaluces (“How the Andalusian Horses Dance”).
I’d arrived in the Andalusian city of Jerez de la Frontera during a tour through southern Spain, where the Fundacion Real Escuela Andaluza del Arte Ecuestre (the Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art) is located. Earlier in the week, I’d spent some time learning about local customs and traditions, including a brief lesson in flamenco dancing at a nearby ranch.
As I passed through fertile fields where olive trees grew in abundance and vaqueros rode the hills overseeing cattle-ranching operations, it seemed the perfect location for the training and education of both riders and horses.
Schooled in the art of dressage (the guidance of a horse through a series of complex maneuvers, using slight shifts in a rider’s weight, hand, or leg movements), the horses in training at the school are Andalusians. Particularly adept at following commands, they’ve been bred to be docile enough to take instruction yet fiery enough to carry themselves with pride.
The Andalusian has a fascinating history: Over 3,000 years ago, horses from the Iberian Peninsula were well known as superior warhorses because of their strength and agility. The Romans used them to pull their chariots, and Julius Caesar wrote about their talents on the battlefield. In 218 B.C., Hannibal relied on them (as well as on elephants) to help him cross the Alps into Italy.
In 1493, Spain passed a law that made it mandatory for every ship leaving the country to have at least a dozen native horses onboard — including the Andalusian. As a result, almost 80% of all modern breeds in former Spanish lands can trace part of their lineage to the Spanish horse’s bloodline. The Andalusian also became the premier warhorse of Spain, and in many ways it carried the country to greatness during its years of conquest.
As the magnificent white horses enter the arena at the Real Escuela, they are indeed stunning to behold. These particular horses are known as Andalusian Carthusians — believed to have descended from Andalusians bred by monks at a Carthusian Monastery during the 15th century.
The school uses humane methods to train them for as long as seven years before they are ready to perform; then, having passed through the rigorous training period, they will become part of the group of Andalusians that I’m now watching confidently striding into the theater—carrying riders who wear costumes evocative of clothing worn in the 18th and 19th centuries.
I watch as the snow-colored equines are led through a choreographed “dance” set to classical music. The riders hold the reins in one hand and take the horses around the ring, changing their rhythm, speed, or direction with almost imperceptible commands. Stepping hoof-over-hoof in a sideways parade or kicking their legs straight out in front of them like high-stepping dandies, the synchronized movements of the Andalusians are beyond impressive.
Just as I’ve begun to appreciate the hard work and training that have led the horses and their riders to the pinnacle of this intricate, synchronized performance, a rider walks into the arena leading a horse by the reins. Stopping in the middle of the track, the horse stands as a solitary figure of pure muscle, beauty, and intellect. Upon command, this most elegant of animals jumps up from the ground, defying the gravity that pulls at his 1,500-pounds of sheer mass. In midair, he kicks—extending his legs out in front and behind—then lands on his feet and immediately jumps again: this time pulling his legs in and clicking all four hooves together beneath his belly.
By the time the horses have finished performing, it’s hard to believe there’s anyone in the arena unmoved by the skill and dedication of the performers: two- and four-legged.
Once more, the horses of Spain have upheld their place of honor.
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Fundacion Real Escuela Andaluza del Arte Ecuestre (the Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art): https://www.realescuela.org/en/main/
Useful info about Cadiz: https://guiadecadiz.com/#
More useful info about Andalusia: https://www.andalucia.com/
Photo credits: Erin Caslavka Deinzer, iStockphoto.com, Helena Lopes (Unsplash.com), RealEscuela.org
