Long before there was competitive dressage, it was the more refined breeds–IIberians, Thoroughbreds and the Lipizzaners–that were the horses of choice in the classical dressage schools of Europe. Indeed, in the early years of competitive dressage, Thoroughbreds dominated. The popularity of the more massive warm-bloods, with their ground-covering gaits, has existed for a relatively short period of dressage history.

Although warmbloods still dominate, it seems that a growing number of dressage riders, particularly adult amateurs, are discovering the original dressage horses–the Lusitanos, Andalusians and the PRE (Pure Spanish Horse).

Long-time breeders and importers of the Iberian report increasing sales too. And a growing number of warmblood breeders and trainers seem to be jumping on the bandwagon, adding Iberians to their roster of sale horses.

“I think these horses are finding their rightful place in the public eye as dressage horses again,” said Bettina Drummond, of Washington, Conn., a long-time breeder and trainer of Lusitanos.

Further evidence in their growing popularity is seen in the increased knowledge Americans are showing about these breeds.

“When I first began riding them, people would see them and ask ‘What is that?’ Four years ago, people would ask, ‘Is that an Andalusian?’ And by two years ago they’d ask ‘Is that an Andalusian or a Lusitano?’ ” said Ingred Pollack of White Fences Equestrian in Coral Springs, Fla.

Pollack has competed Iberians up to the FEI-levels and also imports them, working mostly with breeders in Brazil.


Why Are They Popular?
“They have a sensitive character, are very generous, and always try to give their best to the rider. This makes these horses perfect for any rider who wants to enjoy riding and who wants an honest partner in the sport,” said Spain’s three-time Olympian Juan Matute, who has achieved international success with PRE horses.

“They’re smooth and that makes them much easier for amateurs to deal with,” said Barb Clark, executive director of The Foundation for the Pure Spanish Horse and owner of Spanish Oaks Andalusian in Albuquerque, N.M.

Janne Rumbough, an adult amateur based in Palm Beach, Fla., and on Long Island, N.Y., has successfully trained and shown Iberians to Grand Prix, and she believes they’re also popular because “they’re beautiful looking with a Romanticism surrounding them.

“Most amateurs have a job to support their horses and they train and ride their own horses. People who work can go to the barn at night and get on and ride. And these horses are so easy for weekend riders. You can turn them out and just ride them twice a week,” she said.

Add to this the fact that they’re smart.

Rumbough described them as the “poodle of the horse world,” referring to the common belief that poodles are the smartest of dog breeds.

This intelligence is evident to those who train them, said Kim Robare, a trainer and teacher in Mt. Airy, Md., who worked with Love Menezes, a 6-year-old, Lusitano mare owned by Drummond.

“The repetition is much less because the horse is more capable of doing what you’re asking in terms of collection, balance and softness. Love will get it once and other horses take 20 times,” said Robare.

All of these characteristics also add up to safety.

“The bulk of dressage riders are middle-aged women, and they appreciate a horse that’s easier to sit and ride. These are sensitive horses, but they don’t overreact,” said Alexandra Dee, a breeder of Lusitanos and owner of Cavalo Real Lusitanos in Somis, Calif.

Iberians also make great schoolmasters because “they’re horses that lend themselves terribly well for the adult amateur to get a feel for collection and limberness,” Drummond said.

This ability to achieve collection more easily with an Iberian does much for the self esteem of adult amateurs, Dee said. “I think a lot of people can feel successful on an Andalusian or Lusitano faster than on a warmblood.”

Adding to the attraction of Iberians is the simple fact that they generally require less physical work on the part of the rider, and that’s especially beneficial to riders with physical limitations.

“You don’t need a lot of leg. The aids can be quieter and more gentle,” Pollack said. “I know of people with arthritis, bad backs and other physical problems and these horses allow them to keep riding. Iberians don’t pull on your hands, and the gaits are easier to ride.”

Rounding out the list of selling points is personality. Iberian owners note these horses really like people and are quick to bond with their riders.

A Different Training Scale
As successful as many Iberians have been in the show ring lately, those familiar with these breeds warn that not every Iberian, just as not every warmblood, is a potential dressage star. And some that do well at lower levels won’t do well at FEI level and vice versa.

“Not all these horses are flat enough and even enough in their balance at age 4 and 5 to just go from training to first to second level. You might have to show the horse a bit at training level to give it routine, but it might show much better later when the horse has more power behind and can loft its gaits with more suspension. And I think the American public has to understand that–what wins early on in the lower levels in the warmblood division is not necessarily the type of Iberian that’s going to lead to showing off the quintessential Iberian talent later on,” Drummond said.

Rumbough has had success at the FEI levels with two of her well-known partners–Gaucho III and Triumfador. She’s currently competing Gorron, a PRE stallion that started Prix St. Georges in Florida this year, and she has a son of Gaucho waiting in the wings.

But Rumbough and others skilled at training these breeds warn that success requires a different approach than that often used with warmbloods.

“It’s a mistake, if you’ve learned to train warmbloods, to think that you can take the Iberian up the same training scale,” Drummond said. “The actual scale is the same, but things have to come in a different sequence. Many Iberians will not hold up in the type of training that works for the warmbloods. There’s an owner’s manual that goes with the breeds. These horses suspend higher so they’re horses that lend themselves more to third or fourth-level frames and less to training and first levels.

“These are horses that mature quickly in their balance and slowly in the development of their gaits, mostly because they’re horses that have a tremendous topline strength and they develop much later the pushing power through the stifle and the release of the shoulders,” she explained. “They arrive at the same point as the warmbloods but from the opposite direction.”

Matute said if there’s one important difference between warmbloods and Iberian breeds it’s that Iberians “are very sensitive horses and they cannot be squeezed and they cannot accept pressure as easily as warmbloods.”

His greater concern is that because Iberians are so easy to collect, inexperienced riders will make the mistake of pushing too far, too fast.

“Having an easily collectable horse that does passage and piaffe and pirouettes naturally, might make some inexperienced amateur riders believe that their horses are ready for higher levels when the horses really are not,” Matute said.

Just as riders and trainers must educate themselves about Iberians, so too must judges.

“It’s hard for judges because the mechanics are different than for the warmbloods,” Rumbough said.

She believes Gaucho did well at Grand Prix at a time when judges were less familiar with the PRE breed because he was a PRE that had the big, scopey gaits favored by judges. “He could easily have been a warmblood.”

“There’s no doubt that some years ago the PRE was a ‘new’ breed for the sport and one that judges were not used to judging,” said Matute, noting that it wasn’t until the 1995 European Championships that the PRE made an international splash.

Drummond expressed concern that there may be an over-expectation of the breed’s ability at the FEI level, especially if the scopiness of the gaits remains such an important feature of the judging standards.

“If someone buys an Iberian for its collection abilities, it’s going to be very hard to get the kind of range and scope–and I’m not talking about quality–of gaits. There are plenty of Iberians that have the quality of gaits to do competition dressage, but at the very highest echelons, you need a prototype of horse that has been solely, singly bred for the size and the angles that give it the scope in the medium flying changes and the extended canters that will cover the amount of ground without putting too much stress on the horse’s conformation,” she said.

This isn’t necessarily that for which Iberians have been bred. “You’re looking at a breed that for 900-plus years has been bred to work in 20-meter surfaces in close quarters,” Drummond said.

But if current debates regarding how dressage is judged leads to changes in judging standards, Iberians might eventually have a real edge, she said.

“There has been an increasing demand and emphasis on going back to those old-fashioned standards of tact, discretion of aids, rideability and amenability where the horse maneuvers easily. If that sort of agility is rewarded the way it used to be in the 1920s and 1930s, when Thoroughbreds were used, then I think the Iberians will move up well in FEI-level competition,” Drummond said.