In Spain the Pure Spanish Horse is known as Pura Raza Espanola or P.R.E.  P.R.E horses are recorded in the official Spanish Stud book and must undergo revision (similar to classification) before they can be used for breeding.  Only horses that have been issued with a Spanish passport and whose parents have been approved for breeding are classed as P.R.E.

Other names such as Andalusian or Iberian horse do not represent this horse. Horses bearing this name have not been subject to the revision process and granted a breeding passport, and therefore have not been subjected to the quality control or purity of lineage that enables granting of the official documentation of the Spanish Stud Book. Horses referred to as Carthusian,  “Military” or “Terry” horses are a family (or line) within the Purebred Spanish Horse breed.

There is a single P.R.E Stud Book for the entire world, which is authorized, internationally, to produce the official documentation for Purebred Spanish Horses. This is the one and only guarantee for breed purity and which applies the internationally accepted controls for the race: DNA confirmation of the paternity, completed graphic description and microchiped at weaning, evaluation as breeding stock as a 3 year-old, assignment of a registration code in the Stud Book, etc.

The passport produced by the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture and ANCCE is the only documentation that guarantees that the animal is a Purebred Spanish Horse and it fulfils all the requirements for the identification of equines as established by the European Union.

According to the breed description in the PRE Stud Book, all colors are permitted except piebald or skewbald.

Artificial Insemination is currently only permitted in the case of breeding stock that have attained the next level of revision, called “Qualified” or “Calificado” status. Three classes of breeding stock exist within the Purebred Spanish Horse selection scheme:

Basic breeding stock
It is necessary to request the evaluation from the organization which administers the Stud Book, ANCCE.  Purebred panish Horses undergo this evaluation, during which it is decided if they are suitable for breeding, as of the age of three, and the requirements are:

            - Stallions must measure more than 1.52 m. at the withers and 1.50 m. in the case of mares.
            - There must be no sign of a fallen or broken crest, or a ‘ewe’ neck.
            - Males must be neither monorchidism nor cryptorchidism.
            - They must remain true to the breed type and character.

As of that moment, their descendants will be registered in the Stud Book. If they do not pass this evaluation, they retain their original registration papers; they continue to be considered as Purebred Spanish Horses, but lack the right of having their progeny registered.

If a horse’s registration papers have not been stamped and signed to prove that the horse is approved as breeding stock, it means that the horse has not yet passed its evaluation legitimizing its use for breeding purposes within the breed’s legal selection scheme.

Any horse that does not pass this evaluation may be presented a second time, if the owner should so desire.

Qualified breeding stock “Calificado Status”
Having passed the basic approval, the breeders can present their animals for an additional evaluation, at one of the Tribunals for Qualified Breeding Stock (TQB) in which their conformation and natural paces are analysed.

Requirements in order to pass the evaluation as qualified:

  • The stallions should measure more than 1.55 m. at the withers and 1.53 m. for the mares.
  • They must gain an average of over 70 points, with no judge awarding them less than 5 points for any of their conformation.
  • They must undergo an X-ray examination, which must discard any possibility of osteochondrosis, osteoarthritis and various bony problems.
  • Stallions must undergo an examination of their reproductive apparatus, which must discard any defects that would affect their reproduction or which could be hereditary, such as monorchidism, cryptorchidism, inguinal or scrotal and other hernias, as well as a semen count, to verify their fertility. Mares must have given birth at least once or be in foal, and have undergone a scan of their reproductive apparatus, to discards any congenital anomalies or transmittable defects.
  • Any stallion that passes this evaluation may use artificial insemination on a limited number of mares per year (the covering certificates being limited), and any animal that passes it may then go on to the next level of quality in the selection scheme.

The selection scheme for the Purebred Spanish Horse is currently, and has been for several years, in operation.  ANCCE is a direct collaborator with the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture. From the selection scheme, two new areas have arisen within the reproduction of the PRE. Having passed a series of tests and having proven the ability to transmit characteristics to their descendants, selected horses can now fulfil the following criteria:

            - Young Recommended Breeding Stock
            - Elite Breeding Stock