Yeguada Militar de Jerez de la Frontera facts for kids
The Yeguada Militar (pronounced: Yay-gwah-dah Mee-lee-tar) is a special horse farm in Andalusia, Spain. It's run by the Spanish military and is famous for breeding beautiful purebred Andalusian horses and Arabian horses. It started way back in 1847 and became a state-run military horse farm in 1893. Even though soldiers don't need horses for fighting as much anymore, the Yeguada Militar still works hard to keep the special bloodlines of these horses strong. They also help private horse breeders in Spain by providing top-quality stallions. Today, there are two main places near Jerez de la Frontera where the horses live, plus many smaller places across Spain where stallions are kept.
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Where the Horses Live
The Yeguada Militar has two main homes close to each other. One is called Vicos, and the other is Garrapilo. Vicos is a big area with lots of land, and it's where the mother horses (mares) and their young foals live. The young female horses (fillies) are kept separate.
When the young male horses (colts) are weaned (stop drinking milk from their mothers), they move to Garrapilo. They stay there until they are about five years old. After that, some of the best adult stallions stay at Jerez de la Frontera, while others are sent to different centers all over Spain. These centers are called "stallion depots." The Guadalete River provides water for both Vicos and Garrapilo.
A Look at History
The Yeguada Militar began in 1847. At that time, it had the oldest written records for purebred Arabian horses in the world. In the mid-1800s, Spain's Queen Isabella II wanted to improve the horses used by the military. She sent people to the Middle East to buy Arabian horses because they were known for being fast and strong. Later, King Alfonso XII also brought more Arabian horses from other European countries.
By 1893, the Yeguada Militar was officially set up by the Spanish Minister of War. Its main goal was to mix Arabian horses with local Spanish horses. This was done to create better horses for the cavalry, which was the part of the army that rode horses. The farm was meant to have 75 mother horses of different breeds. The best stallions were chosen to breed with these mares to make sure the horse population in Spain kept getting better.
Breeding Arabian Horses
The military continued to be very involved in bringing Arabian horses to Spain and breeding them. Between 1905 and 1908, the Yeguada Militar bought 23 more Arabian horses from the Middle East. They also started buying Arabians from Poland.
Many private breeders also helped. One important breeder was Cristobal Colon de Aguilera, a descendant of Christopher Columbus. He started his own farm in the 1920s and brought many Arabian horses from England. During the Spanish Civil War, his horses were scattered. However, some of his mares were found later. They were given new names, all starting with "Vera," and became part of the Yeguada Militar's breeding group. By the 1960s, there were only 328 purebred Arabians left in Spain, so the Yeguada Militar's work became even more important.
Breeding Andalusian Horses (PRE)
When the Yeguada Militar was established in 1893, it had 18 purebred Andalusian mares. These mares came from several well-known breeders. By 1949, the farm had grown to include 84 PRE (Pure Spanish Horse) mares. The Yeguada Militar has always played a key role in keeping the special qualities of the Andalusian horse.
The Yeguada Militar Today
Even though horses are not used for military battles anymore, they are still very important for many other things. The main goal of the Yeguada Militar is still to produce excellent stallions. These stallions help improve the quality of horses all over Spain.
The Yeguada Militar keeps about 35 Arabian mother horses and between 100 and 120 Andalusian (PRE) mother horses. They also own about 100 stallions. These stallions are kept at the special depots across the country. Private breeders can use these stallions to breed with their own mares for a very small fee. Some stallions stay at Jerez de la Frontera. If a stallion is not used to sire a registered horse, the mare's owner doesn't pay any fee at all. Sometimes, private breeders can even ask the government to have a Yeguada Militar stallion stay at their own farm for a short time.
The young male horses go through tough tests to make sure only the very best ones become stallions. The Yeguada Militar works with the Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art. This school trains the stallions and uses them for amazing horse shows and dressage competitions. The Yeguada Militar keeps the best young female horses to become future mothers. They sell the other young mares and fillies to private owners at an annual auction.
Thanks to the Yeguada Militar, there are now about 13,000 registered purebred Arabian horses in Spain. The farm also acts as a "genetic reservoir" for the Andalusian horse. This means they help protect and preserve the special genes of these horses. Their goal is to "breed, select, and improve the Pure Spanish PRE breeds."
Besides breeding horses, the Yeguada Militar also helps the environment. They work with the Ministry of Environment to protect the imperial eagle, a special bird that lives on the land owned by the farm.
In 2000, a book called Las Mejores Ganaderias deo Mundo said that the Yeguada Militar's breeding plan focuses on making horses even better. They want to improve their qualities and fix any problems, all while keeping the special traits of the breed. This is done by constantly checking and choosing the best horses.
See also
In Spanish: Yeguada Militar de Jerez de la Frontera para niños
