The best possible souvenir from Spain...a new horse!!

:D That one's my favourite too. Hoping to keep him at a yard with a GP dressage rider who can do lessons so I can keep up his education.
 
j1ffy said:
Firewell - it's Antonio Coralles' yard near Vejer de la Frontera, so probably a bit more than 15 minutes!

jinglejoys - I've never seen donkeys like that (I assume they're donkeys not mules - their ears look very long!). Are they a special Spanish breed? They're have lovely coats, not at all like our English donkeys
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Don't ever mention the "D" word near my Mules!!!!!!!!!:D
They are Andalusian Mules.Malaga,the bay is the youngster and Picasso(Pacco)is 20yrs old,he's had a very rough life as a farmers' work animal and has the scars to proove it.When Malaga doesnt behave I threaten to send him back to Spain to learn what REAL work is ;)
I've been told there is not a Spanish word for a rider of mules but there is for a horse rider!And don't mention the Portugese attitude to mules(A member of the British Mule society entered her Mule in a Le Trec competition over there and they refused ...said it was't even a equine!She did some research when she got home and even contacted the boss of The International Trec Federation who replied that they could enter but it was up to the country however in this case it was very much against the spirit of Le Trec,then she got a ticking off from the Portugese big wig about "The Mule insident"that in no way was Portugal going to allow mules to participate and that was FINAL!As a last word he said to all watching "It would be a disgrace to have a mule taking part in an equestrian event!)
By the way have you seen this
http://www.horsemart.co.uk/advert/10_yrs_3_mths_14_0_hh_fleabitten_grey_andalusian_surrey/90961
 
Jinglejoys - they shouldn't be offended by their heritage!! They are half donkey after all... ;) Shocking story about Portuguese Le Trec, your poor friend and their mule.

Ps, that mare and baby mule are so cute, I love the foal's ears!!
 
Congratulations on your new purchase. I have a 6 year old PRE who came over from Spain newly gelded 18 months ago and he is fab. Great that your boy is getting more training before he comes to you. PRE's have extremely active minds and I've found mine is best when he is worked loads, otherwise he gets bored very easily. I would highly recommend that when he does come over you find a trainer who is familiar with the Iberian way of working and training horses and can continue the in hand work so that he can truly progress once you have him here. I can recommend either Marcia Wakeman (www.marciawakeman.co.uk) or Peter Maddison Greenwell. Both really fantastic with good reputations and have worked out in Portugal and Spain extensively.
Re the question about bits. I now ride my boy in a french link for schooling and a double for hacking. The purists say that a pelham with double reins is a no no for schooling.
All the best to you for a long and happy relationship with him. He looks lovely.
PS good idea to look at the BAPSH website for tips and advice from other PRE owners.
 
Congrats on your new acquisition!!!! :) Whats the go with taking horses from Europe to the UK over there??? Is it all fairly simple??? Im guessing you dont have the long quarrantine stays like we do here when having a horse brought from the UK to Aus for example.....
 
Herts - thank you for the links. It would be great to do some classical training (esp. the in-hand work) so I'll look that up when he's here. Great to know some local classical trainers, it was on the to-do list to look them up so you've saved me a job!

ShellCoburn - it's relatively easy here. He needs a passport (I assume vaccinations but not sure, we'll be making sure he has them anyway) and a ministry vet will check him over within 48 hours of travel. Other than that, it's on the lorry and ferry and over here! We'll be using a company called John Parker who are specialists. I can imagine the quarantine to Aus is a bit tougher, I'm sure the EU has a number of diseases that you wouldn't have there.
 
Congratulations - I know how you feel I did the same thing two years ago when I went to Portugal - all I can say is is enjoy they are a dream horse to have around but please remember they have not been brought up like we are used to here in the UK and find a trainer that knows and understands the breed - it really does help !! massive congraulations !!!! xx
 
Forgot to add that I used Parkers for the travel and they were fantastic - my horse turned up ... clean and fresh as a dasiy with all travel logs and arrangemets all sorted - lol but make sure you have access for the lorry when he finally arrives - the lorry my horse turned up in was the size of a mansion - totally awesome
 
Jiffy. Glad you found my reply useful. Marcia is lovely and very talented. She understands the Iberian horse. Their brains are incredibly active and if your is naturally hot then it will really help to have someone who knows how they have been trained out there. Trust me it will save you a lot of heartache.

I agree with abina about the different way they have been brought up. Most aren't turned out and therefore you will have to work at introducing this to him. We have 4 Iberians (luso's and PRE's on my yard and all of them are turned out alone. Mostly due to the fact they were cut late and therefore still have stallion learned behaviour.

John Parker have a great reputation and will look after your boy on his travels.

Hope the weather is nice when he comes over. Above all, enjoy him!

Another trainer I can highly recommend is Peter Maddison Greenwell. English but has worked with PRE's for over 20 years.
 
He is really beautiful, Im sure you are beyond excited.
If I could have another horse I would adore one.
 
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