The Slower Road

As I mentioned yesterday, the Carthusian (oldest, purest) strain of Spanish horses was bred — starting in the fifteenth century — by the Carthusian monks who lived and worked at this monastery:

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The horse-breeding operation is now carried out at a modern facility farther outside of town, and this former monastery is now, we were told, a private convent. Sadly, it’s not open to the public, so we could merely admire the facade and imagine how ornate and beautiful it must be on the inside.

Following along from yesterday’s video of a Doma Vaquera performance, let’s go back briefly to southern Spain with our group of CAA travelers. And let’s concentrate today on the horses, because they’re so darned beautiful.

During our CAA trip to Andalusia earlier this year, we toured the Yeguada de la Cartuja. This official stud farm for the Carthusian strain of Spanish horses (the oldest and purest strain) is located near Jerez de la Frontera.

First, we were given a brief history of the Carthusian monks’ breeding program (which began sometime in the fifteenth century) and its evolution into the modern breeding farm we were visiting on that Saturday in April.

Then, we visited the stud farm’s small collection of carriages, two of which you can see here:

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Next, we enjoyed a tour of the stables, the hospital, and the rest of the modern facility.

Finally, we attended the Yeguada’s spectacular daily show. It’s held in a covered arena, but one end is open to the outside … all the better for allowing herds of horses to gallop into the arena!

The first in was a large group of yearlings:

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Then, after they left, a gorgeous young stallion was given the entire arena to show off:

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And then came a lovely group of mares. Each one wears a neck collar, with a bell attached. And the neck collars are all attached to each other, creating a row of mares. The mares’ “handler” is not physically connected to them in any way but controls the entire row with his voice and whip (which is, of cours, snapped in the air, not at or on the mares).

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A herd of foals!!

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As the show was wrapping up, I stepped outside the arena for a minute and witnessed two of the most iconic Spanish-horse scenes of the day:

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I think it’s almost time to head back to Spain, here on the blog, and share some more photos and stories from our CAA group’s trip there earlier this year.

To get us all in the mood, how about some Spanish guitar music and “Doma Vaquera”?

Doma Vaquera is a style of Spanish riding (similar to what we in the U.S. might know as “cowboy dressage”) that evolved from working with cattle and bulls on the ranches of southern Spain.

This show appears to have taken place in Germany, judging from the Warsteiner beer ads along the side of the arena. And, judging by the German-language narration at the beginning, it was broadcast on German TV.

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