Carthusian horse
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The Carthusian horse, also known as the Carthusian-Andalusian and the Cartujano, is a side breed of the Andalusian rather than a distinctive breed in itself, although it is true to its original form and has not been absorbed by the Andalusian. The Carthusian is one of Spain's oldest and purest breeds, with one of the oldest stud books in the world.
[edit] Breed Characteristics
One particular characteristic of the Carthusian is the warts found under its tail, and bony growths on the forehead, resembling horns. Both are from the foundation stallion, Esclavo. At one time, any horse that did not have warts under its tail was not considered a descendant of Esclavo.
Gray is the most common color, although they can be black or chestnut. They usually stand 15 to 16 hh.
The Carthusian has a fine head and a well-set, muscular neck. The shoulders are sloping, the chest is deep, and the hindquarters are muscular. Nearly all Carthusians have good conformation.
[edit] Breed History
As the story goes, a man named Andres Zamora and his brother owned several Spanish mares. Andres recognized a stallion pulling a cart as a horse he had ridden in the cavalry, named El Soldado, and proceeded to buy him and breed him with his mares. One of the offspring was a colt named Esclavo.
Esclavo was considered perfect in temperament and conformation, and was to become the foundation stallion of the Carthusian. He sired many excellent foals. One day, when Andres was not at home, his brother sold the stallion in Portugal for a great sum of money. When Andres returned, he was devastated, and died soon afterward.
A few of the offspring of Esclavo were sold to Don Pedro Picado in 1736, who then gave some of the mares to the Carthusian monks to settle a debt. The rest of the horses were sold to Antonio Abad Romero and were eventually absorbed into the Andalusian breed. These monks kept the strain pure, and integrated them into a special line known as Zamoranos. The monks guarded the bloodlines, and even defied a royal order to introduce Neapolitan and central European blood to their stock.
In 1854, the Jerez landlord Don Vincent Romero y Garcia bought many Carthusians, and helped to improve the breed without the use of any outside blood.
The Carthusian is now maintained by the state-owned studs of Córdoba, Jerez de la Frontera, and Badajoz. Esclavo passed both his conformation and his temperament on to his progeny.
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