Draft:Spanish Spotted Saddle Horse

• Comment: Only cites primary sources, which do not establish notability per WP:GNG.
  Several paragraphs, and entire sections even, are unreferenced – where is all this info coming from? DoubleGrazing (talk) 10:40, 9 September 2024 (UTC)

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This page is about a new breed of baroque-type horse with a spotted coat. For historical Spanish horse, see Jennet. For modern descendants of the original Spanish horses imported to the Americas, see Spanish Jennet Horse.

The Spanish Spotted Saddle Horse is a newly established breed, developed to combine the baroque elegance of the Pura Raza Española (PRE) with a striking leopard-spotted coat pattern. Created to replicate a now-extinct breed, it was officially recognized by DEFRA in 2021. The breed is known for its expressive movement, intelligence, and suitability for advanced disciplines such as dressage and show-jumping. The breeding program focuses on maintaining over 90% PRE blood while introducing the Leopard complex, resulting in a visually distinctive and versatile riding horse.

Not to be confused with the modern Spanish Jennet Horse, which requires the breeding of Paso Fino or Pinto coloured Paso horses.

Spanish Spotted Saddle Horse

Country of origin	Britain
Use	dressage, show-jumping
Traits
Height	14.2hh to 16.2hh
Colour	Any base colour and diluted base coat is accepted, but grays are not permitted in the main registry.
Distinguishing features	Baroque type horse with Leopard Spotted and Blanket Leopard Spotted patterned coat.
Breed standards
British Association for the Purebred Spanish Horse
Equus ferus caballus

History

The now-extinct Spotted Purebred Spanish Horse (Spanish Spotted Jennet), was a popular mount of Royalty and Nobility throughout Europe, and it featured in many paintings of battles and military campaigns which can be found in Museums and private collections around the world.

It is also believed that the breed provided much of the foundation stock for the Spanish Riding School of Vienna and features in many of the schools early paintings of horses in work, demonstrating the horses excellence in classical dressage.

As popularity waned for the spotted horse the Lp and Patn1 genes were bred out in favour of the solid bay, black and grey coat colours now found in the Andalusian which is widely considered to be the same as the Pura Raza Española.

21st Century

Since the early 2000's the Purebred Spanish Horse Studbook, ANCCE-LGPRE, no longer permits the registration of Spotted horses into the PRE Studbook, as white patches are an undesirable characteristic.

However, despite this change in registration criteria for the PRE horse, there is still a strong desire from both the United Kingdom and Europe for a baroque-type Spotted Horse displaying the PRE characteristics. This led to the creation of the Spanish Spotted Saddle Horse Breeding Programme to introduce new spotted blood to the PRE to reproduce the Spotted Spanish Jennet.

Establishing a new breed

The Spanish Spotted Saddle Horse is a new breed whose characteristics will replicate a very beautiful baroque-type Spanish horse. The breed was officially recognised by DEFRA on 26 July 2021.

The SSSH Breeding Programme sets out to create a consistent horse type with 90% or more PRE blood and a Leopard Spotted coat to meet the requirements laid out in the breed standard.

Breed Characteristics

The Spanish Spotted Saddle Horse has the characteristics of the baroque PRE horse such as elevated and extensive movement which is combined with the Leopard complex to produce a spotted or blanket pattern of large oval spots on a white background.

These horses are produced by crossing Pura Raza Española horses with either Knabstrupper and/or Appaloosa blood, both breeds were selected as they are descended from the original [Spotted Purebred Spanish Horse]] and inherited the Lp and Patn1 genes from their ancestors.

The breed aims to create responsive riding horses which are naturally balanced and powerful in all three gaits, with good flexion of the joints and elevation in the front and hind. These horses display intelligence and show aptitude for advanced dressage and show-jumping.

Colour

It is permittable to register horses with any base colour or coat dilute, but gray is not permitted to be registered in the main studbook as the loss of pigment in the coat distorts the spotting pattern, and makes horses more prone to developing melanomas.

The use of gray PRE horses is permitted on approval from the society where a horse has exceptional type, confirmation, ability or other desirable traits. The progeny of this mating follows the standard rules for registration. Heterozygous grey mares are not permitted to be mated with grey stallions.

To be registered in the main studbook a horse must be at least heterozygous for Lp, they will be registered instead in Appendix-A if they have Patn1 but no Lp. Horses with neither are eligible to register in the main PRE Fusion studbook.

White markings not a result of the Lp or Patn1 gene are not desired and should be minimal to allow maximum expression of the Leopard complex.

Genetic disorders

There are two disorders known to affect the Spanish Spotted Saddle horse and its spotted relatives, PSSM1 (Equine polysaccharide storage myopathy) and Congenital stationary night blindness (CSNB).

PSSM1 (Equine polysaccharide storage myopathy) is known to affect some Appaloosa horses. The registry requires that either parent stock or the resulting foal are tested for PSSM1 before registration. Horses with a positive test result cannot be bred from and will be registered in Appendix A of the studbook.

Congenital stationary night blindness (CSNB) is a condition that only affects individuals who are homozygous LpLp, and does not impact the ability to live a normal life although it is recommended to increase lighting around the yard and allow more time to adjust to lighting changes.

See Also

• Andalusian
• Knabstrupper
• Appaloosa