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Iberian Warhorses
Iberian warhorses refer to groups of light warhorse and riding horse breeds bred on the Iberian Peninsula for centuries, represented by the Andalusia…
Timeline
- c. 700–1400Iberian Peninsula · IberiaDuring the long wars of the Reconquista, royal and noble stables of Castile, Aragon, and other kingdoms bred light warhorses, blending Arab bloodlines to form the Iberian riding tradition characterized by high leg action and agile turning.
- 1491–1500Granada and Castile · AndalusiaOn the eve of the fall of Granada in 1492, Castilian cavalry relied on Iberian warhorses for mobile strikes; that same year Columbus's expedition fleet also carried horses, laying the groundwork for introducing European riding animals to the Americas.
- 1493–1550Caribbean and Mesoamerica · MesoamericaConquerors used small cavalry forces in conjunction with firearms to charge Indigenous infantry formations; the horse's size, speed, and unfamiliarity caused enormous psychological shock, making it a key species asset of colonial military expansion.
Sources
- Andalusian horse https://www.britannica.com/animal/Andalusian
- The Horse in the Conquest of the New World — John M. Denhardt (1975)