Carthusian

Do you wonder what makes the Carthusian Horse so unique?

From its distinctive beauty to its intelligence, the Carthusian is a revered breed with a long history.

In this blog post we will delve into all things Carthusian Horse; exploring their origins, physical characteristics, temperament and more – giving you everything you need to know about these fabulous animals!

Carthusian Horse Breed Info

Here are some of the key things you need to know about the Carthusian horse:

Carthusian Horse Facts & Information (Breed Profile)

History of the Strain

The Carthusian line was formed in the early 18th century when two Spanish brothers, Andrés and Diego Zamora, acquired a stallion called El Soldado and bred him to two mares.

The mares were derived from mares that the Spanish king had acquired and kept at Aranjuez, one of the country’s first horse breeding facilities.

Esclavo, a dark gray colt who was one of two (the other one was a filly) of El Soldado’s descendants, became the Carthusian line’s founding sire.

Around 1736, a number of mares sired by Esclavo were delivered to a group of Carthusian monks to settle a debt.

The stock handed to the monks was developed into a distinct line known as Zamoranos.

The bloodlines of the Zamoranos were conserved by the Carthusian monks throughout the decades that followed, even to the extent of defying royal demands to add foreign blood from the Neapolitan horse and central European breeds.

However, in order to improve the strain, they did introduce blood from Arabian and Barb horses.

By the 1800s, the Carthusian strain was firmly established.

During the Peninsular War (1807–1814), the original population of Carthusians was drastically reduced, and if it weren’t for the Zapata family’s efforts, the strain may have gone extinct.

In 1854 Don Vincent Romero y Garcia, a Jerez landholder, purchased the horses of the Zapata family.

Thanks to his breeding knowledge, Don Vincent managed to improve the quality of the breed without using outside blood.

Nowadays, the Carthusian strain is raised by some private families as well as on state-owned stud farms in Jerez de la Frontera, Badajoz, and Cordoba.

Special Characteristics of the Carthusian Horse

There are two features that are exclusive to the Carthusian strain.

The first characteristic is warts under the tail, and it is attributed to the foundation stallion Esclavo who passed the warts on to his offspring.

Some breeders believe that a horse needs to have warts under the tail in order to be considered a part of the Esclavo lineage.

The second distinguishing feature is the occurrence of “horns,” which are really frontal bosses and may have been inherited from Asian ancestors.

Breeders believe the Carthusian sub-strain of the Andalusian breed to be the purest strain of the breed, however, the conclusion of the study conducted in 2005 concluded that the distinction between the two is not supported by genetic evidence, and that there is no genetic distance between Carthusian strain and other types of Andalusian horses.

However, the strain is still regarded distinct from the main breed, and breeders promote it since buyers pay more for horses with Carthusian ancestry.

PRE Studbook

Several registries maintain records of horses classified as Andalusian or PRE, although their definitions of these breeds, the purity of their numerous strains, and the legality of stud book ownership vary.

As of 2011 there is at least one ongoing lawsuit to determine the ownership of the Spanish PRE stud book.

Only around 12% of the Andalusian horses registered between the stud book’s establishment in the 19th century and 1998 were categorized as Carthusians, making the pure sub-type rare.

However, there are certain morphological distinctions: Carthusians have more “oriental” or concave head profiles and are more commonly gray in color, while non-Carthusians have convex profiles and also exhibit other coat colors such as bay or black.

If you’re interested in learning more about this fascinating breed, keep reading!

Alternative Names

“Carthusian-Andalusian”, “Carthujano”

Temperament/Personality

Gentle

Physical Characteristics

The head is elegant with a more concave profile than other Andalusian starins, wide forehead, small ears, and large eyes.

The neck is well proportioned and arched, and the chest is deep and wide.

The shoulder is sloped, and the beck is short.

The croup is also sloped.

The legs are sturdy with broad, clean joints.

The majority of members of this breed have good conformation.

Some individuals have “horns” or frontal bosses, which are mostly calcium-like deposits at the temple or small horn-like protuberances near or behind the ear.

Colors

Most commonly gray, but chestnut and black are also seen

Height (size)

Average 15.2 hands high

Stallions

n/a

Mares

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Weight

1,100 pounds (500 kg), while mares weigh slightly less at approximately 900 lb (400 kg)

Blood Type

Warm

Common Uses

Riding

Health

n/a

Popular Traits

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Feeding/Diet

n/a

Country of Origin

Spain

Ancestors

Foundation stallion Esclavo