The Spanish Andalusian and the Portuguese Lusitano are known collectively as the "Iberian Horse" from their place of origin, Europe's Iberian Peninsula. A new brand to represent these beautiful horses was approved by the International Andalusian and Lusitano Horse Association (IALHA) at their recent board meeting in Tulsa.

The IALHA is the North American registry for all bloodlines of the Iberian Horse, including pure Spanish, pure Portuguese, pure Spanish/Portuguese and Half-Andalusians. The new brand is designed to symbolize the breed and the IALHA's commitment to bring together all aficionados of these amazing horses.

The new brand combines a number of symbolic elements in the style of brand that is typical of those used by European breeders in Spain and Portugal. Patrick Brennan of the IALHA explains that, "the brand incorporates a large 'I' to symbolize Iberian, along with an 'A' for Andalusian and an 'L' for Lusitano. Finally, above these letters, is an overarching crown to symbolize the historic recognition of the breed as 'the horse of kings.'"

Although they represent Europe's oldest breed, Andalusians and Lusitanos were very rare in North America until just a few years ago. Now they are among the fastest growing of the rare breeds. This newfound popularity is due to the Iberian Horse's athleticism, beauty and fantastic temperament. The need for recognition mandated the development of a breed brand by the IALHA.

The new brand is a trademark and is retained for use by the IALHA, its members and licensees. The brand will be available for use in member advertisements (artwork is available from the IALHA office). The brand will also be displayed on IALHA authorized merchandise like saddle pads, coolers, decals, etc. The IALHA restricts the brand's use in ads to members and its use on tack to IALHA registered horses.

For more information on the Andalusian and Lusitano breed brand, e-mail [email protected]. For more information on Iberian horses, go to the IALHA website at www.IALHA.org.


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