Carthusian Spanish horse

The Carthusian horse, sometimes known as Cartujano in Spanish, is a bloodline group within the Purebred Spanish horse (PRE). The earliest lineages were tracked by 1476, leading to claims its breed registry is one of the oldest in the world. The Carthusian lineage descends from a gray stallion named Esclavo, who became the property of the Carthusian monks of Andalusia. The monks made a success of this breeding, which became famous throughout Europe in the 18th century. The Carthusian horse is morphologically distinguished from other PRE lines by its lighter body and straighter head profile, with the possible presence of bony protuberances. The Carthusian coat is usually gray. The Carthusian is used as a dressage horse and is well suited to combined driving. Carthusian breeding is concentrated in its birthplace, Andalusia, around Jerez de la Frontera, Badajoz and Córdoba.

Etymology
The Spanish name for this line, Cartujano, translates into English as Carthusian and into French as Chartreux or Cheval des Chartreux. This horse is generally classified as a PRE, so it is not a separate breed.

History
Considered by supporters as the purest and most prestigious PRE descendant, the Carthusian is claimed to have one of the oldest breed registries in the world. There are attested traces dating back as far as the 15th century. This lineage has been bred and preserved by Carthusian monks since at least 1476. There was a spiritual dimension to this breeding, as evidenced by an account of the perception of God's face in a horse's eye. These monks exerted a strong influence on horse breeding in their region, and their horses were long considered the best in Christian Europe.

The Yeguada de la Cartuja (Carthusian stud farm), near Jerez, held over 700 animals in 1700. The Carthusian bloodline was really created in the early 18th century, when two Spanish brothers, Andrés and Diego Zamora, bought a stallion named El Soldado and presented it with two mares. The mares were descended from horses purchased by the King of spain and had been placed at Aranjuez, one of Spain's oldest stud farms. One of El Soldado's descendants, a dark gray colt named Esclavo, became the founding sire of the lineage. This gray stallion is considered the perfect horse of its time. It has an abundant mane and has an excellent temperament. It is also known to have carried "warts under its tail" (in reality, melanomas ), which it is said to have passed on to its offspring, so much so that breeders have long regarded the presence of these warts as proof that an animal is indeed descended from Esclavo. Esclavo was sold to Don Pedro Picado in Portugal, but a group of mares he had sired were given to Carthusian monks to settle a debt, around 1736. Other animals from these lineages are absorbed into the main Andalusian breed. The stock given to the monks is bred as a special line, known as the Zamorano. Over the next century, the line was guarded by Carthusian monks, to the point of defying royal orders to cross these horses with Neapolitan and Central European breeds. The monks did, however, introduce the Arabian and the Barb to improve their stock.

Before the Napoleonic Wars, a breeder named Romualdo Carrera bred horses of renown. An emissary of the King of Prussia offered 50 000 reals in 1803 for the purchase of a stallion born in Jerez. The initial stock of Carthusian horses was considerably depleted during the Spanish War of Independence: only one foal from a Carthusian stallion was recovered from the Carrera stud. The strain would have disappeared had it not been for the efforts of the Zapata family. As a result, the name Zapata is sometimes used to designate Carthusian horses. In 1835, the convent's stud farm was dissolved, and its management reverted to the Spanish state, along with a few selected breeders. The dissolution of the Carthusian religious order established at the Carthusian monastery in Jerez led to the sale and dispersal of the horses to a number of private breeders in the region.

In the 1980s, Carthusian horses were particularly sought-after in Spain. Buyers paid high prices for members of the lineage. The usage of a horse from the lineage by wine merchant Thomas Terry popularized the name "Terry line" for Carthusian horses.

Description
This is a saddle horse with the typical morphology of the Iberian horse. Although it is considered a Purebred Spanish line, slight physical differences between Carthusian and other PREs are noted in the descriptions. According to Maurizio Bongianni and the University of Oklahoma study (2007), the average height is 1.54 m to 1.55 m, or 15.2 hands. In 2016, a CAB International study showed an average height of 1.57 m. In 2014, Alberto Soldi gave a range of 1.50 m to 1.57 m. The Carthusian is lighter and more slender than other PREs. It is considered elegant, strong and well conformed. The Carthusian is considered more "oriental" or concave in its head shape. The head is quite small, light and well-shaped, generally rectilinear or slightly convex, and considered more beautiful and noble than in other PREs. The forehead is broad, the ears small and the eyes large and lively. Non-Carthusian PREs tend towards more convex profiles. The tip of the nose is graceful, with small, thin lips. A rare feature is the presence of two small bumps on the bridge of the nose, called "horns" and described as bony protuberances. These are calcium deposits located under the ears. This characteristic is thought to have been inherited from Asian ancestors. It is not a criterion for lineage recognition.

The neck is graceful, muscular, slightly arched, well proportioned and firmly set at the base. The chest is deep (but less so than in other PREs ), the shoulders sloping, the thorax ample and deep. The withers are fairly low. The back is rather short and straight. The rump is round or sloping, with the tail set fairly high, carried raised in movement. The forearms are well defined. The legs are strong, with well-defined joints, ending in fairly small hooves with relatively solid horns.

This athletic horse is considered very docile and quiet. They are renowned for the grace of their movements, the quality of their walk and the cadence of their gallop.

Carthusian horses have traditionally been branded. The original Carthusian monk's mark, representing a bell, was replaced in the 18th century by a bit-shaped mark.

Coat
Carthusian are usually gray   It seems that this predominance of gray is due to the use of two breeding stock of this coat in the first half of the 20th century. There are also chestnuts, blacks and bays. Other PREs are more likely to feature coat colors such as bay. In evaluations of Andalusian horses by show judges, the gray coat color is often associated with better ratings by the same judges. In fact, the majority of horses elected Spanish champion are gray Carthusians.

Genetics and hematology
Most of today's Carthusians are descendants of Esclavo. A genetic study carried out in 2006 identified no genetic differences between Carthusian and other Purebred Spanish horses. It recommends crossbreeding between Carthusian and non-Carthusian PREs to maintain the genetic diversity of the lineage. Carthusian have been favored in Purebred Spanish breeding, leading to a high proportion of ancestry from a small number of breeding horses, which may have limited PRE genetic diversity. A 2005 study compared the genetic distance between Carthusian horses and other PREs. They calculated a fixation index (FST) based on pedigree information. The distinction between the two is not supported by genetic evidence.

Around forty four Carthusian mares were subjected to hematology studies, which showed a significant variation in blood composition with age, particularly after 13 years.

Usage
A saddle horse and light draft horse, it was nevertheless used more under saddle, notably by the nobility and high clergy. Its use as a horse-drawn vehicle was reserved for exceptional ceremonies. Since then, it has been bred for its "grace", particularly for dressage practice.

The Carthusian has influenced the Paso Fino breed found in South America.

Distribution
Many Spanish breeders claim to have Carthusian blood lineages. Pure Carthusians are rare: around 12 % of Andalusian horses registered between the founding of the studbook (in the 19th century). They represent only 3.6% of all breeding stock, but 14.2% of stallions actually used for breeding. The Carthusian strain is bred at state stud farms around Jerez de la Frontera (such as the yeguada del Hierro del Bocado) Badajoz and Cordoba, as well as by several private families. Since 1990, the National Stud of La Fuente del Suero, created near the Jerez de la Frontera Charterhouse, has been preserving the lineage. Carthusian horses generally fetch a higher price than other PREs, as a gray Carthusian is considered more valuable than a non-gray and/or non-Carthusian horse.

The Carthusian is, along with the Moyle and the Chinese "dragon horse", the only horse to feature bony protuberances on the muzzle. This has led to the assumption that American Moyles are descended from Carthusian.

In the culture
Thomas Terry, a member of the Marbella Club and a wine and spirits merchant, is also a breeder of Carthusian horses. In 1962, he selected his finest stallion, Nico, to represent the Terry Centenario brand. This "magnificent white horse" plays an important role in promoting the brand.