“She’s a baroque horse,” the instructor said, describing an Andalusian mare to her young student.

“Why is she broke?” the student asked.

“Baroque” is a term often used to describe several of the older European breeds, specifically the Andalusian, Lipizzaner, Lusitano and Friesian. The term refers to the period of art of 17^th century Italy, and of the type of horse depicted in that artwork. The baroque breeds, bred for the demands of the cavalry, are traditionally hardy and long lived.

The baroque horse was bred for collection, to be able to rock back on its hindquarters and achieve ultimate lightness in the front end. This particular conformation allows not only for athletic and agile war horses that could rear and spin out of the way of another but also lends itself to the natural ability to perform collection—collected movements most noted in dressage but particularly dramatic in haute-ecole, or high school, dressage,  including airs above ground like the capriole or levade. (Particularly well known for the aires above ground are the Lipizzaner horses of the Spanish Riding School, Vienna, Austria.)

The Andalusian, named after the province Andalucia, and Lusitano, named after the Latin term for Portuguese, trace their history to the Iberian horses of the Iberian Peninsula (what is now Spain and Portugal). The Iberian horses (also called Spanish horses) received an influx of Moorish Barb (Arabian) blood. These horses were lighter in build than the heavier war horse and became renowned for their maneuverability and courage. In their native countries, the Andalusian and Lusitano are both used as cow ponies as well as the mounts for bull fighters.

During its history, the Andalusian suffered near extinction. Napoleon’s army invaded Spain in the 1800s and stole many horses. Disease nearly destroyed the breed in the 1830s. In only the 1960s was the breed allowed to be exported, and the first to arrive in the U.S. were in 1965.

The Lusitano is the result of the Andalusian breed (and changes made to the breed) descending out of Portugal. The Greek horseman and warrior Xenophon was said to be particularly fond of the Lusitano.

Descending from the Andalusian is the Lipizzaner, which was exported to the Austrian Empire during the 16^th century. During World War II, the breed was threatened with destruction until American General George Patton’s army rescued several horses.

The name Lipizzaner, comes from the Italian “Lipizza,” a name for a village in Slovenia near Italy.

During the 16th Century, the Hapsburg Empire had control over Austria and Spain. The Hapsburg family founded a stud in Austria as well as in Lipizza. The stud farms imported more Spanish horses as well as horses from Italy, and crossed them with local bloodlines.

The Spanish Riding School was established in 1735 to maintain the records of the Lipizzaner as well as to perpetuate the style of classical horsemanship. “Lipizzaner” is used when referring to the breed; whereas, “Lipizzan” is used when referring to a particular horse. (However, some say that in Europe, it’s “Lipizzaner,” and in America, it’s “Lipizzan” regardless of referring to either horse or breed.)

Known as the “dancing white horses,” the Lipizzan horse is traditionally gray in color. A very rare bay or black may be born on occasion. Lipizzans are bred at Piber Stud, Austria, and Lipica Stud, Slovenia. Now there are several Lipizzaner breeders in the U.S.

Another breed that is often referred to as baroque is the Friesian. The black horse with feathers on his legs traces his history to Friesland, a province of the Netherlands and was a war horse even in the 1200s. The more modern breed has much Arabian blood resulting from the blood of Andalusian horses from Spain.

Crossbreeds of these baroque horses are becoming quite fashionable in the show ring, including the Analusian/Thoroughbred cross and the Lipizzaner/Thoroughbred cross. The Azteca, the national horse of Mexico, which is gaining popularity in the U.S., is an Andalusian/Quarter Horse cross.

Because of their reputation for level-headedness and trainability, the baroque breeds are gradually showing up in horse shows through the U.S.