Azteca horse
Country of origin | Mexico |
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The Azteca is a
Breed characteristics
The three foundation breeds of the Azteca are the Andalusian (defined by the Mexican registry as either
Registration
According to the breed standard of the Mexican registry, Azteca horses cannot have more than 75 percent of their parentage from any one of the foundation breeds (Andalusian, Quarter Horse and Mexican Criollo); Criollo blood may be no more than 50%, and only from unregistered mares within Mexico. Horses are classified in one of six registration categories, designated with letters A through F, depending on their parentage. Only certain crosses between the different classes are permitted.
In the American Azteca registry, horses with American Paint Horse (APHA) breeding are also allowed. However, horses with more than 25 percent Thoroughbred blood in their pedigrees (common in many Paints and Quarter Horses) within four generations cannot be registered.[5] American Aztecas have four categories of registration based on the relative degree of blood from each foundation breed, seeking an ideal blend of 3/8 Quarter Horse and 5/8 Andalusian.[5] Unlike their Mexican counterparts, they do not have to go through physical inspections before being registered.[8]
History
The Azteca was first bred in 1972 as a horse for
The Associacion Mexicana de Criadores de Caballos de Raza Azteca, or Mexican Breeders Association for the Azteca Horse, is the original breed registry and still maintains the international registry. The International Azteca Horse Association and its regional affiliates was formed in 1992. The majority of Aztecas are found in Mexico, and the Mexican association had registered between 10,000 and 15,000 horses as of 2005, according to the Texas Department of Agriculture. The Mexican registry adds approximately 1,000 horses per year.[4]
The Azteca Horse Registry of America was formed in 1989 for registering the US portion of the breed, followed by the Azteca Horse Owners Association in 1996 as an owners association.[11] This registry has slightly different registration and breeding rules, and is not approved by the Mexican government to register Azteca horses.[4] The American registry, now called the American Azteca Horse International Association, allows the use of American Paint horses, which are essentially Quarter Horses with pinto coloration, if they have less than 25 percent Thoroughbred breeding. However, the US registry does not incorporate Criollo bloodlines. The Mexican registry allows only the blood of Quarter Horses, Andalusians and Criollos in its registered Aztecas.[5]
Uses
Because of the breeds that make up the Azteca, they are known for their athleticism. They have been seen in competition in
Notes
- ^ Estandár Archived 2012-04-26 at the Wayback Machine (in Spanish) AMCCRA Asociación Mexicana de Criadores de Caballos de Raza Azteca, A.C. Retrieved 2010-01-03. "Standard".
- ^ Caskie, Donald M. (Azteca Horse Association of Canada) Azteca: a horse custom-built for performance, style and tradition Retrieved 2012-01-04.
- ^ El Caballo Azteca (in Spanish) Alta Escuela Mexicana de Jinetes Domecq, 2010. Retrieved 2012-01-04. "The Azteca horse".
- ^ a b c d e f g Dutson, pp. 82-84
- ^ a b c d e Lynghaug, pp. 143-145
- ^ Esquema de cruzamiento para el caballo azteca[permanent dead link] (in Spanish) Asociación Mexicana de Criadores de Caballos de Raza Azteca, A.C., y A.G. Retrieved 2012-01-04. "Official cross-breeding chart for the Azteca horse"
- ^ Documentación[permanent dead link] (in Spanish) Caballo Azteca Europa. Retrieved 2012-01-06. "Documentation"
- ^ "American Azteca: Our Breed's Official Name". American Azteca Horse International Association. Archived from the original on 2011-09-03. Retrieved 2011-05-30.
- ^ "Azteca". Oklahoma State University. Archived from the original on June 9, 2012. Retrieved 2011-05-29.
- ^ "Azteca". International Museum of the Horse. Retrieved 2012-01-03.
- ^ Harris and Langrish, p. 65
References
- Dutson, Judith (2005). Storey's Illustrated Guide to 96 Horse Breeds of North America. Storey Publishing. ISBN 1-58017-613-5.
- Harris, Moira C. and Bob Langrish (2006). America's Horses: A Celebration of the Horse Breeds Born in the U.S.A. Globe Pequot. ISBN 1-59228-893-6.
- Lynghaug, Fran (2009). The Official Horse Breeds Standards Guide: The Complete Guide to the Standards of All North American Equine Breed Associations. Voyageur Press. ISBN 978-0-7603-3499-7.