“Breeding the PRE in the United States:
The Influence of the Spanish Horse on America’s Most Elite Horse Markets”

ABSTRACT of a Paper to be Presented in Sevilla, November 2005
by Kimberly Van Kampen Boyer

The PRE is yet an exotic breed in the United States, where horses are a billion dollar industry. The potential for familiarization and growth for this breed in the States is significant, especially in the high-end dressage community that is poised to explode into the PRE market as soon as certain steps are taken. Historical and current warmblood statistics and prices in the U.S. provide a paradigm for the potential for this market.

PRE breeders in the United States face a number of challenges and opportunities that they are only beginning to realize. Historically, American PRE breeders were primarily halter-class enthusiasts with a small minority of the animals used for any other function. This is now beginning to change. Quality is still inconsistent with the American breeders but improving. Furthermore, there are a number of obstacles that make breeding the PRE more difficult than the “Andalusian”, and these should be addressed.

Dressage is the arena where the PRE excels, in this author’s opinion, beyond all other breeds, and where the PRE will have its greatest success in America and in the rest of the world. Hampton Green Farm is the first farm to campaign its breeding stallions in Open Dressage at the highest levels. As a breeder of a modern sport horse in the U.S., we seek to emphasize and develop certain characteristics of the breed that produce strong dressage performance.

Of all the Iberian breeds and breeding in the States, the PRE holds the elite status. Requests for young breeding stock is only beginning in dressage circles, however the demand for trained PRE horses outpaces the supply and clients are now paying a premium. Additionally, the question of crossing the PRE with other breeds is one that has somewhat of a documented record and may be the bridge to the other American horse sports. For the success of the breed, American breeders must be encouraged to sponsor riders and campaign their stock. With continued education regarding the demands of the high-end clientele, and increased and intelligent purchases of breeding stock here in Spain, the PRE can find a national enthusiasm in one of the United State’s most demanding horse markets.