History
The Andravida breed originates from the lowlands of Elia in the Peloponnese region. The fertile soil and climatic conditions of the area favored the breeding and development of large sized horses which were mainly used by the inhabitants for agricultural work and transport.
The area has a long equine history, since in Skilounta of Elia, Xenophon (431-354 BC) wrote two of the world’s oldest manuals on the handling of horses, Peri Hippikēs (On Horsemanship) and Hipparchikós (The Cavalry Commander).
Centuries later, during Frankish rule, when Andravida was the capital of Moria, domestic horses were crossbred with the large horses of the Frankish knights and later, during the Ottoman period, with eastern type horses.
In the beginning of the 20th century, the Ministry of Agriculture founded a stud for the genetic improvement of the horses in the region. During that period crossbreeding between Andravida horses and many foreign breeds took place. Among these breeds were Lipizzan, Orloff, Ardennais, Anglonorman and Nonius.
Morphological Traits
The present day horses of the Andravida breed retain many of the morphological traits of their ancestors. The type of the Andravida breed is that of the classical warm-blood horse. It is an active, lively and brave horse but not hyperactive.
The Andravida breed is the largest of all Greek breeds, with body conformation similar to those of the European athletic breeds. Its height at the withers ranges from 150 to 165 cm. The head is relatively big with large ears and nostrils. The chest is broad and deep. The croup is well developed. The limbs are relatively thin.
The main colours of the breed are bay, chestnut, grey, and red roan. White markings on the forehead area are not uncommon.
Use
The Andravida horse is suitable for many uses because of its robust physique. It has been used as a military horse, transport and draft horse as well as for various agricultural tasks. Today it is primarily bred for horse riding, with potential as a show jumper or for carriage driving.
Population
In the last few years serious efforts have been made to gather the horses with the characteristics of the breed in order to form a studbook. Based on data collected by the Andravida Horse Show, today there are about 50 female and fewer than 10 purebred male horses.
The population of the breed is classified as‘Critical’.
