Aztec (horse)
| Aztec | |
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| Important data | |
| Origin: | Mexico |
| Main breeding area: | Mexico |
| Distribution: | low |
| Stick measure : | approx. 150 cm |
| Colors : | all except piebalds |
| Main application area: | Riding and work horse |
The Aztec is a very young breed of utility horse that was created in Mexico to improve riding abilities. They have been bred there since the beginning of the 1970s, including at the Texoco stud in Mexico City .
Background information on horse evaluation and breeding can be found under: Exterior , interior and horse breeding .
Exterior
The Aztec is similar in type to the Spanish and North American breeds and is a light, medium-sized riding horse. Its head is dry and fine, the profile mostly straight or subconvex. Small ears and beautiful eyes complete the impression of the head area, which arises from a strongly muscled, nicely curved and well placed neck. If the shoulder is long and sloping, the withers is medium. The strong and short back changes into a long, slightly sloping croup . The fuselage is characterized by sufficient depth and width, but is partially slightly overbuilt at the rear. Despite its delicate appearance, the feet & legs are sufficiently stable and show dry, sometimes tight joints and small, hard hooves. The mechanism is elegant, but sure-footed and agile.
interior
Due to the close relationship to the original breeds of Spain and the western horses of North America, the Aztec is endowed with a pleasant, calm temperament.
Breeding history
In the early 1970s, Mexico realized that most native horse breeds could not be satisfactory in terms of quality and performance. It was therefore decided to improve it by means of back-breeding.
The Mexican horses go back to the Spanish breeds via the criollos , and due to the geographical proximity to North America, to their western horse breeds, especially the American Quarter Horse .
By mating Andalusian and Quarter stallions with Criollo mares, the Aztec breed could be bred with great success. In particular, the proximity to the Spanish horses helped the breed to develop characteristics that perfectly matched Mexican demands. This created a fast, elegant horse with plenty of cow sense that is particularly helpful when working on the haciendas .
In 1982 the breed association Associacion Mexicana de Criadores de Caballos Raza Azteca was founded, which also maintains the breed book . For entry in the stud book, a blood proportion of three to five eighths of quarter or Andalusian blood and a maximum of one quarter of Criollo blood is required.
