The
Andravida (also known as the
Eleia or
Ilia) is a
nearly extinct breed of horse named for the
Ilia region of
Greece in which it was first
bred. Because of its rarity outside of a small area of Greece, there are few resources on it and it remains somewhat of an enigma.
History
Ilia is a
prefecture in the
Peloponnese in
western Greece. It is well known for its breeding of the Andravida and other horses, and most of this history occurs there.
The first reports of the
ancestors of the Andravida
horse came from Ilia in the
fourth century BC, where they were used by
Athenians as
cavalry. These horses were large, strong, and powerful, and could be used for
working as well as fighting. In particular, they were used in
conquest and on
trade routes to carry goods. The next we know of the Andravida is from the seventh century AD, when
Greek forces took a
census of their cavalry and counted many Andravidas among the horses used.
Throughout the thirteenth to fifteenth centuries, the Andravida was bred heavily with
Arabian horses which composed much of the Greek cavalry and also the
French cavalry. There is a legend about the Andravida which states that sometime in the
Ottoman period, a
sultan was presented with a pair of Andravidas by the
Turkish governor. He was so pleased that he granted the residents of Ilia the right to breed these horses exclusively. This is one of the main reasons the horse is so rare today: historically, it has not been bred outside of
Greece, and rarely outside of Ilia.
The
Greek army continued to use the Andravida as cavalry horses until modern times, with a fresh supply of these horses coming regularly from Ilia. More recently, they have also been used as
show horses, particularly in
racing,
jumping, and
showing. The
newest development in the history of the Andravida may in fact save the breed from extinction. In the early 90s, the Andravida
stallion Pegasus sired nearly fifty healthy
colts, which were sent to
breeders throughout western Greece. This led to the establishment of the official Andravida
herdbook. However, its numbers are still scarce, and the likelihood that the Andravida will pull itself out of extinction is slight.
Appearance
The most important part of the Andravida's appearance is that it is a large, strong horse. Its
height ranges from fourteen to sixteen hands, with most of the horses at the upper end of the
scale. It has a deep,
muscular breast and powerful legs that make it a useful
draft horse. The head is regular with no remarkable characteristics. The
coloration is generally shades of brown, with
red or
blonde being slightly less common. Many of the show horses of the breed have white markings on the head or sides, and these are considered perfectly acceptable.
If you would like to know more about the Andravida, be forewarned that most of the available writings are in Greek. A good translation service for Greek is WorldLingo.com.
http://www.horse.gr/html/alogo.htm
http://www.malawicichlidhomepage.com/aquainfo/sideeffects/horses01.html
http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/horses/andravida/index.htmK/small>