Horse owners had been breeding this cross of Andalusian and Quarter Horse for a good many years prior to my starting the registry here in America. Several folks were on the verge of starting a registry but had not done so, when I approached them and expressed my interest in doing it they were very supportive. That was in the spring of 1989. There were horses advertised for sale as Azteca and there were classes being held at the AAHA shows for them as well. It seemed as though there was enough interest to warrent having a registry here in America for this breed. The research that I was able to do showed how to cross the various breedings to reach the pure Azteca. When we met with the Mexican Azteca Horseowners Assn. in Mexico in 1992, I learned more about the pheonotype of the breed and the rules of registration that is used for the Mexican registered horses. They refer to this breed as the National Horse of Mexico. We had a very good time visiting farms and seeing their horses. They were very gracious hosts.
In our opinion we are reaching back into the original gene pool of the foundation Quarter Horse. When the Conquistadors brought their Spanish blood horses to Mexico during their visit to the Aztec era, they turned their horses loose rather than take them home on their return journey. More horses were brought to this continent when the Spanish started to settle the Southwestern part of the United States. We use the Spanish Mission as our logo as we feel that the American Quarter Horse was a direct descendant of the Spanish horse that the Spanish army used when it moved throughout the Western and Southwestern part of the states in the settlement of this area with the chain of Missions and their related settlements. The Spanish blood horse with it's natural athletic ability, it's cow sense that it had from working bulls in Spain and Portugal for hundreds of years, was a true asset to the settlers of the Southwest. The natural cow sense was an added asset as this breed of horse was introduced to the indians, who promptly started using it to hunt the Buffalo. The charming picture(which I suspect may be a painting) I found with its depiction of the indians and horses of that era, is in many very old books about missions. It is of the Mission Santa Clara of California in1849. That has been replaced by the current Mission Santa Clara which stands yet today on the El Camino Real for visitors to see and use. Which to my pleasant surprise is in my old home town. Perhaps I am seeing more than others may, but those horses certainly look like Spanish blood to me, makes me wonder just how old that picture may be.
A first-generation American Azteca registered with us is the result
of crossing a registered Andalusian stallion or mare to a registered Quarter
horse mare or stallion. The most common cross is Andalusian stallion on
the Quarter horse mare. Subsequent generations may be bred back and forth
as long as neither parent exceeds 6/8 of the whole.
Crossing the athletic ability of the American Quarter Horse with the VERY
athletic ability of the Andalusian is just a matter of common sense. While
it is impossible for most Quarter Horse owners to believe that there is
a breed in the world that possesses more athleticism and versatility than
their own......one needs only to watch an Azteca at play or at work to
realize that it is indeed true. Their natural balance and ability to collect
up under themselves enables them to leap sideways in the blink of an eye
to avoid the horns of a bull. They dance on their hind legs as youngsters
and adults. The Andalusian parent is the only horse in the world that can
do the "Airs Above the Ground" (made famous by their Lippizan
cousins) with a rider on their back.
Aztecas, true to their Andalusian roots, are a very social breed. They
tend to be much more interested in humans than horses, and tend to form
a strong bond with their owners. Their mellow, loving temperment, combined
with extreme intelligence, makes them a pleasure to work with and train.
One only has to watch these babies doing natural roll backs, playing at
working stock and watch their lightness and natural athletic ability to
want to own one as soon as possible It is doubted by most Azteca owners
that there is any athletic event that they could not do with ease..
The first generation foundation stock is 1/2 Quarter Horse and 1/2 Andalusian.
The second generation foundation stock is usually 3/4 Andalusian and 1/4
Quarter Horse. The third generation is the PURE AZTECA - 5/8 Andalusian
and 3/8 Quarter Horse or vice versa. Some second generation crosses are
3/4 Q H and 1/4 Andalusian. Some cutting horse enthusiasts think that
this will be a better cross, time will tell.
Physical tendencies: Like their Andalusian and Lippizan relatives,
most Aztecas are born brown or black, and eventually turn grey at adulthood.
The reason for this phenomenon is that the grey color-gene is the dominant
gene. Since most Andalusians are grey or white at adulthood, they pass
their coloring on to their offspring. Breeding for "color" is
resulting in more and more bay and black Andalusians, so inevitably this
characteristic will be reflected in the Azteca breed in the coming years.
Some breeders are finding that using the Lusitano Andalusian rather than
the Spanish Andalusian, or even the S/P cross Andalusian is also resulting
in a wider variety of colors. We are now starting to see Paint, Palomino,
Buckskin, Chestnut more often and it does not grey out with time. Other
physical traits: Strong bone density which they inherit from the Andalusian
parent. Hooves like iron which grow very slowly. It is strongly recommended
that Aztecas not be ridden until 3+ years of age, as they mature very slowly.
They start to fill out at 4 years, but are not usually finished completely
growing until 5 years and some reports of a small amount of growth at 6
years. Their mellow disposition enables colts to be 2+ years of age, in
most cases, before a decision is made on whether or not to geld. Average
size here in the states at maturity: is 15.2 to 16 hands.
copyright 1996 Azteca Horse Registry of America, Inc.