Spanish Norman
The Spanish Norman is an American horse of warmblood type, a crossbreed of the Andalusian and Percheron. In 1991, a registry was created in Connecticut in the United States to maintain records of the breed. The Spanish-Norman is bred primarily as a sport horse.
History
Both the Andalusian and the Percheron have Spanish and Barb ancestry. The Andalusian horse is descended from the Iberian horses of Spain and Portugal, and derives its name from its place of origin, the Spanish region of Andalusia. Throughout history, the Iberian breeds have been influenced by many different people and cultures who occupied Spain, including the Celts, the Carthaginians, the Romans, various Germanic tribes and the Moors. The Iberian horse was identified as a talented war horse as early as 450 BCE. Despite their ancient history, all living Andalusians trace to a small number of horses bred by religious orders in the 18th and 19th centuries. An influx of heavy horse blood beginning in the 16th century, resulted in the dilution of many of the bloodlines; only those protected by selective breeding remained intact to become the modern Andalusian.The Percheron breed originated in France, taking its name from the former Perche province. Its exact origins are unknown, and several theories have been put forth as to the ancestors of the breed. These theories include the Percheron originating variously from Arabian stallions brought to the area by 8th century Muslim invaders, Moorish cavalry horses from the Battle of Poitiers and Boulonnais horses used by Caesars legions. It is known that much Arabian, Oriental and Spanish blood was added during the breed's history.