Alter Real
Intro
The Alter Real breed comes from Alter do Chao a small town in the Alentejo province of Portugal, which is where the flagship stud is located. Real is the word for ‘royal’ in Portuguese, this breed is the royal breed of Alter.
Origins
This breed began as carriage horses in Lisbon, and their bloodlines have a heavy Andalusian influence. During Napoleonic invasions Arabian, English Thoroughbred, Norman and Hanoverian blood was introduced, unfortunately the resulting animals were of poorer quality than the original stock.
A later attempt to improve the breed with Arabian blood also failed. It took an influx of Andalusian blood to refine and improve the bloodlines again.
At the start of th 20th century the Alter Real faced extinction when Portugal renounced its monarchy. At that time the government discontinued the breeding programs and gelded the stallions.
A few were saved and bred personally by Dr. Ruy d’Andrade and in 1942 a small, thriving herd was handed back over to the Ministry of Agriculture for safekeeping.
Features
Average height 15.1 – 16.1 hands
Strong and powerfully built
Impressive high-stepping action
Physique
Head is refined
Short, strong neck
Broad, muscular back
Long pasterns and strong hocks
Traditional Colors
Temperament
Intelligent and quick to learn
A beautifully elegant, high energy animal
Use
Show horse
Performance horse
Pleasure animal
Carriage horse
Helpful Links
*All links open in a new window
My Pets
Equine Kingdom
