As part of its mission to expand the scope of the Spanish purebred breed and, ideally, translate this knowledge into sales, the Royal National Association of Breeders of Spanish Thoroughbreds (Annce) has an internationalization program where … It cooperates with the Institute of Foreign Trade (ICEX) and the Federation of Selected Livestock Associations (Feagas). Some have so-called “reverse missions” in which they aim to open up other markets and get potential clients to come and see Spanish horses first hand in what is even bigger. This target audience includes women over 40 years old. “Horse riding outside of Spain is in the hands of womenWhether it is France, Germany or the United States…the proportions are 90% women and 10% men,” Manuel González, executive secretary of Annce and head of the international promotion area, explains to this newspaper.
Its international work focuses on markets outside the European Union, among which it stands out United States, Mexico and United Kingdom. There they attend exhibitions and publish the characteristics of the purebred Spanish horse so that riders and trainers can go directly to the Sicap and get to know the specimens from a first-person perspective. “They buy horses, train them and sell them. Or they offer lessons to clients, especially ladies who are passionate about dressage, and amateur riders who compete at the amateur level. In the United States, 99% of them are women and they train others“Adds Gonzalez.
At the same time, Annce has a sectoral plan through which it enters the European market, especially in Germany, but also in the United States, where it is a “key stakeholder”, where it carries out advertising campaigns. The person in charge of the international area explains that the goal is for those ladies in the eastern part of the United States and in California, who usually have a Central European horse, to have a Spanish horse. This is mainly because the Spanish Horse is perfectly adapted to this general profile due to its characteristics A noble character, as he is easy to collect and perform moves that are difficult to achieve with Central Europeans. “When one of these ladies, who always ride Central European horses, rides a Spanish horse, she is surprised at how easy it is, that they have enough to ride three-quarters of an hour a day, and that they are able to do things at a high level that others cannot do,” explains Manuel Gonzalez.
As for GermanyIt also has the advantage of being a country that loves horses very much. In the country there Nearly a million rider licenses while Spain has about 10,000 licenses. In both countries, what is encouraged is classical dressage and practical riding.
Training in Spain
One of the fruits of these missions is the current version of Sicab, of which ABC is the exclusive sponsor 2002 Olympic racer in Jerez, silver medalist for the United StatesA Trainer located in Wellingtonwho has a stable of 80 horses and is already selling Spanish horses. Another example of this is the position of the United States Breeders Association, which is called the USPE. “Well, here are 30 women who own horses or raise horses in the United States. “The majority are owners, and that’s what we should be looking for, people who consume horses.”
Another interesting part for Annce is that the buyers, these ladies, would buy a young horse in Spain, give it to a Spanish rider to train it and take it to the St. George level (dressage level), and from a horse that was 8 or 9 years old, it was a horse that they would later use to compete in their country. “They train him here because it is much cheaper there A training center can cost $5,000 per month“, which is a high price in Spain,” explains Annce’s executive secretary, who also highlights that being in the hands of a rider who knows the breed knows exactly how to handle it. “Horse owners come to Spain three or four times a year to see their horses, and this also encourages high-level tourism,” he adds.
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