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Andalusian Dream HorseAndalusian dream horse - from Spain to America 
Even though that was many years ago, I still had it in my dreams to someday have the privilege of owning an Andalusian stallion that resembles my childhood memory of that beautiful, noble, white horse that would perform the high school movements - Piaffe, Passage, Spanish Walk, etc. I remembered how they did exhibitions and were called "The Magical World of Dancing Horses". Time went by and I got married and started a family, but the dream of owning stallions and starting a breeding business was still there. So I started searching for my prized Andalusian. I am very picky on the horse that I was looking for, so much so that I was starting to feel as if this horse didn't exist. Then one day the internet became my best friend in trying to locate the stallion of my dreams, because I did a google search for Andalusian horses and came across a website called www.andalusians-for-you.com and found so much helpful information about this noble breed of horses.
While navigating through the site I happened to click on "Our Own Horses" and saw for the 1st time that the horse of my dreams really did exist. His name was "Armas Realejo". He was a Pure Spanish stallion. I fell in love with him at once, because he encompassed all of the things that I have held so close to my heart from being a young girl. His beautiful/baroque conformation, color, amazing amount of mane,tail, forelock, high school training, kind eye, etc....I could go on and on but it's hard to put this into words...I began to start dreaming of riding him on the beach with the wind going through his hair and feeling like a princess.. The frosting on the cake was I kept reading and found out that he was a PRE stallion with amazing lineage for breeding as well as for sale. The biggest challenge I would face is that he was located in Spain not the US and I wasn't sure what the process would be to get him here. I kept checking the site for a couple of weeks to admire his pictures and finally got the courage to email his owners to see what his price would be and how much it would cost to import him to the US as well as the process. 
Andres and Josephine soon became my email pals and very helpful with all of my many questions. I formed a trust with them, even though I had heard that not every situation works out favorably with importing horses. My husband was more cautious because we had never been through this process before and a lot of money was at stake. I guess it could be risky if you are working with the wrong people but I just had a feeling that this was a unique situation, I trust my intuition and was able to get my husband to trust as well. They stepped me through the process and made me feel more comfortable about the reality of importing an Andalusian from Spain. After negotiations with Andres and Josephine we were able to come to a purchase agreement and then the process of importation began. I was feeling as if everything was going so smoothly that the dream of owning Armas Realejo would soon become a reality. 
I was so anxious to finally meet him, but I decided that it didn't matter how long it would
take because I had found the perfect horse for me and being patient was the best way to be. I didn't have to
search any more for my Andalusian dream horse, he was on his way to me. Armas ended up being my "Christmas Wish". My husband and I drove the horse trailer all the way from San Francisco (northern California) to lax airport (southern California) to pick him up on Thursday December 21st 2006. This experience ended up being one of the most memorable for me next to marrying my husband 11 years ago, and the birth of my girls.
All I can say is was when they brought him out to me I thought I was dreaming. He was exquisite,
out of a fairytale, prancing and
looking so regal. The first thing I said was, "He is so beautiful and exactly what I dreamed he would be".
I wanted to just stare at him, but of course we needed to quickly load him into the trailer and let the next customer
retrieve their horse.
Armas traveled amazingly well on the final 10 hour drive home to Alamo, CA. Armas settled in quite quickly to his new home at HKR Farms and has become very popular. He has such a sweet and gentle personality and loves to be socialized with. He is quite the character as well and demands attention and lots of cookies and carrots. The funniest thing is he really enjoys his afternoon "Siesta". Whenever I visit him in the afternoon he is laying down taking a nap, it's so cute. 
I also really enjoy riding him, his gaits are so smooth and he is very responsive to my commands, his training is impeccable, thanks to his rider Emilio who took great care of him in Spain. We put on little exhibitions showing off all of his many moves, he enjoys the Passage and settles down into a Piaffe, we are working on perfecting the Spanish Walk as well. If I didn't have any other responsibilities of being a mom and wife, I would spend all day at the ranch playing with him. But reality only gives me 3 hours every morning while the girls are in school. 
In closing, this whole experience has been truly amazing and memorable and "meant to be". I can't wait to refer anyone interested in the Andalusian horse breed to Andres and Josephine's informative website. They are wonderful people who like me share a great love of the Andalusian horse, and it shows. Maybe some day my husband and I will be able to travel to Jerez, Spain to meet them in person and see the facility that Armas was trained in. To show my gratitude I will consistently update them with pictures and videos of Armas to keep them informed as to his progress as a breeding, pleasure, and show horse. Heather Ridgway HKR Farms Return to Stories main page Another Andalusian Dream horse story - this one on video More Horse Stories on video Return to Home Page
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