The president of the Costa Rican Association of Spanish Pure-Bred Horse Breeders (Asocpre), Andres Garnier, said Sunday that “The Spanish horse is the world’s most noble and beautiful.”

“The horse has things that are unique, such as its temperament. It’s the most noble horse of all,” Garnier told EFE during the 8th Central American Spanish Pure-Bred Horse Fair (Ferpre).

“Of a spectacular temperament, (this horse) can be used for a lady, a child, for classical training, pulling loads, cattleworking training, equine therapy. It’s the most versatile breed and it’s the one that offers the most for the horse user,” he said.

Garnier said that Costa Rica has experience going back to the 1940s in raising the breed. “It’s such a beautiful horse that everyone likes it. In Costa Rica, currently there are 2,500 horses of this breed,” he added.

“We have a relationship with breeders in Spain. We’ve made great friendships (there). The horses that win (horse shows) here are qualifiers from the International Horse Show held annually in Seville,” he said.

Regarding Ferpre, Garnier said that “we’ve been organizing the fair for several years and this year it was our turn in Costa Rica. On other occasions, it’s been in … Nicaragua and Honduras.”

Ferpre has been under way in the central Costa Rican city of Heredia since March 2 and will wrap up on Sunday. Participating in the event are more than 40 horse stables from Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama.

Some 160 horses from all over Central America – 120 of them from Costa Rica – are participating in the fair, with official delegations on hand from the United States, Mexico, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador and Spain.

The first awards – the male and female grand champions of the competition and the grand champions from the Central American Isthmus, along with other title-winners – will be announced Sunday evening or Monday. EFE