A Strathbury’s Horse represents the highest standard of PRE and Lusitano horses available in the UK. Each horse passes through our rigorous selection, veterinary and acclimatisation programme before earning the Strathbury’s name.

The Strathbury’s Standard

Every Strathbury’s horse has successfully completed:

✔ Careful selection from trusted Iberian breeders
✔ Independent veterinary assessment
✔ Soundness and temperament evaluation
✔ Structured acclimatisation to the UK climate
✔ Professional production and assessment in England

Only horses that meet these criteria are offered as A Strathbury’s Horse.

The Strathbury's Horse

There are beautiful horses.
There are talented horses.
And then there are horses that feel different the moment you stand beside them.

Not louder. Not sharper.
Just deeper.

At Strathbury’s, we search for that depth.

We travel across Spain and Portugal studying bloodlines that have carried classical Iberian heritage for generations. Families known not just for brilliance in the arena, but for mind, durability and heart. We look beyond flash and first impressions. We look for the horse that will still be standing proud in ten years. The horse that strengthens with time. The horse that thinks before it reacts.

Because beauty without substance fades.
Brilliance without foundation fractures.

A Strathbury’s Horse is never an accident of opportunity. It is the result of disciplined selection, informed pedigree analysis, rigorous veterinary scrutiny and careful, progressive production.

It is a horse chosen with restraint.

When they arrive in England, we do not rush them onto the market. We allow them to transition. To adapt. To soften. To grow into a system that values partnership over pressure. Their education evolves. Their management evolves. Their understanding evolves.

What emerges is not simply an imported Iberian.

It is an athlete with history behind it and a future in front of it.
A horse whose temperament matches its talent.
A horse whose movement is supported by strength.
A horse prepared not only to impress, but to endure.

The title is not marketing.

It is earned.

Only a fraction of the horses we assess will ever carry our name. Those that do represent the standard we refuse to compromise.

This is what it means to be
A Strathbury’s Horse.

What It Takes to Be A Strathbury’s Horse

Bloodline & Lineage Selection

Before conformation. Before movement. Before vetting.
We begin with heritage.

We study pedigrees in detail, analysing generations of proven performance, soundness, rideability and temperament. We prioritise:

Established classical Iberian bloodlines
Proven Grand Prix and working equitation producers
Lines known for mental stability and trainability
Families with documented longevity and structural durability

We do not chase fashion.
We select for long-term value.

A Strathbury’s Horse is chosen not just for what it is today, but for what it is genetically built to become.

Our Selection & Vetting Process

After reviewing hundreds of horses, only the very best horses are invited to continue through our multi-stage selection system. For every 39 horses that enter this stage only 1 makes the cut.

Stage 1: Initial Video & Information Assessment

We request:

Full conformation footage while standing
Movement on hard ground from multiple angles
Ridden footage
A detailed questionnaire covering history, management, temperament and workload

This stage alone typically eliminates 11 of the original 39 horses.

Stage 2: In-House X-Ray Review

All radiographs are reviewed internally by our experienced team.

Thanks to our depth of knowledge in Iberian conformation and expected developmental changes, we eliminate a further 11 of the remaining 28 horses.

Stage 3: Independent English Veterinary Review

Radiographs are then reviewed by one of our trusted English veterinarians.

This independent assessment typically eliminates 3 of the remaining 17 horses.

Stage 4: Full 5-Stage Veterinary Examination

The selected horses undergo a comprehensive five-stage vetting performed by a trusted local veterinary practice.

This stage usually eliminates 10 of the remaining 14 horses.

The 5-Stage Vetting Includes:

Stage 1 – Rest
Full clinical examination: eyes, teeth, heart, lungs, skin, conformation, limbs, and feet.

Stage 2 – Movement
Walk and trot in hand, flexion tests, tight circles, backing up, and lunging where appropriate.

Stage 3 – Exercise
Strenuous exercise under saddle or on the lunge to expose underlying weaknesses.

Stage 4 – Recovery
Monitoring heart rate recovery, respiration, and stiffness during cool-down.

Stage 5 – Re-Assessment
Final trot-up to identify any delayed lameness.

A blood sample is taken and securely stored.

Stage 5: In-Person Ridden Assessment

We travel personally to:

Observe the trainer ride
Assess natural balance and biomechanics
Evaluate trainability and willingness
Ride the horse ourselves to assess feel, reaction and mindset

This typically eliminates 2 of the remaining 4 horses.

Stage 6: Final Temperament & Behavioural Evaluation

We assess:

Stable manners
Ground behaviour
Social temperament
Signs of stress or vice
Any unusual marks, lesions or behavioural inconsistencies

At this final stage, only 1 of the remaining 2 horses will proceed.

The Production Philosophy

In Spain and Portugal, horses are often produced with exceptional movement and respect, but under a stricter management style than is typical in the UK.

We preserve their brilliance while reshaping their education for a modern, softer system.

Before export, we ensure they are:

Working correctly through the back
Balanced in transitions
Responsive without tension
Developing strength gradually, not forcefully

We refine rather than rush.

The Strathbury’s Acclimatisation Programme

When a horse arrives in England, the process is only beginning.

The Iberian climate, feeding system, turnout culture and riding expectations are very different to those in the UK. We bridge that gap carefully.

Each horse is gradually introduced to:

Reduced spur and artificial aid dependence
Softer bitting systems
Correct saddle fitting
Structured turnout, often for the first time
Rugging where required
Transition from straw-based diets to hay, fibre and live grass
UK-standard worming programmes
Advanced dentistry
Specialist physiotherapy
Top-tier farriery to improve hoof balance and strength

We also refine stable manners and groundwork to ensure they remain respectful without relying on strict handling.

This whole period typically takes several months. Only once the horse has mentally and physically settled do we begin to see the true individual emerge. Find out more here

Long-Term Value

A Strathbury’s Horse is not selected for quick resale.

It is selected for:

Structural durability
Mental resilience
Trainability
Athletic potential
Suitability for ambitious amateur and professional riders alike

We produce horses capable of excelling in dressage, working equitation and classical disciplines, while remaining safe, generous and rideable.

The result is not just a beautiful Iberian.

It is a carefully curated athlete, adapted for British ownership, carrying bloodlines of substance and a future built on sound foundations.

The Result

Only horses that pass every single stage earn the title:

A Strathbury’s Horse

A name reserved for horses selected with discipline, produced with care, and prepared for long-term success.