To Register or Not To Register?

I've kind of casually looked into registering Cisco with the International Andalusian & Lusitano Horse Association. He can be registered as a Half Andalusian. It's the kind of thing that I've looked at, priced out, tried to figure out if it would be worth it, and decided it wasn't. And then this weekend I saw a Facebook posting that for the next four months they are having a reduced price on registrations. So if I really want to do it, now is the time.

He was bred by a friend of mine, so I know I can get her to sign off on the papers. The stallion owner is somewhat local and still active, so I don't anticipate any issues there.

I believe it would cost me $160 US (membership for me, registration fee, DNA kit fee).

But why do I want it?

Will I ever show him in anything to get points? No idea. There is a big Andalusian show every year about 2 hours away, so I could go if I so desired. His balls were knocked off many years ago, so there's no chance of any little Cisco's ever needing to be registered.

I think it's because in my mind Andalusians are still not an overly common breed, so it's a bit of proof. You know, of his majikal unicorn pony bloodlines.

Because he is 25% real unicorn.

I've got a couple of months to decide before I would need to get my butt in gear and get the paperwork submitted.

The other thing I would need to decide before sending the registration in is a name. As in a proper show name type of name.

Cisco is a bit too simple. Great for an everyday name, but for showing I would want something fancier. And I would like to incorporate Cisco into it. And maybe keep it Spanish.

Unfortunately, my Spanish sucks. Like, I can mostly count to 10 and that's about it.

So I have asked Google for suggestions. So far the winner is Meter Cisco - which means to make trouble. It seems fitting.

That is supposed to be a hood. On his neck.

Note the innocent face. 

If anybody has any other suggestions, I would love to hear them!

Cisco Is Part Unicorn (For Real!)

Cisco is half Andalusian. This is his daddy, Festivo SCF.

http://www.sleepyhollowranch.ca/stallions.html

Festivo's daddy was Merlin I.

http://www.swancreekandalusians.ca/Merlin-I.html

Merlin I was bred in Spain and is by the sire Estimado V. Estimado V has Carthusian bloodlines, and those horses have a couple of unusual traits. 

From Wikipedia  -

"There are two additional characteristics unique to the Carthusian strain, believed to trace back to the strain's foundation stallion Esclavo. The first is warts under the tail, a trait which Esclavo passed to his offspring, and a trait which some breeders felt was necessary to prove that a horse was a member of the Esclavo bloodline. The second characteristic is the occasional presence of "horns", which are frontal bosses, possibly inherited from Asian ancestors. The physical descriptions of the bosses vary, ranging from calcium-like deposits at the temple to small horn-like protuberances near or behind the ear. However, these "horns" are not considered proof of Esclavo descent, unlike the tail warts."  (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andalusian_horse)

Yes, you read that correctly - some Andalusian's can have horns. And Cisco's grandfather, Merlin I, is one of them.

http://www.swancreekandalusians.ca/Merlin-I.html

This is a picture of Merlin I showing the "horn" on his forehead. You know what a horse with a horn on it's forehead is? That's right - a unicorn.

So by my calculations, that makes Cisco one-quarter unicorn. A whole 25%. 

I haven't found any horny growths on his head yet (or warts thankfully). But Andalusians are known to mature late, so maybe it's still going to grow. And at only 25% unicorn, he has to conserve his fabulosity and only bring it out for special occasions. I can't expect him to sparkle all the time.

Of course, with my luck, the only unicorn trait he will have will be pooping rainbows. Because he ate something he shouldn't have.

(All photos have been shamelessly taken from the breeder's websites. Except for the one of my unicorn.)