Iberian horse
Encyclopedia
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
. At present, 17 horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
breeds are recognized by FAO (2005) as characteristic of the Iberian Peninsula.
Three are Portuguese, the Lusitano
Lusitano
The Lusitano is a Portuguese horse breed, closely related to the Spanish Andalusian horse. Both are sometimes called Iberian horses, as the breeds both developed on the Iberian peninsula, and until the 1960s they were considered one breed, under the Andalusian name...
, Sorraia
Sorraia
The Sorraia is a rare breed of horse indigenous to the portion of the Iberian peninsula known today as Portugal. The Sorraia is known for its primitive features, including a convex profile and dun coloring with primitive markings...
and Garrano
Garrano
The Garrano is an ancient breed of horse from Galicia and northern Portugal, mainly used as a pack horse, for riding, and for light farm work.-Breed history:...
, and the remaining 14 are Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. These include the Asturcón
Asturcón
The Asturcón is a pony from the Asturias region of northern Spain. The ancient breed's ancestry is not known, although it is thought to have been from crosses between the Sorraia, Garrano, and the ancient Celtic pony...
, Burguete, Caballo de Monte del País Vasco, Pura Raza Gallega
Galician pony
The Galician pony , is a breed of pony developed in Galicia .It has had an influence on the Galiceno breed in Mexico and, allegedly, on the Mustang. It is thought to have developed partly from a mix of Celtic horses, Roman horses and horses brought to Galicia by the Swabians. The ponies are hardy...
, Pura Raza Española (Andalusian horse
Andalusian horse
The Andalusian, also known as the Pure Spanish Horse or PRE , is a horse breed developed in the Iberian Peninsula. Its ancestors have been present on the Iberian Peninsula for thousands of years. The Andalusian has been recognized as an individual breed since the 15th century, and its conformation...
), Hispano-Arabe
Hispano (horse)
The Hispano-Árabe, also known as the Spanish Anglo-Arab, is a Spanish horse breed.-History:The Hispano-Árabe originated in Spain as a result of a cross between Arabian and Andalusian mares and English Thoroughbred stallions...
, Hispano-Bretón
Hispano-Bretón
The Hispano-Bretón is a Spanish breed of horse developed by crossing native Pura Raza Española horses with imported Breton draught horses. The breed is found mainly in two separate areas of northern Spain: Castilla y León and parts of neighbouring Cantabria; and the Pyrenees of Cataluña...
, Jaca Navarra
Jaca Navarra
The Jaca Navarra , or Navarrese horse, is a breed of small horse from the Navarre region of northern Spain. It is listed in the Catálogo Oficial de Razas de Ganado de España in the group of autochthonous breeds in danger of extinction. The total population of the Jaca Navarra has been variously...
, Losina
Losiná
Losiná is a village and municipality in Plzeň-City District in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic.The municipality covers an area of , and has a population of 910 ....
, Monchina
Monchina
The Monchino or Caballo monchino is a breed of horse indigenous to the Valle de Guriezo in the Cantabria region of northern Spain, but extending into neighbouring Biscay province. It is listed in the Catálogo Oficial de Razas de Ganado de España in the group of autochthonous breeds in danger of...
and Pottoka
Pottok
The Pottok or Pottoka , is an endangered, semi-feral breed of pony native to the Pyrenees of the Basque Country in France and Spain.It is considered an ancient breed of horse, particularly well adapted to the harsh mountain areas it traditionally inhabits.Once common, it is endangered through...
, as well as the Cavall Mallorquí, Mallorquina and Menorquina (subsets of the Balearic
Balearic (horse)
The Mallorquín or Caballo Mallorquín is a rare breed of horse indigenous to the island of Mallorca in the Balearic Islands, from which it takes its name. Identification of the breed was begun in 1985 by the Patronato para las Razas Autóctonas de Mallorca...
breed). A spinoff from the Sorraia, the Marismeño
Marismeño
The Marismeño is a rare breed of horse indigenous to the marshes of the Guadalquivir River, from which it takes its name. It is now found particularly in the Doñana National Park, which lies mostly in the province of Huelva, in Andalusia, southwestern Spain. Until recently it was not considered a...
, has also been identified living in Doñana National Park
Doñana National Park
-Conservation:In 1989 the surroundings of the national park were given more protection when a buffer zone was declared a natural park under the management of the regional government. The two parks, national and natural, have since been classified as a single natural landscape.In 1994 UNESCO...
, but is not on the FAO list.
Iberian horses are thought to be one of the oldest types of domesticated horses
Domestication of the horse
There are a number of hypotheses on many of the key issues regarding the domestication of the horse. Although horses appeared in Paleolithic cave art as early as 30,000 BCE, these were truly wild horses and were probably hunted for meat. How and when horses became domesticated is disputed...
. Modern Iberian breeds tend to be of a Baroque horse
Baroque horse
The Baroque horse is a term used to generally describe the type of agile but strong-bodied descendants of horses in the Middle Ages such as the destrier. Specific ancestors of this type include the Neapolitan horse, and the Iberian horse of Barb ancestry known in the Middle Ages as the Spanish...
type that resemble their most famous member, the Andalusian horse
Andalusian horse
The Andalusian, also known as the Pure Spanish Horse or PRE , is a horse breed developed in the Iberian Peninsula. Its ancestors have been present on the Iberian Peninsula for thousands of years. The Andalusian has been recognized as an individual breed since the 15th century, and its conformation...
, in conformation.