Criollo horse
This article needs additional citations for verification. (July 2012) |
Conservation status | DOM |
---|---|
Other names | Criollo (Argentina), Crioulo (Brazil), Costeño/Morochuco (Peru), Corralero (Chile), Llanero (Venezuela) |
Country of origin | Pampas (Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil) |
Traits | |
Distinguishing features | Compact and strong, straight or convex head, broad chest, well-developed joints, small in stature. |
The Criollo (in Spanish), or Crioulo (in Portuguese), is the native horse of the
The breed, known for its hardiness and stamina, is popular in its home countries.The word criollo or crioulo originally referred to human and animals of pure-bred Spanish ancestry who were born in the Americas, or to animals or slaves born in the Americas. In time, the meaning of the word would simply come to refer to native breeds of the Americas.[citation needed]
Breed characteristics
The Criollo is a hardy horse with a brawny and strong body with broad chest and well-sprung ribs. They have sloping strong shoulders with muscular necks, short and strong legs with good bone structure and resistant joints, low-set hocks, and sound hard feet. The medium to large size long-muzzled head has a straight or slightly convex profile with wide-set eyes. The
The criollo is tractable, intelligent, willing, and sensible. Criollo horses average 14.3 hands (149 cm) high, being the maximum height for stallions and geldings of 14 to 15 hands (142-152 cm) high. The difference between the maximum and minimum height for mares is approximately 2 cm (one inch). The line-backed dun is the most popular color, but the breed may also come in bay, brown, black, chestnut, grullo, buckskin, palomino, blue or strawberry roan, gray and overo colors.[4]
The breed is famous for its endurance capabilities and ability to live in harsh conditions, as their homeland has both extreme heat and cold weather. They are frugal eaters, thriving on little grass. They have good disease resistance and are long-lived horses.
Breed history
The breed dates back to a 1535 shipment of 100 purebred Spaniards – Andalusian stallions coming from
In 1540, the hostility of the native populace forced the Spaniards to abandon Buenos Aires and release 12 to 45 horses. When Buenos Aires was resettled in 1580, it is estimated that the feral horse population numbered around 12,000. Since they largely reproduced in the wild, the criollo developed into an extremely hardy horse capable of surviving the extreme heat and cold, subsisting with little water, and living off the dry grasses of the area. Settlers later came and started capturing horses for riding and use as pack animals. The Native Americans had already been doing that many years before.
Throughout the 19th century, a large proportion of the horses were crossed with imported European Thoroughbred, coach, and draft horse stallions, and a larger, coarser, long-striding multi-purpose, saddle-cart horse resulted. However, the crossbreeding nearly ruined the native Spanish horse type. In 1918, the Argentine breeders decided to create a purebred criollo registry, and the breeders' association was then formed in 1923. Much infighting occurred between Emilio Solanet and Enrique Crotto's groups.[citation needed] The first promoted the Asian-type crioulo and the latter the taller African type with a coarse, convex head; fallen croup; and thinner mane and tail.
It was not until 1934 that Dr. Solanet[
Endurance
The breeders implemented rigorous endurance tests to help evaluate horses for breeding. In these events known as La Marcha, the horses are ridden over a 750 km (466 mi) course to be completed in 75 hours split into 14 days. No supplemental feed is allowed. The horses are required to carry heavy loads of 245 lb (110 kg) on their backs and may only eat the grass at the side of the road. At the end of the day, a veterinarian checks the horses.
Today, the horse is used mainly as a working
One example of the breed's fantastic endurance was the ride made by the Swiss-born Argentine rider Professor
In 1987, Jorge Saenz Rosas, owner of the Argentine Estancia Cristiano Muerto, offered his criollo Sufridor to the American Louis Bruhnke and the Russian-French Vladimir Fissenko for a horseback ride from the Beagle Channel in Tierra del Fuego up to the shores of the Arctic Ocean in Deadhorse, Alaska. After traveling for five and a half years, the ride was accomplished in the summer of 1993. Having made the entire journey, the Criollo Sufridor is likely the horse that has traveled the farthest in a single direction. The ride was chronicled in the book Sufridor, Emece (2000) (
Notes
- ^ Criollo-Thoroughbred crosses possibly make excellent polo ponies.
Footnotes
- ^ "The Criollo horse - ABCCC Stud Book" (in Portuguese). Retrieved 18 December 2018.
- ^ "Conheça a história e a tradição do cavalo crioulo" (in Portuguese). Retrieved 18 December 2018.
- ^ "História do cavalo crioulo" (in Portuguese). Retrieved 18 December 2018.
- ^ a b "O cavalo crioulo" (in Portuguese). Retrieved 18 December 2018.
- ^ Just a Criollo. "Summary of the characteristics of the Criollo horse". Justacriollo.com. Archived from the original on 3 January 2013. Retrieved 7 July 2012.
- ^ a b c d Berega. "ENTREVISTAS e REPORTAGENS" (in Portuguese). Berega.com.br. Archived from the original on 11 February 2009. Retrieved 7 July 2012.
See also
- Argentine polo (horse breed)
- Gaucho
- Gaucho sheepdog
- Venezuelan Criollo horse
References
- Aimé-Félix Tschiffely, Le Grand Raid - A Cheval De Buenos Aires À New York (1925–1928), Belin, coll. « Les cavaliers de l'aventure », 6 November 2002, 269 p. (ISBN 978-2701134277)