Criollo Horse
THE CRIOLLO
The word Criollo means "of Spanish origin", and refers to a variety of related South American horses, including the Crioulo Braziliero, from Brazil, and the tough Lianero cattle horse from Venezuela, which, allowing for regional differences, is not dissimilar to the Argentine Criollo with which it shares a common background.
The Argentine Criollo descends from early Andalucian stock in which Barb blood was predominant. In addition, there is a strong element of Sorraia blood and also probably that of the Asturcon. The Criollo is generally a shade of dun, although there are also blue and strawberry roans, chestnut, skewbald, piebald, and the prized grulla or gateado coloring, a brown or mouse-dun shade.
A stockily built animal, the Criollo stands between 1.42 and 1.52 m (14-15 hh). The neck is short and thick, and the head profile is distinctively convex. While most modern Criollos move in the conventional diagonal trot, a number still retain the old lateral ambling gait of the Spanish horses.
The breed is among the toughest, soundest, and most enduring horses in the world, and is capable of carrying heavy weights over long distances and very difficult terrain. Severe climatic conditions, inadequate feed, and an almost constant shortage of water ensure an unrivalled constitutional hardness and an ability to survive in near-impossible circumstances.
A breed society was formed in 1918, and began rigorous endurance tests as a means of selection. Marches covered great distances; one over a 756-km (470-mile) route in 15 days, carrying a weight of 110 kg (242 lb) without any extra feed.
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