, country=

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

, group1= , std1= The Galician or Galician Mountain Horse, es, , gl, , is a breed of small horse from Galicia, in north-western Spain. It is genetically very close to the

Garrano The Garrano is an endangered breed of pony from northern Portugal, part of the Iberian horse family, mainly used as a pack horse, for riding, and for light farm work. An ancient breed, the Garrano has remained largely unchanged for thousands ...

breed of northern Portugal. It was in the past used as a war-horse and in agriculture; it is now raised for shows and riding. They are very useful for ranchwork. The horses are bay or

black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ...

History

The most commonly accepted theory of the origin of the Gallego is that it, like other small breeds of the northern part of the Iberian peninsula, descends from small dark-coloured horses introduced by Celtic immigrants in the sixth century BC. In the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

these horses were rented or swapped for other horses at the border between Galicia and Castile, since the Galician was more sturdy and suitable for the rugged landscape of the country.O'Flanagan, P. (1996), in "Xeografía Histórica de Galicia", Xerais, Vigo In the 1980s and 90s there was concern that the introduction of stallions of other breeds, with better meat-producing qualities, was placing at risk the original stock of Galician horses. The

Xunta de Galicia The Xunta de Galicia (; "Regional Government of Galicia") is the collective decision-making body of the government of the autonomous community of Galicia, composed of the President, the Vice-President(s) and the specialized ministers (''Consell ...

published a conservation plan for the breed in 1993. A breed association, the , was formed in 1997, and in 1998 the breed was officially recognised and a stud-book established. The Gallego is regulated and protected by the

Galician government The Xunta de Galicia (; "Regional Government of Galicia") is the collective decision-making body of the government of the autonomous community of Galicia, composed of the President, the Vice-President(s) and the specialized ministers (''Consell ...

, in an attempt to increase the numbers of the

feral A feral () animal or plant is one that lives in the wild but is descended from domesticated individuals. As with an introduced species, the introduction of feral animals or plants to non-native regions may disrupt ecosystems and has, in some ...

stock.

Distribution and management

It is distributed through much of Galicia. It is present in the ''concellos'' of

A Estrada A Estrada is a municipality of the Pontevedra province in Galicia in northwestern Spain. It is located some southeast of Santiago de Compostela. Etymology The name comes from the Latin word ''strata'', with the meaning of ''trodden earth, where ...

Cambados Cambados is a municipality in Galicia, Spain in the province of Pontevedra Pontevedra (, ) is a Spanish city in the north-west of the Iberian Peninsula. It is the capital of both the '' Comarca'' (County) and Province of Pontevedra, and of t ...

, Covelo,

Poio Poio is a municipality in Galicia, Spain in the province of Pontevedra. Poio is located in the North shore of the Ría de Pontevedra, between Sanxenxo and the provincial capital, Pontevedra. The municipality is adjacent with Meaño, Meis, Ponteve ...

Pontevedra Pontevedra (, ) is a Spanish city in the north-west of the Iberian Peninsula. It is the capital of both the '' Comarca'' (County) and Province of Pontevedra, and of the Rías Baixas in Galicia. It is also the capital of its own municipality wh ...

and Santa María de Oia in the

province of Pontevedra Pontevedra is a province of Spain along the country's Atlantic coast in southwestern Europe. The province forms the southwestern part of the autonomous community of Galicia. It is bordered by the provinces of A Coruña, Lugo, and Ourense, ...

; of Abegondo,

Arzúa Arzúa () is a municipality in the autonomous community of Galicia in the province of A Coruña in northwestern Spain. It has an area of 155.89 km², a population of 6,315 (2012 estimate), and a population density of 40.64 people/km². It is ...

Cambre Cambre is a municipality in the Province of A Coruña, in the autonomous community of Galicia in northwestern Spain. It is located 12 km from the capital city of A Coruña and ten minutes away from the city's airport, Alvedro. According to ...

, Cariño, Cerceda,

Curtis Curtis or Curtiss is a common English given name and surname of Anglo-Norman origin from the Old French ''curteis'' ( Modern French ''courtois'') which derived from the Spanish Cortés (of which Cortez is a variation) and the Portuguese and Ga ...

, Ferrol, Irixoa,

Lousame Lousame is a municipality of northwestern Spain in the province of A Coruña, in the autonomous community of Galicia Galicia may refer to: Geographic regions * Galicia (Spain), a region and autonomous community of northwestern Spain ** Gallaec ...

Noia Noia () is a town and municipality in the autonomous community of Galicia in northwestern Spain. It is the capital of the comarca with the same name. It has a population of 14,947 inhabitants (2010),Ortigueira Ortigueira is a seaport and municipality in the province of A Coruña the autonomous community of Galicia in northwestern Spain. It belongs to the comarca of Ortegal. It is located on the northern slope of the Serra da Faladoira, the river Me ...

and Porto do Son in the

province of A Coruña The province of A Coruña (; es, La Coruña ; historical en, link=no, Corunna) is the northwesternmost province of Spain, and one of the four provinces which constitute the autonomous community of Galicia. This province is surrounded by the At ...

; of Guitiriz, Muras,

Ourol Ourol is a municipality in the province of Lugo, in the autonomous community of Galicia, Spain. It belongs to the comarca of A Mariña Occidental. According to INE INE, Ine or ine may refer to: Institutions * Institut für Nukleare Entsor ...

Mondoñedo Mondoñedo () is a small town and municipality in the Galician province of Lugo, Spain. , the town has a population of 4,508. Mondoñedo occupies a sheltered valley among the northern outliers of the Cantabrian Mountains. Despite being the core ...

, Riotorto,

Vilalba Vilalba is a municipality in Galicia (Spain), in the province of Lugo, on the left bank of the river Ladra, one of the headstreams of the Miño. Pilgrim route Vilalba is located on the old pilgrim route from western Europe to Santiago de Com ...

and

Viveiro Viveiro () is a town and municipality in the province of Lugo, in the northwestern Galician autonomous community of Spain. It borders on the Cantabric Sea, to the west of Xove and to the east of O Vicedo. It has a residential population of o ...

in the

province of Lugo Lugo is a province of northwestern Spain, in the northeastern part of the autonomous community of Galicia. It is bordered by the provinces of Ourense, Pontevedra, and A Coruña, the principality of Asturias, the State of León, and in th ...

; and of

Castro Caldelas Castro Caldelas is a municipality in Ourense, in the Galicia region of northwestern Spain. It is located to the very north of the province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from ...

, Coles and Lobios in the province of Ourense. A small number have been exported to Germany. In 2013 the total population was reported as 1623. Almost all Gallego horses are managed extensively, in

semi-feral A semi-feral animal lives predominantly in a feral state but has some contact and experience with humans. This may be because it was born in a domesticated state and then reverted to life in wild conditions, or it may be an animal that grew up in ...

conditions on the mountains of Galicia.

References

{{Equine, state=collapsed Horse breeds Horse breeds originating in Spain