The Mallorquín or Caballo Mallorquín is a rare breed of horse indigenous to the island of

Mallorca Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest of the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain, and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, seventh largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. The capital of the island, Palma, Majorca, Palma, i ...

in the

Balearic Islands The Balearic Islands are an archipelago in the western Mediterranean Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. The archipelago forms a Provinces of Spain, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain, ...

, from which it takes its name. Identification of the breed was begun in 1981 by the Patronato para las Razas Autóctonas de Mallorca ("authority for the autochthonous breeds of Mallorca"). The Mallorquín is listed in the Catálogo Oficial de Razas de Ganado de España in the group of autochthonous breeds in danger of

extinction Extinction is the termination of an organism by the death of its Endling, last member. A taxon may become Functional extinction, functionally extinct before the death of its last member if it loses the capacity to Reproduction, reproduce and ...

History

The origins of the breed are obscure. According to a genetic study of "Spanish Celtic horse breeds", the Mallorquín and Menorquín are connected to the now extinct Catalan horse, itself the result of

introgression Introgression, also known as introgressive hybridization, in genetics is the transfer of genetic material from one species into the gene pool of another by the repeated backcrossing of an interspecific hybrid with one of its parent species. Introg ...

of populations with strong African genetic influence into an original population of Celtic horses introduced to the Iberian peninsula by the

Celts The Celts ( , see Names of the Celts#Pronunciation, pronunciation for different usages) or Celtic peoples ( ) were a collection of Indo-European languages, Indo-European peoples. "The Celts, an ancient Indo-European people, reached the apoge ...

around the eighth century BC. The study showed clear grouping of the two Mediterranean breeds and clear separation from the five "Atlantic" Celtic breeds examined, the

Asturcón The Asturcón is an ancient Spanish breed of small horse or pony from the autonomous region of Asturias in the northern part of the country. It has been documented since Roman times: it has an unusual ambling gait, which was described by Pl ...

, Gallego,

Jaca Navarra The Jaca Navarra (), or Navarrese Horse, is a Spanish breed of small horse from the autonomous community of Navarre in the north-eastern part of the country. In 2013 it was listed in the Catálogo Oficial de Razas de Ganado de España in the ...

, Losino and

Pottok The Pottok or Pottoka ( or , ), 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 ...

. Identification of the breed was begun in 1981 by the Patronato para las Razas Autóctonas de Mallorca. A

stud-book A breed registry, also known as a herdbook, studbook or register, in animal husbandry, the hobby of animal fancy, is an official list of animals within a specific breed whose parents are known. Animals are usually registered by their breeders w ...

was started in 1988, and a

breed association Breed clubs are associations or clubs with activities centered on a single, specific breed of a particular species of domesticated animal. The purpose of the association will vary with the species of animal and the goals and needs of the members ...

, the , was established in 1992. The official

breed standard In animal husbandry or animal fancy, a breed standard is a description of the characteristics of a hypothetical or ideal example of a breed. The description may include phenotype, physical or morphology (biology), morphological detail, genotype, g ...

was approved in 2003. The Mallorquín is listed in the Catálogo Oficial de Razas de Ganado de España in the group of autochthonous breeds in danger of extinction. Its status was listed as "critical-maintained" by the

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; . (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger and improve nutrition and food security. Its Latin motto, , translates t ...

in 2000 and in 2007. In approximately 2005 the number of Mallorquín horses recorded in the stud-book was 247, but a census conducted by the

Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y Medio Rural y Marino The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (, MAPA), is the Spanish government departments, department of the Government of Spain responsible for proposing and carrying out the government policy on Agricultural resources, agricultural, live ...

in 2003 identified only 172. In 2010 a population of 146 was reported, which by 2018 had risen to 320.

Characteristics

The Mallorquín may only be black, in all its variations; horses of any other colour can not be registered. Limited white facial markings are permitted, white leg markings are not. The minimum permissible height is for males and for females. It has an upright mane, short, thick, but arched neck, a head with a convex profile but refined bone structure. Its conformation relates to that of the

Andalusian horse The Andalusian, also known as the Pure Spanish Horse or PRE (Spanish language literally translates to "Spanish pure breed". This name is sometimes capitalized when used in English-language publications, but is all lower-case in Spanish, which ...

Uses

This breed is used by the local population only as a

riding horse A riding horse or a saddle horse is a horse used by mounted horse riders for recreation or transportation. It is unclear exactly when horses were first ridden because early domestication did not create noticeable physical changes in the hors ...

; farm work in the islands was traditionally done by the

Balearic donkey The Balearic, , , is a Spanish breed of donkey, domestic donkey indigenous to the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of the Balearic Islands, in the Mediterranean off the eastern coast of Spain. It is found mainly in Mallor ...

. Mallorquín mares were traditionally bred to imported stallions, usually of

French Trotter The French Trotter or is a French breed of trotting horse bred for racing at the trot, either ridden or in harness. It was bred specifically for racing in the nineteenth century, principally in Normandy in north-western France. History ...

Orlov Trotter The Orlov Trotter (also known as ''Orlov;'' Russian: орловский рысак) is a horse breed with a hereditary fast trot, noted for its outstanding speed and stamina. It is the most famous Russian horse. The breed was developed in Rus ...

breed, to produce Trotador Español, "

Spanish Trotter The Spanish Trotter, , , is the national breed of trotting horse of Spain. It is reared almost exclusively in the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean, predominantly in the island of Mallorca, but also in Menorca and Ibiza. History Trotting ...

", horses. Approximately 85% of the Spanish Trotter population is in Mallorca; however, genetic study has found little recent influence of the Mallorquín on the Spanish Trotter breed. They were also much used in the production of

mule The mule is a domestic equine hybrid between a donkey, and a horse. It is the offspring of a male donkey (a jack) and a female horse (a mare). The horse and the donkey are different species, with different numbers of chromosomes; of the two ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mallorquin Horse breeds Horse breeds originating in Spain