The Burguete ( es, Caballo Burguete, italic=no or , eu, Aurizko zaldia, italic=no) is a Spanish breed of horse from the

autonomous community eu, autonomia erkidegoa ca, comunitat autònoma gl, comunidade autónoma oc, comunautat autonòma an, comunidat autonoma ast, comunidá autónoma , alt_name = , map = , category = Autonomous administra ...

of Navarre in north-eastern Spain. It is listed in the Catálogo Oficial de Razas de Ganado de España in the group of

autochthonous Autochthon, autochthons or autochthonous may refer to: Fiction * Autochthon (Atlantis), a character in Plato's myth of Atlantis * Autochthons, characters in the novel ''The Divine Invasion'' by Philip K. Dick * Autochthon, a Primordial in the ...

breeds in danger of extinction. It is reared principally for

horsemeat Horse meat forms a significant part of the culinary traditions of many countries, particularly in Eurasia. The eight countries that consume the most horse meat consume about 4.3 million horses a year. For the majority of humanity's early existen ...

. The name, both in Basque and in Spanish, is derived from that of the

municipio ' (, ) and ' () are country subdivisions in Italy and several Hispanophone and Lusophone nations, respectively. They are often translated as "municipality". In the English language, a municipality often is defined as relating to a single city or ...

of Auritz/Burguete. It is one of four Basque breeds of horse, the others being the

Jaca Navarra The Jaca Navarra ( eu, ), 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 Pottoka and the or Basque Mountain Horse.

History

The Burguete derives from

cross-breeding A crossbreed is an organism with purebred parents of two different breeds, varieties, or populations. ''Crossbreeding'', sometimes called "designer crossbreeding", is the process of breeding such an organism, While crossbreeding is used to main ...

of indigenous Basque mares of

type with foreign stallions of the Trait Breton, Postier Breton and

Percheron The Percheron is a breed of draft horse that originated in the Huisne river valley in western France, part of the former Perche province from which the breed takes its name. Usually gray or black in color, Percherons are well muscled, and ...

breeds, and later with Ardennes and Comtois stock. It received recognition from the national government of Spain in 1979, when it was included in the Catálogo Oficial de Razas de Ganado de España. The name of the breed, both in Basque and in Spanish, is derived from that of the

of Auritz/Burguete in north-eastern Navarre. A

breeders' 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 o ...

, the Asociación de Criadores de Raza Equina Burguete de Navarra, was established in 1998, and in 1999 was recognised by the

Government of Navarre Palacio de Navarra., 306x306px The Government of Navarre (Spanish: ''Gobierno de Navarra;'') is the institution of executive nature in which the government of the Chartered Community of Navarre (Spain) is organized. It is led by the President ...

and authorised to keep the stud-book for the breed. The Burguete is distributed only in Navarre. In north-eastern Navarre, its area of origin, it is associated with the municipios of Auritz/Burguete and

Isaba Isaba ( eu, Izaba) is a town and municipality located in the province and autonomous community of Navarre, northern Spain. Is the main town of the Roncal valley and is sited in the Pyrenees The Pyrenees (; es, Pirineos ; french: Pyrénées ; ca, ...

, as well as the settlements of in the municipio of Arce and in the municipio of . Its range later expanded into north-western Navarre, where it is associated with the

comarca A ''comarca'' (, or , or ) is a traditional region or local administrative division found in Portugal, Spain and some of their former colonies, like Brazil, Nicaragua, and Panama. The term is derived from the term ''marca'', meaning a "march, ...

of Barranca, with the municipio of Larráun in the comarca of Norte de Aralar, and with the Améscoas – the municipio of

Améscoa Baja Améscoa Baja ( eu, Ameskoabarrena) is a town and municipality located in the province and autonomous community of Navarre, northern Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado ...

in the comarca of

Estella Oriental Estella Oriental ( eu, Lizarraldea) is a comarca in Navarre, Spain. Municipalities The comarca consists of thirty-nine municipalities, with the largest being the municipality of Estella-Lizarra Estella (Spanish) or Lizarra (Basque) is a town ...

and the former administrative region of to the north. In 2019 there were breeding mares and 307 active stallions; At the end of 2022 the total population numbered head, consisting of mares and stallions; the registered breeding stock numbered stallions and mares, for a total of . In 2023 the

conservation status The conservation status of a group of organisms (for instance, a species) indicates whether the group still exists and how likely the group is to become extinct in the near future. Many factors are taken into account when assessing conservatio ...

of the breed was reported to

DAD-IS DAD-IS is the acronym of the worldwide Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, within the FAO's management of animal genetic resources programme.Domestic Animal Diversity Infor ...

as "at risk/vulnerable".

Characteristics

The Burguete is solidly built and somewhat brachymorphic – the length of the body is rather more than the height at the

withers The withers is the ridge between the shoulder blades of an animal, typically a quadruped. In many species, it is the tallest point of the body. In horses and dogs, it is the standard place to measure the animal's height. In contrast, cattle a ...

. The coat is either bay or chestnut.

Use

It is reared principally for

; for this purpose, mares are sometimes put to Comtois or Auxois stallions, rather than those of the Burguete breed. It may be used for draught work, and in northern Navarre is used also for

conservation grazing Conservation grazing or targeted grazing is the use of semi- feral or domesticated grazing livestock to maintain and increase the biodiversity of natural or semi-natural grasslands, heathlands, wood pasture, wetlands and many other habitats.

References

Horse breeds Horse breeds originating in Spain Basque domestic animal breeds {{bots, deny=Citation bot