The Corsican ( co, U Cavallu Corsu, italic=no or , french: Cheval corse, italic=no) is a breed of small

domestic horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a Domestication, domesticated, odd-toed ungulate, one-toed, ungulate, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two Extant taxon, extant subspecies of wild horse, ''Equus fer ...

indigenous to the Mediterranean island of Corsica, off the coast of south-eastern France. The breed was officially recognised in February 2012, more than thirty years after the process was begun. The stud-book is kept by a breeders' association, the Association Nationale de Race U Cavallu Corsu. The total population in the island is estimated at approximately 1000. Since the stud-book was established in 2012, about 100 animals have been registered.

Characteristics

The Corsican is a small horse, standing between 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 ...

and weighing The coat colour may be black,

seal brown Seal brown is a rich dark brown color, resembling the color of the dyed fur from the fur seal. Usage The specifications for the U.S. Army Air Corps Type A-2 jacket (regulation summer flying jacket), adopted in 1931 and the most familiar among a ...

, or any shade of bay; minimal white markings are tolerated. The head is relatively short, sometimes heavy, with a straight profile. The body is compact, with a short and sloping croup. The legs are fine, with small hard

hooves The hoof (plural: hooves) is the tip of a toe of an ungulate mammal, which is covered and strengthened with a thick and horny keratin covering. Artiodactyls are even-toed ungulates, species whose feet have an even number of digits, yet the rumi ...

History

There are no equines in the

fossil record A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...

of Corsica, and for that reason it is believed that humans brought the first horses to the island, along with a number of other animals. The

Haras Nationaux The Haras Nationaux in France (English literal translation ''national stud farms'') was the French national public administrative body responsible for the regulation and administration of breeding of horses and donkeys in France. It administere ...

set up a

remount Remount referred to the provision of fresh horses, particularly for military purposes. The word encompasses both the animals themselves and the means by which they were provided. In many cases, remounts were horses provided to replace those killed ...

depot on the island in 1861 for the purpose of producing light cavalry horses and mules. When the military ceased to breed horses there, the animals remaining were bred by local people and reverted to a homogeneous

phenotype In genetics, the phenotype () is the set of observable characteristics or traits of an organism. The term covers the organism's morphology or physical form and structure, its developmental processes, its biochemical and physiological pr ...

due to what essentially became

natural selection Natural selection is the differential survival and reproduction of individuals due to differences in phenotype. It is a key mechanism of evolution, the change in the heritable traits characteristic of a population over generations. Cha ...

Uses

Today most Corsican horses are used for

trail riding Trail riding is riding outdoors on trails, bridle paths, and forest roads, but not on roads regularly used by motorised traffic. A trail ride can be of any length, including a long distance, multi-day trip. It originated with horse riding, and ...

, primarily within the tourist industry. They are noted for toughness and endurance.

References

Horse breeds Horse breeds originating in France Fauna of Corsica {{Horse-breed-stub