It is a breed specific to the island of Mallorca which, despite the continued intrusion of foreign breeds over the last two centuries, has been able to remain distinct and maintain the original type that can still be seen today.
origin
The Majorcan horse is included in the group of horses of southern origin in the Iberian Peninsula, of good size, strong and suitable for work, which gave rise, among other populations, to the Catalan race, now extinct, to the Mallorcan and Menorcan. The contact of centuries with the other ethnic group spread over the North of Spain, surely contributed some characteristic, such as the color of the coat and coat, typical of these races. The lucky action of different fan groups achieved not only the recovery of this breed at a very difficult time, but also the official morphotype was defined through the Matrícula Register opened in Madrid, by the Head of Horse Breeding of the Ministry of Defense.
characteristics
It is an animal with a calm, strong, rustic and very sober character. It is eumetrically shaped, sublongilini and with a slightly convex fronto-nasal profile. Its silhouette is slim and the color of its coat is black. Most outstanding characteristics The head is elongated, dry and fleshy, medium-sized to thick, with small, erect ears and almost always full of hair. The eyes are dark and clearly visible due to the markedness of the orbital arches. The nose is broad and strong with slightly prominent nostrils. The neck is short, and although deep it is not very wide. The mane is abundant and the hair is strong and thick. He has a broad chest and arched ribs. The back is straight, although it has a tendency to saddle with age. The rump is long and sloping and generally flat-muscled. The limbs are well plumbed, not much muscled, with long and oblique hindquarters, well stocked with hair and with strong and broad knees and hocks. The legs are also wide and strong. The tail is set low, long and has long, strong hair. The color of the hair is black, in all its variants, which gives it an elegant and serious look. Small white spots on the face in the shape of a kite or string are acceptable.
General data
The entry of foreign races into the island of Mallorca from the middle of the 19th century until much of the 20th century caused, from the first third of the century, the progressive disappearance of the Mallorcan race guassadas, which accompanied by the replacement of animal traction by mechanics, indirectly motivated a total indifference to the maintenance of this race in purity. The achievement of the Majorcan Breed Registry - Registration, in 1988, accompanied by the efforts of many different institutions and people, marked a decisive milestone for this breed. The census of registered animals, in September 2002, exceeds 150 heads.
The functionality of this breed, which had always been for work and mule production, has passed in recent years to a pure breeding orientation for the practice of horse riding. Given its harmony of forms, the elegance of the black color of the hair and the fact that it is a docile and calm animal, the Majorcan horse has a high market price today, which predicts its stability as a breed, not only worthy of conservation because it is ours, but because of the importance of its genetics.