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Argentina's native horse, the Criollo, may have the best endurance of any horse breed in the world next to the Arabian. The breed is most popular in its home country, and is known for its hardiness and stamina. The word criollo means Spanish horse. The Criollo is a hardy horse with a brawny and strong body. They have short, strong legs with good bone, resistant joints, short hocks, and sound, hard feet. The long head is small to medium-sized and has a straight or convex profile and wide-set eyes. The croup is sloping and the hauches well-muscled, the back short and compact. They have sloping, strong shoulders with long, muscular necks. The body is deep with a broad chest and well-sprung ribs. The Criollo is tractable, intelligent, willing, and sensible. The horses usually stand between 14 and 15 hh. Maximum height is 15.25 hands high, with a minimum of 13.75 hh for mares an 14 hh for male horses. They are usually dun in color with a dorsal stripe, but also come in bay, brown, black, and blue or red roan. The breed is famous for their endurance capabilities and ability to live in harsh conditions, as their homeland has both extreme heat and cold weather. They are frugal eaters, thriving on little grass. They have good resistance to disease and are long-lived. |
