- Barb -

The Barb horse breed comes from the costal belt of Northwest Africa, countries such as Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia and, like the Arabian, have had a tremendous effect on many of the horse breeds we see today. They are an extremely ancient breed, and little is known about their exact origins, although they do bear some similarities to the postulated primitive horse type 3. It has been the subject of great debate as to whether the Barb or the Arabian came first. It is likely that the Barb contains some Arabian blood, and it is a testament to the dominance of the Barb's genes that they have maintained their characteristics. That said, however, the Barb has been extensively crossbred in recent years and exists in slightly varying types across North Africa.

The Barb and the Arabian horses are both typical desert horses with fine skin and great endurance. However, the two breeds should not be confused, because the Barb has very distinctive characteristics, such as their convex or Roman profile that is seen in many of the Iberian horses influenced by the Barb.

In appearance, the Barb has a fairly narrow head that tapers from the forehead to fine nostrils. They have curved ears, which are also seen in the Arab, and very expressive Oriental type eyes. The Barb tends to have a muscular neck that curves gently from prominent withers to the poll. Often the shoulders are rather flat and straight, which is somewhat strange considering their speed and agility. They have deep chests that are often quite narrow, tend to be slender through the frame and have a good depth of girth, and also have sloping quarters with a low-set tail. their legs are slender but extremely tough and strong, and their feet, although somewhat boxy, are very hard and rarely prone to lameness.

Conformational faults appearing in the legs are sometimes cow-hocks, and their forelegs are sometimes too close together, although neither of these defects seems to affect their soundness. Typically they are fairly small, like the Arabian, and their height ranges from 14 to 15 hh. They are generally gray, although they are also bay, brown, and chestnut, and were probably originally dark colors. They are incredibly hardy little horses that have great powers of endurance and stamina as well as being resistant to extreme climate conditions. They lack the natural grace of the Arabian and do not move as freely but are equally fast, if not faster, over short distances. Barbs today are still very much in evidence in North Africa, especially in Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco, and are often clothed in decorative tack with semiprecious jewels as a demonstration of the owner's wealth.

The Barb had a considerable effect on the Spanish horses, and is believed to be a direct ancestor of the Spanish horse. Barbs were introduced to Spain during the Moorish invasions and influenced the Andalusian and Spanish horse. Through them, many other breeds of horse in Europe and America were established. Perhaps, however, the singularly most important effect of the Barb horse was in the development of the English Thoroughbred horse. One of the three founding stallions of the Thoroughbred was a Barb horse called the Godolphin Arabian. The Godolphin Arabian has a fascinating history: a small 15 hh bay with a beautiful head, but unnaturally high crest, he was spotted pulling a cart in Paris by a Mr. Coke. Mr. Coke purchased the horse, took him to England, and gave him to Mr. Williams, who passed him on to the Earl of Godolphin. In 1731, he was being used as a teaser on a mare called Roxana, who was to be mated by a stallion called Hobgoblin. When the time came, Hobgoblin would have nothing to do with Roxana, and so the Godolphin Arabian was allowed to mate her instead. The resulting foal, Lath, became one of the most famous racehorses of the day, second only to Flying Childers, and founded one of the most successful dynasties of racing. However, the history of the Barb in England is one that far preceded the Godolphin Arabian, and it is a well known fact that Barbs were being imported to England for use in the royal studs as long ago as the reign of King Richard 11 (1377-99) and were at that time being used for racing too.

As well as the Thoroughbred, the Barb is also credited with having had a profound influence on the development of the Camargue horse of France to which it bears a striking resemblance, the Irish Connemara, and various French breeds including the Limousin.

Click here to solve a quiz about the Barb

Take a look at these links for more info about the Barb horse breed:

http://www.maxpages.com/equistuff/Breed_info_B_page

http://www.imh.org/imh/bw/sbarb.html

http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/horses/

http://horsestallmall.com/Spanish%20Barb.htm

http://afcb.9online.fr/standard2.htm

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