Barb

   

Introduction:  This incredible breed is in danger of extinction.  If you have any comments or suggestions, please click here.  The picture on the above right is an old painting of a Barb, which I have not yet identified; the one on the left is probably a fairly recent photograph.

Names:  Barb.  I believe it is named for the Barbary coast.  Sometimes referred to as the "Barbary horse" or "Berber horse," after its place of origin or the people that bred it.  I will simply call it the Barb.

Origin:  Comes from North Africa.  Usually associated with Morocco, although it really comes from the geographical area of Barbary, which includes present-day Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, and Libya.  Supposed part descendants of the old Numidian horse, their origins are as obscure, and some say the same, as those of the Arabian.  Many Barbs exported to England in days gone by were undoubtedly Arabians bred in Barbary, and a "Barb" can also mean a horse from a barbaric, foreign country.  They arrived in Spain with the Muslim invasions, had a great influence on the old Spanish Andalusians and, through them, numerous Continental and South American horses.
    The history of the Barb runs parallel with that of the North African Berber people who have contributed greatly to its development.  The breed was most probably introduced into Europe in the eighth century, at the time of the Moorish invasion of Spain, where it gave rise to the
Andalusian.  It has also been claimed, some say wrongly, that the Godolphin stallion (1724), which made a decisive contribution to the creation of the English Thoroughbred, was in fact a Barb and not an Arab as some suggest.  In the seventeenth century the Barb was widely renowned throughout Europe, however, two centuries earlier in the streets of Rome it had taken part in the "corse dei Berberi," the famous Berber horse race of which Pope Paul II was the patron.
    From The Empire of Equus:  The typical light riding horse of North Africa, which region was formerly known as the Barbary States.  Possibly an admixture of Arab and Moroccan or Algerian blood.  About the same size as the Arab, but with a less refined head and a lower-set tail.  Several strains of the breed exist in various parts of Africa.

Breeding:  Today the Barb is reared as a purebred only among the nomadic populations of North Africa.  Comparatively few are without Arabian blood, and the Libyan Barb is descended from a cross of the two breeds, plus traces of others brought in by the frequent migrations and invasions.  Elsewhere the breed has been subjected to crosses with the English ThoroughbredBarbs are also bred pure at a large stud at Constantine in Algeria.
    In the seventh century, when the Arabs invaded northern Africa, imposing their language, religion and culture on the local Berber peoples, the Barb was subjected to repeated crossings with
Arab horses.  The animals produced were of such high quality that they gradually substituted the original Barb, which consequently went into a decline.  Toward the mid-nineteenth century purebred Barbs had become so rare that they could only be found among remote tribes in the mountains and desert of Morocco.  The true Barb therefore comes originally from Barbary, a geographical area, corresponding to present-day Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, and Libya.
    The Tuaregs, a fearsome nomadic tribe, were the only Berbers successfully to defend their extensive territories from the Arab invasions, consequently the Barb horses they bred remained uncontaminated by the
Arab.  This proud people is renowned for the skill of its horsemen and the quality of the horses used in its warring forays.
    While I have found places in the United States where this horse is now bred, it is still not very common in Western countries.  The following information about breeding and history of the breed is taken from a fairly old source.  It lists the breeding area as North Africa, with studs in Algiers, at Oran and Constantine, and in Tunis, Sidi Tabet Stud.  It also states that the Barb originated from the ancient Numidian breed (Equus caballus africanus), from which the Carthaginian horsemen obtained their remounts during the Punic Wars.  After the mass migration from Arabia, there came a steady stream of Arabs to North Africa, so that the Barb became increasingly nearer to the Arab type.  (At this last remark, I cannot help but add a fascinating bit of information I obtained from a source which I hope someday to have in my possession.  A fairly new book, more to do with cavalry and warfare than horses in particular, nevertheless caught my attention with a rather audacious-sounding statement that I almost wish were true!  It suggested, quite briefly, that "North Africa too had long been renowned for its horses, and it was under Muslim rule that the tough, enduring barb was crossed with the more refined and spirited eastern types to produce the famous Arab breed."  I leave that comment to the reader's judgement or emotion, and will neither defend nor refute it at this point!)

Description:  An athletic horse of the mesomorphic type.  Strong, in spite of its small build and slim legs.

Action:  Rather short stride in walk; really good trot; light gallop, not very long stride.

Body:  Back short and straight.  Chest wide and deep.  Neck medium length to long, well-muscled, arched and well-carried.  Shoulders flat, long, and sloping; sometimes steep.  Quarters sloping.  Withers high and prominent.  Strong, vaulted loins.  Pointed, narrow and sharply sloping croup.

Color:  Usually bay, gray, black, brown or chestnut.  Grey and white common.

Head:  Rather long, with pronounced jaws and flared nostrils.  Eyes lively.  Profile straight or convex.  Long, extended and clean Roman nose; strong cheeks.

Hooves:  Small, and very hard, with hard, tough horn.

Legs:  Hard, slender and solid, with broad joints.  Very well-shaped with excellent, clearly marked hocks and tendons, the latter prominent and clearly defined.  Cannons have been described by various sources as both short and long.

Size:  14 to 15 hands (1.45 to 1.55 meters).  Usually not more than 15 hands high.

Tail:  Low set and flowing, but not very well carried.

Temperament:  Docile and courageous.  Fiery temperament, reliable character.

Features:  Can live on poor feed.  Fast over short courses.  Resistant and frugal.  The Barb is said to be the most hardy of all the Oriental breeds and proves particularly resistant to changes in climate, fatigue, and disease.  It develops late and does not reach maturity until its sixth year.  Plenty of stamina.  Tough, unpretentious, light, elegant riding horse, very highly bred.

Uses:  Still as essential to everyday life in most parts of Morocco, Algeria and Libya as they were centuries ago.  In the past this horse was highly prized as a war horse both by the Tuaregs in its native Africa, and in Europe.  Cavalry horse of the French Spahis.

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