Pottok Pony

History
 The Pottok Pony, an ancient breed, originates in the Basque region of both France and Spain, which extwnds from the Pyrenees Mountain all the way down to the Bay of Biscay. Not much is known about the Pottok Pony, but similar horses have been found in prehistoric cave paintings, proving it may be the descendent of an ancient horse. This horse is thought to be the now extinct Magdalenian horse, though no ne knows for certain.

 Centuries of roaming the mountains has caused the breed to develop into a sturdy, sure-footed horse with hardy hooves, strong legs, and plenty of stamina. They are well adapted to the rough, mountainous terrain.

 In the 17th century, smugglers used Pottok Ponies to carry goods from France to Spain, and vice versa. Several centuries later, in the 19th and 20th, the ponies were used for a more legal means. They had to haul coal in mines throughout France and Italy.

 Up until around 20th century, though, most Pottoks roamed the Pyrenees Mountains without being domesticated. However, cross-breeding and loss of habitat in the 20th century has almost brought the breed to extinction. It was not until 1970, when the Pottok's offical studbook was created, that the Pottok became recognized as a breed by the French administration and people became aware of the breed's plight. At that time, only a couple hundred mares existed.

 People living in the area took steps to save the breed by creating a horse reserve in the Pyrenees Mountains, near the village of Bidarray. All the horses on the reserve would have owners, something that contiues to this day. At the end of January of each year, the Pottoks are gathered and branded, with soom being sold and others remaining in the area.

Pottok Pony credit

Breed Description and Uses
 Pottok Ponies are proportioned like a small horse rather than a pony. They have a sloping croup, prominent withers, a straight back, and a short, upright neck. Their profile is straight, with small ears and large eyes and nostrils.

 Several kinds of Pottok exist: Standard, Piebald, and Double. The Standard is small, standing 11 to 13 hands high, and comes in only solid colors, such as chestnut and bay. The Piebald stands the same height as the Standard, yet comes in a pinto coat. It can either have to colors on its coat(black or chestnut with white) or can have three colors(black, chestnut, and white). Finally, the Double is usually 12.2 to 14.2 hands high and comes in the same coloring as the Standard.

 Regardless of type, Pottoks can be used as either a harness horse or an all-round children's pony able to perform various tasks.

2014 World Equestrian Games

 For most people, big sport events of 2014 means the Winter Olympics, but for us equestrians, it means the World Equestrian Games, which will be held in Normandy, France this year. This year, 1000 competitors will be there, competing in the eight most popular disciplines: dressage, jumping, eventing, reining, endurance, vaulting, driving, and para-dressage. Unlike in Lexington in 2010, this year's World Equestrian Games will be held in multiple locations, rather than just one site. Most of the competition will take place in Caen, the regions capital. The dressage and cross-country phase of eventing will be Haras du Pin, one of the national stud farms, and the endurance competition will be over an hour away from Caen. I can't wait to watch it, but for now I'll leave you with the official trailer, by Alltech.

The Horse of the Sea

 The Camargue, also known as the "horse of the sea," lives near the delta of the Rhône River in the Camargue region of southern France, which is recognized by its saltwater marshes and lagoons, sandbars, coarse reeds, scorching summers, and harsh, bitter winters. Because of the salty, swampy environment, manades(herds) of the free-roaming Camargue must survive on a sparse diet tough grass. Their living conditions may seem tough, but they have had many years to adapt. Many people believe that the Camargue originates from either the long-extinct Soutre horse, which had lived over 17,000 years ago, or the Arabian, or even the Saracen horses, a breed that came to southern France in the eighth century with barbaric invaders. Some invaders from Celtic and Roman regions later found the Camargues on the Iberian Peninsula. As a result, the Camargue bloodlines became mixed with that of Spanish horses that lived nearby. 

 Because of many years out in tough environment, Camargues have become well-adpated to many difficult living conditions, including biting pests, humid summers, bitter winters, and though, salty forage, which even then is usually sparse. Even their robust exterior and wide hooves is a result of the wetlands where they have lived for centuries. 

Camargues have been toughened by the rough environment they live in.
Some distinct features are: the large head, the short neck
the stocky, compact body; the wide hooves, the thick legs,
and the heavy mane and tail. Their teeth are also adapted for eating
tough marsh grass, which most horses cannot digest. (credit)

 Even though the Camargue still runs wild in the marshes of the Camargue Regional Park in the early part of its life, their breeding is overseen by the Biological Research Station of the Tour du Valat. In 1976, the French government  began to register the main breeders and set standards for breeding. Two years later, the breed's studbook was set up. In order to be registered, a foal must fit the following criteria: it must be born outside, not in a stable, and it must be seen suckling from a registered mare. Foal are either labelled as sous berceau(in birthplace), meaning that they were born in the Camargue region, or hors berceau(out of birthplace), meaning that they were not born in the Camargue region. 

Camargue foals are born dark and lighten as they age, finally
becoming grey, like the one above.(credit)

 When the foals are finally weaned, they are exposed to humans for the first time. They are branded with  the symbol of their herd, a letter representing the year they were born, and an identification number. Many Camargues are saddled and trained when they are old enough and begin a lifelong career in herding Camargue bulls, which are used fro meat, bullfighting, and bull running and are also allowed to roam free in the marshes. 

 They are also ridden in parades and regional gardian races and are used in dressage, long-distance racing, driving, games(such as gymkhana) and other equestrian pursuits.