Origin
Portugal
History
This breed must be seen as stemming from the primitive stock, principally represented by the Tarpan with possible traces of the Asiatic Wild Horse. The Sorraia Pony represents the connection bewtween the indigenous stock of prehistory and the present-day horses of the Peninsula. Only in comparatively recent times has its habitat been fixed as being between the rivers Sor and Raia, running through both Spain and Portugal from which the pony´s name derived.
For centuries the Sorraia was used by local „cowboys" to perform a variety of light agricultural tasks. Captured animals have been broken to ride and used for herding the fighting bulls and other livestock. The stock then degenerated rapidly with the onset of mechanization and was only preserved through the efforts of Dr. Ruy d´Andrade and his son Fernando. They kept a small Sorraia herd in the natural state, and it was this that encouraged the conservation of the breed.
Old documents indicate that these horses were taken to the Americas by the Spanish conquistadors. Sorraia blood in the Americas is evident, as several breeds in both North and South America bear the dun and grullo coloration and other physical characteristics of this ancient horse. Furthermore, DNA analyses of American mustangs have shown similar and even identical DNA patterns to that of the Sorraia.
Description
- Head:
it is Roman-headed, typically fairly narrow from a front view, rather narrow between the eyes and even from a side view it tends to be not very deep - Conformation:
-neck, long, slender but well shaped
-quite high withers, well defined
-deep and narrow chest
-schoulder rather straight
-short and straight back
-sloping croup
-tail set low-long
-legs solidly built with strong joints, well-defined tendons, and long, sloped pasterns
-hard hooves, dark in colour - Average height:
12.2 to 13.2 h.h. - Colour:
it is invariably some shade of dun or grullo, a primitive coloration with a black dorsal stripe, black-tipped ears, and a heavy black mane and tail. Usually the mane and tail are fringed with the body colour. The legs are striped with bars. There is also a stripe across the shoulders. The pure Sorraia never has white markings. - Temperament:
the Sorraia is known to have a calm, steady nature and willingness to learn - Today:
Sorraias are bred by a handful of private breeders. Most are still owned by the d'Andrade family, with José Luis Sommer d'Andrade, grandson of Dr. Ruy d'Andrade and president of the Sorraia association, managing the family estate. His siblings own some and a few more are in other private hands outside the d'Andrade family. The Portuguese state breeding farm also has a small herd of these horses and several more are owned privately in Germany, France and Switzerland. The total number may not exceed 150 head.
