Horse
Pronunciation:
ar-gen-tine cri-o-llo
Breed Description:
The Argentine Criollo breed of horse is a tough, muscular and hardy horse with a stout body. They tend to be short in stature with strong legs, good bone, strong joints and tough feet. They have a broad chest, a strong short back and well-muscled hindquarters. They also tend to have short, muscular necks, strong sloping shoulders and well-sprung ribs. The head tends to have wide-set eyes and is medium to large in size. They often have thick, abundant manes and tails. The breed can exhibit many colors including black, brown, bay, chestnut, buckskin, palomino, grulla, roan, gray and overo but the most prized color is dun with a prominent dorsal stripe.
Temperament:
The Argentine Criollo breed of horse is tough, independent, tenacious and of very strong character. They are known for being intelligent, tractable, trainable and willing to work.
Height:
The Argentine Criollo breed of horse is a small horse usually standing 13 ¾ to 15 ¼ hands. The average height is 14.3 hands. The maximum size per registry is 15 ¼ hands for both sexes. The minimum size allowed for mares is 13 ¾ hands and 14 hands for stallions or geldings.
Weight:
The Argentine Criollo breed of horse averages between 800 and 1000 pounds in weight.
Health Problems:
The Argentine Criollo breed of horse is an exceptionally healthy breed with no known health problems and is extremely resistant to disease. Their bone structure is so strong and well developed that soundness problems are extremely rare in this breed. The Argentine Criollo is said to be one of the toughest horses in the world.
Living Conditions:
The Argentine Criollo breed of horse is well known for their ability to live in extremely harsh conditions and thrive under hard work. Their home ranges where they were developed exhibit both extreme cold and excessive heat and these horses have adapted to be able to handle all of these conditions. They can survive on almost any kind of forage with no supplemental feeding, thrive on small amounts of feed and are very easy keepers.
Exercise:
The Argentine Criollo breed of horse is well known for their endurance, toughness and ability to work. They thrive on hard work and do well as working cow horses, pleasure horses, rodeo horses and trail riding horses. They are used extensively in Argentine as both working horses and for extreme endurance riding so they enjoy all different types of exercise. All horses require regular exercise to maintain their health and well being and the Argentine Criollo is no exception.
Life Expectancy:
The Argentine Criollo breed of horse is an extremely hardy horse with an above average life span for a horse. Depending on management and environment, these horses can live to 25 or 30 years of age.
Grooming:
The Argentine Criollo breed of horse requires no special grooming but all horses benefit from regular grooming and hoof care.
Origin:
The Argentine Criollo breed of horse is the native horse of South America and originated from a feral population of Andalusians from Spain that had thrived and reproduced in the wilds of the plains of South America. This harsh environment produced a very hardy, tough and resilient breed that is the foundation of the Argentine Criollo today. This is a very old breed that can be traced to a shipment of Spanish stallions arriving in 1535. The wild horses were eventually captured and used for riding and pack animals just like the Native Americans had been doing many years prior. 