Galiceno: horses the size of ponies (5 photos)

Miniature Galiceno horses are the best companion for a young rider. This breed once appeared in Mexico and has come a long and difficult way.





Galicenos are bay, black or chestnut.

The Columbus Exchange was the process by which the Old World received tomatoes, tobacco, corn, and syphilis. And the New one - ruthless colonists, wheat, plague and livestock! Yes, the exchange turned out to be unequal, but horses appeared in South America for the first time in a long time. Yes, not simple ones, but small and remote ones - Galicenos!



At first, the ancestors of the Galicenos were horses of the Spanish colonialists. Some of the ungulates were left without owners, who fell in battle for new lands, while others went off on their own to free bread. True, these grains were meager - the Mexican wastelands are not famous for their rich fields and meadows.





So the Galicenos shrunk to the size of a pony - height no more than 130 cm, and weight about 250 kg. The smaller the size, the less you overheat and the easier it is for you to feed yourself in barren lands. But the horsepower inside the micro-horses did not decrease: the herd easily covered tens of kilometers in the heat over rough terrain.



Such remarkable abilities could not go unnoticed. The local population realized that the wild descendants of thoroughbred Spanish horses were an excellent resource for life. So Galiceno was domesticated again. And how lucky!

Hardy animals were harnessed to carry loads and people. He drove both Galicenos gracefully: smoothly and evenly. Neither the scorching Mexican sun nor the brain-melting heat bothered them. And in the middle of the 20th century, horses were also appreciated in North America. This is how the breed received official status and standards.



Hundreds of years ago, my ancestors fled European colonists. And now I give rides to the children of these colonists. What irony!

Now Galiceno is the best partner for a young rider. Small horses are great for children who are just learning to sit in the saddle. After all, the gait of representatives of the breed is exceptionally smooth, but fast and maneuverable.