Societas Equitum Romanorum

[Vindex]

@ Vindex, just recently i talked with my collegea the archeologist of Maastricht who saw a programm on tv on "pottok, the bask horse "from south France and North Spain ETA country. These were already known in Roman times. Maybe just a replacement for you mare ??

Strange you should mention this!! (and thank you for your information) I am very much of the mind that due to the temperament, conformation (how the horse is put together) and depictions of the majority of ridden horses on stele etc, the area you describe produced a very hardy, up to weight versatile horse. Although Pura Raza Espangol (PRE or Andalusian) and , in some degree the Portugese Lusitano are the closest in breed type, I have been looking at these rarer breeds.

I am also of the opinion that the criollo horse (now only found in South America, but imported from Spain with the Conquistadores) which also has similar character traits and build to old PRE types ie small but incredibly strong, agile and, more importantly, brave without being stupid! The horse I'm sitting on in my avatar was a Chilean criollo and although you can see he was quite small, he felt like a much bigger horse to ride. Far more substance than an arab and just as hardy, although rarely over 15.2hh