Garrano

Portuguese breed of horse

Garrano

Stallions fighting in Peneda-Gerês National Park

Conservation status|

* FAO (2007): endangered-maintained[1]: 93
* DAD-IS (2024): at risk/endangered-maintained[2]

Other names| Raça Garrana
Country of origin| Portugal
Standard| Associação de Criadores de Equinos da Raça Garrana
Traits
Weight|

* Male:

350 kg[2]

* Female:

300 kg[2]

Height|

* Male:

128 cm[2]

* Female:

120 cm[2]

* Equus ferus caballus

The Garrano or Raça Garrana is a Portuguese breed of small horse. It is distributed principally in the North Region of Portugal, and is equivalent to the Faco Galego of Galicia in north-western Spain, which lies immediately to the north.[3]: 402

It is one of four Portuguese breeds, the others being the Lusitano, the Sorraia and the Pónei da Terceira.

## History

[edit]

In Paredes de Coura At the Minas dos Carris [pt], in the Peneda-Gerês National Park

The Garrano falls within the Celtic group of Iberian horse breeds, and is genetically close to other Celtic breeds such as the Connemara, the Exmoor Pony and the Shetland.[4]: 24 Horses of this type are thought to have been introduced to the north-western Iberian Peninsula by migrating Celts in the sixth or seventh century BC; these people probably had trade relations with other Celtic populations in Brittany and Ireland.[5]: 39

A breed association, the Associação de Criadores de Equinos da Raça Garrana, was formed within the farmers' co-operative of Vieira do Minho in 1988; in 1990 it became independent, and in 1995 received official government approval.[6] The breed standard was drawn up in 1993.[7]

The Garrano is distributed principally in the North Region of Portugal. It is found in the concelhos of Amares, Arcos de Valdevez, Cabeceiras de Basto, Caminha, Melgaço, Monção, Paredes de Coura, Ponte da Barca, Ponte de Lima, Póvoa de Lanhoso, Terras de Bouro, Valença, Viana do Castelo, Vieira do Minho, Vila Nova de Cerveira and Vila Verde in the province of Minho and of Montalegre in the Trás-os-Montes.[8]: 179 Within the Peneda-Gerês National Park, the horses are present on about 97% of the total land area, including the plateaux of Castro Laboreiro and Mourela and the four principal mountain formations, the Serra Amarela, the Serra do Gerês, the Serra da Peneda and the Serra do Soajo.[8]: 179 The horses are also seen on other mountain massifs outside the limits of the park, including the Serra de Arga, the Serra da Cabreira [pt], the Serra de Monção, the Serra de Paredes de Coura and the Serra de Santa Luzia in Minho, and the Serra do Larouco [pt] in Trás-os-Montes.[8]: 179

In 2019 the population registered in the herd-book included 335 stallions and almost 2000 breeding mares, in the hands of approximately 700 breeders.[8]: 181 By 2024 the number of mares had risen to over 2550, of which about 1700 were pure-bred.[9]

## Characteristics

[edit]

The Garrano is small, with an average height at the withers of about 125 cm for stallions and some 120 cm for mares. Average weights are 350 kg and 300 kg respectively.[2] The coat is commonly bay, often of a dark shade, and is usually without white markings. The facial profile is straight or slightly concave and the mane and tail are thick and black.[8]: 180 The horses often have other gaits in addition to the usual walk, trot and canter.[10]: 468

## Use

[edit]

The horses are almost invariably managed extensively, as a self-sufficient semi-feral population in the mountains of the North Region. They naturally form independent harems usually consisting of one stallion and a number of mares – approximately twenty on average.[9] The harems are rounded up once a year and the colt foals are separated out and later sold. The comparatively limited number of stabled horses may be used for farm work, or raced at the pace or canter.[9]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Barbara Rischkowsky, Dafydd Pilling (editors) (2007). List of breeds documented in the Global Databank for Animal Genetic Resources, annex to The State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Rome: Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. ISBN 9789251057629. Archived 23 June 2020.
2. ^ a b c d e f Breed data sheet: Garrano / Portugal (Horse). Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed August 2024.
3. ^ José Vingada, Carlos Fonseca, Jorge Cancela, Joana Ferreira, Catarina Eira (2010). Ungulates and their management in Portugal. In: Marco Apollonio, Reidar Andersen, Rory Putman (editors) (2010). European Ungulates and Their Management in the 21st Century. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521760614, pages 392–418.
4. ^ Cristina Luís, R. Juras, Maria do Mar Oom, E. Gus Cothran (February 2007). Genetic Diversity and Relationships of Portuguese and Other Horse Breeds Based on Protein and Microsatellite Loci Variation. Animal Genetics. 38 (1): 20–27. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2052.2006.01545.x.
5. ^ J. Cañon, M.L. Checa, C. Carleos, J.L. Vega-Pla, M. Vallejo, S. Dunner (2000). The genetic structure of Spanish Celtic horse breeds inferred from microsatellite data. Animal Genetics. 31: 39–48. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2052.2000.00591.x.
6. ^ Historial (in Portuguese). Associação de Criadores de Equinos da Raça Garrana. Accessed August 2024.
7. ^ Padrão da Raça (in Portuguese). Associação de Criadores de Equinos da Raça Garrana. Accessed August 2024.
8. ^ a b c d e [s.n.] (2021). Catálogo Oficial de Raças Autóctones Portuguesas (in Portuguese). Lisboa: Confederação dos Agricultores de Portugal; Direção-Geral de Alimentação e Veterinária. Archived 19 January 2024.
9. ^ a b c Equinos – Raça Garrano (in Portuguese). Vale de Santarém: Sociedade Portuguesa de Recursos Genéticos Animais. Archived 22 May 2024.
10. ^ Valerie Porter, Lawrence Alderson, Stephen J.G. Hall, D. Phillip Sponenberg (2016). Mason's World Encyclopedia of Livestock Breeds and Breeding (sixth edition). Wallingford: CABI. ISBN 9781780647944.

## Further reading

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Garranos.

* Ruy d'Andrade (1938). Garranos. Boletim Pecuário. 6 (2): 281–292.

* M.L. Checa, S. Dunner, J. Martin, J. Vega, J. Cañon (1998). A note on the characterization of a small Celtic pony breed. Journal of Animal Breeding and Genetics. 115 (1‐6): 157–163.

* J.C. Gomes, Maria do Mar Oom (2000). Caracterizção demográfica do núcleo de garranos bravios do PNPG. Revista Portuguesa de Zootecnia. 7 (1): 67–78.

* Cristina Luís, E. Gus Cothran, Maria do Mar Oom (2002). Microsatellites in Portuguese autochthonous horse breeds: Usefulness for parentage testing. Genetics and Molecular Biology. 25: 131–134.

* Cristina Luís, C. Coutinho, Joana Malta-Vacas, Joana Morais, Maria do Mar Oom (2000). Genetic diversity analysis of the three Portuguese native horse breeds inferred from microsatellite data. In 27th International Conference on Animal Genetics, 22–26 July, Food Animal Biotechnology Center, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota.

* Maria do Mar Oom (1992). O cavalo Lusitano: Uma raça em recuperação (PhD thesis, in Portuguese). Lisbon: Department of Zoology and Anthropology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon.

* Maria do Mar Oom (2000). A genealogia do Garrano. In: Os Milenios do Garrano. Vieira do Minho: Associação dos Criadores de Equinos de Raça Garrana, pages 77–79.

* Maria do Mar Oom (2000). A genética molecular na produção cavalar em Portugal. In Jornadas de Equinicultura, 2 e 3 de Março, Vila Real, Portugal.

* Maria do Mar Oom, E. Gus Cothran (1996). Preliminary study of genetic variation of a feral pony from Portugal: The Garrano. Animal Genetics. 27 (Supplement 2): 17–42.

* M.C. Portas, J.M. Vieira-Leite (2000). Livro Genealógico dos Equinos de Raça Garrana. In: Second Congresso Ibérico sobre Recursos Genéticos Animais, 19 e 20 de Outubro, Estação Zootécnica Nacional, Santarém, Portugal.

* M.C. Portas, J.M. Vieira-Leite, J.J.D. Oliveira e Sousa (1998). A contribution to the study of Garrano horses = A raça Garrana. Um contribute para o seu estudo. Veterinária Técnica. 8 (6): 18–26.

* M.C. Portas, N. Vieira-e-Brito, I. Silva-Carvalho, J.M. Vieira-Leite (2001). La conservatión de la raza equina Garrana. Archivos de Zootecnia. 50: 171–179.

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Horse breeds of the Iberian peninsula

Horse breeds thought to originate wholly or partly within Portugal and Spain. Some have complex or obscure histories, so inclusion here does not necessarily imply that a breed is predominantly or exclusively Iberian.

* Alter Real
* Andalusian
* Carthusian
* Asturcón
* Basque Mountain Horse
* Burguete
* Galician
* Garrano
* Hispano-Árabe
* Hispano-Bretón
* Jaca Navarra
* Losino
* Lusitano
* Mallorquín
* Marismeño
* Menorquín
* Mérens
* Monchino
* Pirinenc Catalá
* Pónei da Terceira
* Pottok
* Retuertas
* Serrano
* Sorraia
* Spanish Sport Horse
* Spanish Trotter

* List of horse breeds
* Iberian horse

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