Читать книгу The Majesty of the Horse: An Illustrated History - Tamsin Pickeral - Страница 22

HEIGHT

13–14.3 h.h.

APPEARANCE

A small, high-quality head, broad across the forehead and tapering to a fine muzzle. Short, muscular neck, broad chest, well-developed hindquarters, and sound limbs. Sometimes slightly long in the back, and, like many mountain breeds, often cow hocked, though this does not affect their movement.

COLOR

A very distinctive black.

APTITUDE

Riding, light draft, agricultural use, packing

THIS GORGEOUS MOUNTAIN BREED OF PONY evolved in the remote Ariège region of southwest France along the eastern edge of the Pyrenees on the border with Spain, specifically between the French county of Rousillon and Spanish Catalonia. Both the breed and the region take their name from the Ariège River, which wends its way down through the Pyrenees and north into France. It is a place of great beauty, but also one notable for the severity of its winters; as a result, the Ariègeois has developed into an extremely hardy pony.

Typical of mountain breeds, the ponies are incredibly sure-footed and able to traverse the rocky and often icy terrain with ease. Like other breeds that evolved in harsh environments, the Ariègeois is also able to exist on meager rations, picking its way through the mountain forage and maintaining body condition where less hardy breeds would fail. The breed is also notably resistant to disease and sports a weather-resistant coat similar to British native pony breeds; the Ariègeois has much in common with the British Dales and Fell pony of the English Pennines, both in appearance and constitution. The ponies also bear more than a passing resemblance to the magnificent Friesian horse of the northern Netherlands, and it is fair to assume that these breeds might have evolved from similar primitive roots.

Evidence suggests that the Ariègeois has lived in its mountain home since prehistoric times. Most striking in this respect are the cave paintings found in the Niaux Cave at the heart of the Ariège in the Vicdessos Valley. These breathtaking painted images depict horses that bear a great similarity to the Ariègeois, but there are also images similar to the Camargue horse, which lives to the north and east of the Ariège. Most distinctive in these images is the Ariègeois’ winter coat and characteristic long whiskery beard, which the horses still grow every year.

The first documented evidence of the Ariègeois dates from Roman times to their description by Caesar (100 B.C.E.–15 B.C.E.) in his Commentaries on the Gallic War. The Gauls were renowned horsemen and breeders, and had improved many of their native stock through selective breeding—certainly with Spanish stock and possibly horses of Oriental origin—and there can be little doubt that this would have extended to the mountain-bred Ariègeois. The breed was heavily influenced early in its history with horses of Oriental or Eastern blood, though even today this blood continues to have an influence; as recently as 1971, Arabian blood was introduced to improve the breed’s quality. With the arrival of the Romans it is likely that the Ariègeois would also have been crossed to heavier, larger Roman-bred horses used for draft and war, increasing their size somewhat.

Over the centuries, the Ariègeois has lost some of its original qualities through persistent crossbreeding, particularly to heavier draft breeds such as the Percheron and Breton. Despite this, the Ariègeois remains a highly attractive and useful animal and is still in widespread use in the agricultural mountain communities of its home area. The ponies work on the steep hillside fields, plowing, harrowing, seeding, and harvesting, and they are able to access areas unsuitable for mechanized vehicles. They are also used for packing (though less so now than traditionally), driving, hauling minerals and timber, and riding. Historically, the Ariègeois was also used for smuggling goods across the Spanish border. They are intelligent and quiet ponies, making them great for children and nervous riders.