Criollo

Originating on the grasslands of Argentina and the neighbouring parts of South America, the Criollo is a stock horse of medium size, compact and strongly muscled. Centuries of ranch work on the open plains have made it what it is: a horse noted for endurance, for sound feet, and for a steady manner that lasts through long days in the saddle.

Its ancestry reaches back to the horses that Spanish settlers carried to the Americas during the sixteenth century. A great many of those animals turned feral and endured for generations on unforgiving range, and it was there that a tough, undemanding horse was forged. Present-day breeding still looks for that same hardiness, together with a quiet and obliging temperament.

The Criollo is now put to cattle work, to hacking and endurance riding, and to service as a general riding horse. Traditionally the mount of the Argentine gaucho, it remains first and foremost a working horse, although it has made its mark in long-distance competition as well.

Who it suits

The Criollo will suit an owner who wants a sound, economical horse for ranch work, hacking or endurance. Being calm and self-reliant, it is straightforward to manage, though its appetite for work is best paired with a rider who keeps it occupied. It is thoroughly at home on rough terrain and uneven feed, and it demands rather less upkeep than most warmblood breeds.

The breed's history opens with horses imported by Spanish colonists during the early sixteenth century. Stock of Iberian origin came ashore in the Rio de la Plata region, and a proportion of them escaped or were turned loose onto the open plains of what is today Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil.

For something in the order of three hundred years these horses lived half-wild upon the pampas. Severe winters, drought, predators and meagre grazing thinned the weaker animals, and what survived was a small, hardy population that withstood disease. This protracted spell of natural selection accounts for a great deal of the Criollo's toughness and its ease of keeping.

Towards the close of the nineteenth century and into the twentieth, breeders in Argentina set about shaping the type into a recognised breed and recording its pedigrees. The aim was a uniform stock horse fit for the gaucho's cattle work, without sacrificing the endurance that the range had already tested.

The breed's staying power was brought before a wider public by long-distance rides that showed just how far a Criollo could travel on the barest of rations. That reputation for covering great distances remains at the heart of how the breed is understood and employed.

The Criollo is a compact and well-muscled horse, built for work rather than for stature. Its back is short and strong, the girth deep, the shoulders sloping and the chest broad. The limbs are clean and carry dense bone, while the hooves are hard and well formed, a characteristic long prized for keeping the horse sound over rough going. The head is of moderate length, its profile straight or a little convex.

Coat and colours

Dun shades are closely bound up with the breed and frequently carry primitive markings, among them a dorsal stripe and barring on the legs. Grullo, bay, chestnut, roan and palomino occur besides. The coat is short and dense and stands up to cold, wind and sun alike, in keeping with a breed reared on exposed range.

The Criollo is renowned for a cool head. It stays composed where more reactive horses would take fright, and this is no small part of why the gaucho settled on it as a working mount. The breed is willing and industrious once it has grasped a task, and it husbands its energy rather than squandering it.

Worked regularly, it is cooperative and takes readily to people, yet its independent turn of mind means it is quite capable of thinking for itself. That self-reliance proves its worth on long rides across open country and during cattle work, where a horse must judge the ground and respond without waiting to be told.

Criollos generally settle contentedly among other horses and take fresh surroundings calmly. With strangers they tend towards quiet watchfulness rather than anxiety. Their steadiness accommodates a variety of riders, though the drive to work is best channelled through consistent handling and a proper job of work.

Grooming

• Brush the short, dense coat two or three times a week to lift dirt and loose hair, and more often while the horse is casting its coat.
• Pick out the feet daily, and before and after riding, checking for stones, cracks or thrush.
• Arrange a visit from the farrier every 6 to 8 weeks; the breed's hard feet often do well unshod.
• Sponge the eyes, nostrils and dock as required, and look the skin over for cuts after work on rough ground.

Exercise

• Allow daily turnout alongside regular ridden or in-hand work; this is a working breed that does better with an occupation.
• Bring the horse on gradually towards endurance and long hacks, which play to its stamina.
• Vary the work so that an independent-minded horse stays mentally occupied.
• Grant recovery days after hard efforts, particularly for older horses.

Environment

The Criollo adapts to a broad spread of climates and tolerates cold, heat and uneven feed rather better than most breeds. It thrives with access to grazing and shelter from wind and sun. Sound fencing and the company of other horses help to keep its temperament settled.

Bred on sparse range, the Criollo makes thrifty use of its feed, so most individuals hold their condition on quality forage alone. The ration should be founded on grass or hay, with concentrates kept back for horses in hard work or with greater demands. Unbroken access to clean water and free-access salt both matter, and forage ought to make up the greater part of the daily intake so as to support the gut.

Treats and supplements

Give treats such as carrots or apples only in modest amounts. Most Criollos on good forage need little beyond salt and clean water, though local soils may be short of particular minerals; let a vet or nutritionist advise on any supplement rather than reaching for it as a matter of course.

The Criollo is reckoned a sound and robust breed, the reward of long natural selection on harsh range. Under good management it commonly reaches 25 to 30 years. It carries no lengthy tally of inherited disorders, and most of its health concerns are the general ones common to every horse rather than faults peculiar to the breed. Its hard feet and thrifty metabolism tell in its favour, though that very good-doer constitution brings risks of its own where feeding is left unchecked.

Preventive care

• An annual veterinary examination and the vaccinations suited to the region.
• A dental check at least once a year, and more often for veterans.
• Hoof care every 6 to 8 weeks.
• Faecal testing and a targeted worming plan.
• Body condition scoring to catch weight gain at an early stage.

The Criollo schools well for an experienced or confident handler. It is intelligent and quick to take things up, and its calm nature means it seldom overreacts in the early stages. The independent streak that makes it useful on the range also means it answers best to clear, consistent aids rather than a constant stream of correction. Once a Criollo has understood a job, it tends to carry it out reliably and with little fuss.

Basics

1. Establish the groundwork: leading, standing and accepting handling all over the body.
2. Introduce tack and saddling in calm, short sessions.
3. Teach the basic ridden aids for go, halt and turn at the walk before adding pace.
4. Build fitness and exposure to varied terrain for hacking and endurance work.
5. Bring in cattle or task-specific work once the horse has settled under saddle.

Criollos come to breeding age much as other horse breeds do, though many breeders prefer to wait until a horse is physically mature before hard work or breeding. Covering may be natural or by artificial insemination, according to the programme, with pedigrees kept through the relevant breed studbook. Gestation runs to roughly 11 months, and a mare almost always carries a single foal; twins are rare and generally unwanted, for they heighten the risk to mare and foals alike.

Foals are usually on their feet and suckling within hours of birth and are weaned at around four to six months. The breed's hardiness declares itself early, and youngstock are commonly reared with generous turnout so that bone and feet develop soundly. Breeders select for the qualities the Criollo is known for: a tough constitution, good feet, endurance and a calm, workable temperament.