The Abaco Barb is quite literally the most endangered horse breed on the planet. Their bloodlines come from the animals brought over from Europe by Spanish explorers.
Not Your Average Spanish Horse
Interestingly enough this breeds DNA doesn’t just come from the mighty Andalusian. Many of their distinct characteristics (namely that beautiful profile) come from the Barbary horses off the North Coast of Africa.
Image credit The Bahamas Weekly
The Barbary horse was brought to Spain by the Moors when they invaded in 711 AD and the Spanish quickly formed an appreciation for this lighter desert breed.
Creation of A Hardy Breed
After the Moors were driven out of their country the Spanish began crossbreeding the Barbary animals with their own superior breeds.
The result was an incredibly smart animal, supremely built to withstand speed at long distances and under extreme conditions.
The strength of the Barb animals made them an obvious choice for the long boat journey west to the new world.
Find Out More
To learn more about these beautiful animals be sure to visit The Abaco Wild Horse Fund and for more in-depth info The Bahamas Weekly posted a great article about the Abaco Barb.
why is it becoming extinct?
the horses were at first killed by settlers and dogs, destruction of homeland, etc.
but now the animals are getting older and if i remember right one of the studs is infertile from an accident when he broke into a chemical shed that held fermions.
they aren’t doing well cause they refuse to breed and/or they aren’t as fertile as they should be. if you think about it those horses are severely interbred, having been rebult to about 35 horses from 3 that had been left alive. but no foals have been born since 1998 and so they dropped to only 6.
As of October 2010, there are only 5 left. Three mares – Acamar, Alnitak and Nunki, and two stallions – Capella and Hadar.
It’s a shame to hear their numbers are dropping, they are such a beautiful & unique breed. What can we do to help them?
Hi Paige,
I just recently joined the fight to save these horses by joining Wild Horses of Abaco (WHOA). Have a read through the website to learn more about them and what you can do to help. They are in desperate need of donations but there is still hope! Once they get the funds to get proper vet care, there is a VERY good chance we can get some foals from the three remaining mares. There is also the poisonous plant invasion problem that has taken the lives of I believe two horses in the past few years. They have been trying to eradicate the problem but it’s costly and funds coming in are low and tend to go to vet and feed. Please pass this on to whomever you think could help in any way. Donations are welcomed!
The website is http://www.AbacoHorses.com
Email me if you have any questions. robbie@AbacoHorses.com
Robbie