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Camargue (horse)
Encyclopedia
The Camargue horse is an ancient breed of horse
indigenous to the Camargue
area in southern France
. For centuries, possibly thousands of years, these small horses have lived wild in the harsh environment of the Camargue marshes and wetlands of the Rhone
delta
. There they developed the stamina, hardiness and agility for which they are known today. The Camargue horse is the traditional mount of the gardians
, the Camargue "cowboys" who herd the black Camargue bulls
used in bullfighting
in southern France. Camargue horses galloping through water is a popular and romantic image of the region.
. This means that they have black skin underlying a white hair coat as adult horses. They are born with a hair coat that is black
or dark brown in colour, but as they grow to adulthood, their hair coat becomes ever more intermingled with white hairs until it is completely white. They are small horses, generally standing 1.35 – at the withers, and weighing 350 to 500 kg (771.6 to 1,102.3 lb). Despite their small size, they have the strength to carry grown men. Rugged and intelligent, they have a short neck, deep chest, compact body, well-jointed, strong limbs and a full mane and tail.
Since 2003, three registrations exist to identify Camargue horses:
Camargue: Horses registered in the stud book
, foal
ed and identified in Camargue area, branded before weaning, and from a manade
(a small, semi-feral herd structure). The berceau or cradle of the breed is strictly defined, and consists of 45 communes
in the départements of Bouches-du-Rhône
, Gard
and Hérault
.
Camargue hors manade: Horses registered in the stud book
, foal
ed and identified in Camargue area, and not from a manade.
Camargue hors berceau: Horses registered in the stud book
, foal
ed and identified outside of the Camargue area.
There exists a strong sense of regionalism
in Camargue area, so registration for the horses is treated similarly to an Appellation d'origine contrôlée
.
Some researchers believe the Camargue are descended from the ancient Solutré horse hunted during the Upper Paleolithic
period. Extensive archeological evidence has been found in the present-day Burgundy region of France
. The Camargue breed was appreciated by the Celtic and Roman
invaders who entered the Iberian Peninsula
. Their genealogy is closely tied with Iberian horse
s, especially those of the northern part of the peninsula. The original Spanish jaca
was probably a cross between the Celtic pony and the Camargue. It was later improved by crosses with northern European horse types and ultimately with the southern peninsular horse, as the Moors
spread their influence toward the Pyrenees
.
As a result, the Camargue genes probably penetrated the Americas through the influence of the jaca, the warhorse taken to new lands where hardiness was a requirement. Breeds such as the Chilean horse
and Criollo show signs of some characteristics that are common in the Camargue breed. Camargue horses were used on a large scale during the construction of the Suez Canal
in the 1860's.
In 1976, to preserve the standards and purity of the breed, the French government set breed standards and started registering the main breeders of the Camargue horse. In 1978, they set up the breed stud book. To be registered, foals must be born out of doors and must be seen to suckle from a registered mare as proof of parentage. Foals born inside the defined Camargue region are registered , while those born elsewhere are registered ("outside the cradle" or "birthplace"). They have the heavy, square heads of primitive horses, but the influence of Arabian
, Barb
and Thoroughbred
blood can also be seen. The gardians look after the horses, which are rounded up annually for health inspections, branding, and gelding
of unsuitable stock.
In England, the only breeding herd is at Valley Farm, in Wickham Market, near Woodbridge, Suffolk
. Valley Farm is also the home of the British Camargue Horse Society, which represents the Camargue Breed in Britain by maintaining a stud book
for British-bred Camargue Horses and registering ownership of Camargue Horses in Britain.
, and also in competitive Camargue equitation
, in traditional activities such as the abrivado preceding the course camarguaise, and in many gardian games.
Their calm temperament, agility, intelligence and stamina has resulted in these horses being used for equestrian games, dressage
, and long distance riding, which is growing in popularity in France.
, portrayed the horses and the region. A short black-and-white film directed by Albert Lamorisse
, director of Le ballon rouge (1956), Crin-blanc won the 1953 Prix Jean Vigo
and the short film Grand Prix at the 1953 Cannes Film Festival
, as well as awards at Warsaw and Rome. In 1960 Denys Colomb Daunant, writer and actor for Crin-blanc, made the documentary Le Songe des Chevaux Sauvages, "Dream of the Wild Horses". It featured Camargue horses and slow motion
photography, and won the Small Golden Berlin Bear at the 1960 Berlin International Film Festival
.
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
indigenous to the Camargue
Camargue
The Camargue is the region located south of Arles, France, between the Mediterranean Sea and the two arms of the Rhône River delta. The eastern arm is called the Grand Rhône; the western one is the Petit Rhône....
area in southern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. For centuries, possibly thousands of years, these small horses have lived wild in the harsh environment of the Camargue marshes and wetlands of the Rhone
Rhône River
The Rhone is one of the major rivers of Europe, rising in Switzerland and running from there through southeastern France. At Arles, near its mouth on the Mediterranean Sea, the river divides into two branches, known as the Great Rhone and the Little Rhone...
delta
River delta
A delta is a landform that is formed at the mouth of a river where that river flows into an ocean, sea, estuary, lake, reservoir, flat arid area, or another river. Deltas are formed from the deposition of the sediment carried by the river as the flow leaves the mouth of the river...
. There they developed the stamina, hardiness and agility for which they are known today. The Camargue horse is the traditional mount of the gardians
Gardian
A gardian is a mounted cattle herdsman in the Camargue delta in Provence, southern France. The work is akin to that of the charro or cowboy....
, the Camargue "cowboys" who herd the black Camargue bulls
Camargue cattle
The Camargue cattle breed, in Provençal: Raço di bioù, is native to the Camargue marshlands of the delta of the River Rhone in southern France. The cattle are black in color with upward sweeping horns...
used in bullfighting
Bullfighting
Bullfighting is a traditional spectacle of Spain, Portugal, southern France and some Latin American countries , in which one or more bulls are baited in a bullring for sport and entertainment...
in southern France. Camargue horses galloping through water is a popular and romantic image of the region.
Specific terminology
There is a specific terminology in the Provençal dialect that is used when discussing Camargue horses:| English' term | Term in Provençal dialect |
|---|---|
| Camargue stallion | Grignon or grignoun |
| Feral horse Feral horse A feral horse is a free-roaming horse of domesticated ancestry. As such, a feral horse is not a wild animal in the sense of an animal without domesticated ancestors. However, some populations of feral horses are managed as wildlife, and these horses often are popularly called "wild" horses... |
Rosso |
| Yearling Yearling (horse) A yearling is a young horse of either sex that is between one and two years old. Yearlings are comparable in development to a very early adolescent, they are not fully mature physically, and while they may be in the earliest stages of sexual maturity, they are considered too young to be breeding... |
Court |
| Horse or bull aged 2 years | Doublen |
| Horse or bull aged 3 years | Ternen |
| Horse or bull aged 4 years | Quatren |
| Horse breeding in Camargue area | Cavalot |
| Livestock branding Livestock branding Livestock branding is a technique for marking livestock so as to identify the owner. Originally, livestock branding only referred to a hot brand for large stock, though the term is now also used to refer to other alternative techniques such as freeze branding... in Camargue area |
Ferrade |
| Herder | Gardian Gardian A gardian is a mounted cattle herdsman in the Camargue delta in Provence, southern France. The work is akin to that of the charro or cowboy.... , and gardianou for young apprentices |
| Semi-feral herd of cows and / or Camargue horses | Manade |
Characteristics
Camargue horses are always grayGray (horse)
Gray or grey is a coat color of horses characterized by progressive silvering of the colored hairs of the coat. Most gray horses have black skin and dark eyes; unlike many depigmentation genes, gray does not affect skin or eye color Their adult hair coat is white, dappled, or white intermingled...
. This means that they have black skin underlying a white hair coat as adult horses. They are born with a hair coat that is black
Black (horse)
Black is a hair coat color of horses in which the entire hair coat is black. Black is a relatively uncommon coat color, and novices frequently mistake dark chestnuts or bays for black. However, some breeds of horses, such as the Friesian horse, Murgese and Ariegeois are almost exclusively black...
or dark brown in colour, but as they grow to adulthood, their hair coat becomes ever more intermingled with white hairs until it is completely white. They are small horses, generally standing 1.35 – at the withers, and weighing 350 to 500 kg (771.6 to 1,102.3 lb). Despite their small size, they have the strength to carry grown men. Rugged and intelligent, they have a short neck, deep chest, compact body, well-jointed, strong limbs and a full mane and tail.
Since 2003, three registrations exist to identify Camargue horses:
Camargue: Horses registered in the stud book
Breed registry
A breed registry, also known as a stud book or register, in animal husbandry and the hobby of animal fancy, is an official list of animals within a specific breed whose parents are known. Animals are usually registered by their breeders when they are still young...
, foal
Foal
A foal is an equine, particularly a horse, that is one year old or younger. More specific terms are colt for a male foal and filly for a female foal, but these terms are used until the horse is age three or four. When the foal is nursing from its dam , it may also be called a suckling...
ed and identified in Camargue area, branded before weaning, and from a manade
Manade
A manade is a term used mainly in the Camargue area in France for a semi-feral group of Camargue cattle or horses led by a gardian, or herder. In French, the word manade dates from 1867...
(a small, semi-feral herd structure). The berceau or cradle of the breed is strictly defined, and consists of 45 communes
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the départements of Bouches-du-Rhône
Bouches-du-Rhône
Bouches-du-Rhône is a department in the south of France named after the mouth of the Rhône River. It is the most populous department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Its INSEE and postal code is 13.-History of the department:...
, Gard
Gard
Gard is a département located in southern France in the Languedoc-Roussillon region.The department is named after the River Gard, although the formerly Occitan name of the River Gard, Gardon, has been replacing the traditional French name in recent decades, even among French speakers.- History...
and Hérault
Hérault
Hérault is a department in the south of France named after the Hérault river.-History:Hérault is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790...
.
Camargue hors manade: Horses registered in the stud book
Breed registry
A breed registry, also known as a stud book or register, in animal husbandry and the hobby of animal fancy, is an official list of animals within a specific breed whose parents are known. Animals are usually registered by their breeders when they are still young...
, foal
Foal
A foal is an equine, particularly a horse, that is one year old or younger. More specific terms are colt for a male foal and filly for a female foal, but these terms are used until the horse is age three or four. When the foal is nursing from its dam , it may also be called a suckling...
ed and identified in Camargue area, and not from a manade.
Camargue hors berceau: Horses registered in the stud book
Breed registry
A breed registry, also known as a stud book or register, in animal husbandry and the hobby of animal fancy, is an official list of animals within a specific breed whose parents are known. Animals are usually registered by their breeders when they are still young...
, foal
Foal
A foal is an equine, particularly a horse, that is one year old or younger. More specific terms are colt for a male foal and filly for a female foal, but these terms are used until the horse is age three or four. When the foal is nursing from its dam , it may also be called a suckling...
ed and identified outside of the Camargue area.
There exists a strong sense of regionalism
Regionalism
In politics, regionalism is a political ideology that focuses on the interests of a particular region or group of regions, whether traditional or formal...
in Camargue area, so registration for the horses is treated similarly to an Appellation d'origine contrôlée
Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée
Appellation d’origine contrôlée , which translates as "controlled designation of origin", is the French certification granted to certain French geographical indications for wines, cheeses, butters, and other agricultural products, all under the auspices of the government bureau Institut National...
.
The "Cavallo del Delta"
The Camargue horse was introduced in the 1970s to the Po delta in Italy, where under the name "Cavallo del Delta" it is treated as an indigenous breed. In 2011 the registered population numbered 163.History
Upper Paleolithic
The Upper Paleolithic is the third and last subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age as it is understood in Europe, Africa and Asia. Very broadly it dates to between 40,000 and 10,000 years ago, roughly coinciding with the appearance of behavioral modernity and before the advent of...
period. Extensive archeological evidence has been found in the present-day Burgundy region of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. The Camargue breed was appreciated by the Celtic and Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
invaders who entered the Iberian Peninsula
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
. Their genealogy is closely tied with Iberian horse
Iberian horse
The Iberian horse is a title given to a number of horse breeds native to the Iberian peninsula. At present, 17 horse breeds are recognized by FAO as characteristic of the Iberian Peninsula....
s, especially those of the northern part of the peninsula. The original Spanish jaca
Jaca
Jaca is a city of northeastern Spain near the border with France, in the midst of the Pyrenees in the province of Huesca...
was probably a cross between the Celtic pony and the Camargue. It was later improved by crosses with northern European horse types and ultimately with the southern peninsular horse, as the Moors
Moors
The description Moors has referred to several historic and modern populations of the Maghreb region who are predominately of Berber and Arab descent. They came to conquer and rule the Iberian Peninsula for nearly 800 years. At that time they were Muslim, although earlier the people had followed...
spread their influence toward the Pyrenees
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain...
.
As a result, the Camargue genes probably penetrated the Americas through the influence of the jaca, the warhorse taken to new lands where hardiness was a requirement. Breeds such as the Chilean horse
Chilean Horse
The Chilean Horse is a breed virtually unknown outside South America despite being the oldest registered native American breed, the oldest registered breed of Iberian origin, the oldest registered horse breed in South America and the oldest registered stock horse breed in the Western...
and Criollo show signs of some characteristics that are common in the Camargue breed. Camargue horses were used on a large scale during the construction of the Suez Canal
Suez Canal
The Suez Canal , also known by the nickname "The Highway to India", is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened in November 1869 after 10 years of construction work, it allows water transportation between Europe and Asia without navigation...
in the 1860's.
Arabian horse
The Arabian or Arab horse is a breed of horse that originated on the Arabian Peninsula. With a distinctive head shape and high tail carriage, the Arabian is one of the most easily recognizable horse breeds in the world. It is also one of the oldest breeds, with archaeological evidence of horses...
, Barb
Barb (horse)
Developed on the Barbary Coast of North Africa, the Barb horse is a desert breed with great hardiness and stamina. The Barb generally possesses a fiery temperament and an atypical sport-horse conformation, but nevertheless has influenced modern breeds....
and Thoroughbred
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
blood can also be seen. The gardians look after the horses, which are rounded up annually for health inspections, branding, and gelding
Gelding
A gelding is a castrated horse or other equine such as a donkey or a mule. Castration, and the elimination of hormonally driven behavior associated with a stallion, allows a male horse to be calmer and better-behaved, making the animal quieter, gentler and potentially more suitable as an everyday...
of unsuitable stock.
In England, the only breeding herd is at Valley Farm, in Wickham Market, near Woodbridge, Suffolk
Woodbridge, Suffolk
Woodbridge is a town in Suffolk, East Anglia, England. It is in the East of England, not far from the coast. It lies along the River Deben, with a population of about 7,480. The town is served by Woodbridge railway station on the Ipswich-Lowestoft East Suffolk Line. Woodbridge is twinned with...
. Valley Farm is also the home of the British Camargue Horse Society, which represents the Camargue Breed in Britain by maintaining a stud book
Breed registry
A breed registry, also known as a stud book or register, in animal husbandry and the hobby of animal fancy, is an official list of animals within a specific breed whose parents are known. Animals are usually registered by their breeders when they are still young...
for British-bred Camargue Horses and registering ownership of Camargue Horses in Britain.
Uses
The Camargue horse is the traditional mount of the gardian. It is used for livestock management, particularly of Camargue cattleCamargue cattle
The Camargue cattle breed, in Provençal: Raço di bioù, is native to the Camargue marshlands of the delta of the River Rhone in southern France. The cattle are black in color with upward sweeping horns...
, and also in competitive Camargue equitation
Camargue equitation
Camargue Equitation is the traditional style of working riding of the gardian herders of the Camargue region of southern France. It is closely associated with the Camargue horse, with Camargue cattle, and with the bouvino, the traditional cultural world of cattle-farming in the Camargue....
, in traditional activities such as the abrivado preceding the course camarguaise, and in many gardian games.
Their calm temperament, agility, intelligence and stamina has resulted in these horses being used for equestrian games, dressage
Dressage
Dressage is a competitive equestrian sport, defined by the International Equestrian Federation as "the highest expression of horse training." Competitions are held at all levels from amateur to the World Equestrian Games...
, and long distance riding, which is growing in popularity in France.
Film portrayal
The 1953 children's film Crin-Blanc, English title White ManeWhite Mane
White Mane is a 1953 short film directed by award-winning French filmmaker Albert Lamorisse....
, portrayed the horses and the region. A short black-and-white film directed by Albert Lamorisse
Albert Lamorisse
Albert Lamorisse was a French filmmaker, film producer, and writer, who is best known for his award winning short films which he began making in the late 1940s, and also for inventing the famous strategic board game Risk in 1957...
, director of Le ballon rouge (1956), Crin-blanc won the 1953 Prix Jean Vigo
Prix Jean Vigo
The Prix Jean Vigo is an award in the Cinema of France given annually since 1951 to a French film director in homage to Jean Vigo. It was founded by French writer Claude...
and the short film Grand Prix at the 1953 Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
, as well as awards at Warsaw and Rome. In 1960 Denys Colomb Daunant, writer and actor for Crin-blanc, made the documentary Le Songe des Chevaux Sauvages, "Dream of the Wild Horses". It featured Camargue horses and slow motion
Slow motion
Slow motion is an effect in film-making whereby time appears to be slowed down. It was invented by the Austrian priest August Musger....
photography, and won the Small Golden Berlin Bear at the 1960 Berlin International Film Festival
Berlin International Film Festival
The Berlin International Film Festival , also called the Berlinale, is one of the world's leading film festivals and most reputable media events. It is held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in West Berlin in 1951, the festival has been celebrated annually in February since 1978...
.
See also
- Camargue cattleCamargue cattleThe Camargue cattle breed, in Provençal: Raço di bioù, is native to the Camargue marshlands of the delta of the River Rhone in southern France. The cattle are black in color with upward sweeping horns...
- Camargue equitationCamargue equitationCamargue Equitation is the traditional style of working riding of the gardian herders of the Camargue region of southern France. It is closely associated with the Camargue horse, with Camargue cattle, and with the bouvino, the traditional cultural world of cattle-farming in the Camargue....
- GardianGardianA gardian is a mounted cattle herdsman in the Camargue delta in Provence, southern France. The work is akin to that of the charro or cowboy....
- ManadeManadeA manade is a term used mainly in the Camargue area in France for a semi-feral group of Camargue cattle or horses led by a gardian, or herder. In French, the word manade dates from 1867...
- List of horse breeds