Barb. North African Barb. Moors, Sorraia.

The Barb

Traditionally, the Barb has been confused with the Arab horse because many old-time writers, particularly those who did not travel, described the inhabitants of north-west Africa as 'Arabs'. This was a result of the Arab invasion of the Barbery Coast when the Berber tribes were defeated and converted to Islam by invading Arab and European forces in 702 AD. Consequently, many English and French writers then referred to these independent peoples and their horses by the all-embracing term Arab instead of Berber or Moor.

The Barb's history commences long before 702 AD. It is now almost conclusively established that the Barb developed as a breed from the primitive Sorraia (Equus stenonius) stock which gradually migrated from Spain and Portugal into North Africa in prehistoric times. Contrary to popular opinion, therefore, the Iberian horse was likely forefather to the Barb and not vice versa. The difference between between this author's account of the Barb and several others which exist indicating a contrary conclusion, is simply that many recorders omit the foundation period and only start their research at the time of the Moorish Conquest of Spain when indeed fresh Barb blood was brought into the Peninsula. What was not explained is that this Barb blood had probably came from the Peninsula in the first place. It would be more accurate to say that the time of the Moorish Conquest, Barb blood was re-introduced to the Iberian Peninsula.

There is much evidence to underline the prevalence of early Iberian blood in the Barb which can be divided into the following categories:
(i) geographical;
(ii) environmental;
(iii) visual, i.e. the observation of certain genetic characteristics;
(iv) recorded and written.

Today, the Barb horse displays so many Iberian features that we are left in no doubt that the strong genetic dominance of Sorraia blood became fixed within the breed at its most formative time. During the Barb's evolution, in the same way that Iberian horses developed, other breeds came from the east and the oriental blood of the Libyan horse in particular heightened and refined the original primitive horses. Nevertheless, the Barb still displays a number of characteristics which are symptomatic of that early foundation blood. These are:

* The same convex face which we see displayed in the early cave paintings at Rhona.
* The characteristic high wither, short back and deeply sloping croup, with low-set tail.
* A rib cage which is somewhat flat at the sides and a flat shoulder (the latter characteristic has been bred out of the more refined Iberian horse but is typical of the Sorraia);
* Rather upright, small, hard hooves;
and finally, the non-visual but equally important characteristic of the Sorraia temperament; kind, docile and full of courage.
Copied from the book, Royal Horses of Europe; by Lady Sylvia Loch; permission granted.