Frequently questions about the Sorraia Horse
* WHAT IS A SORRAIA HORSE?
The Sorraia is an ancient and important breed. This horse is the primary ancestor of the Iberian Saddle Horse of Portugal and Spain, both directly and indirectly, ancestor to many horses throughout Europe and the Americas. The Sorraia represents Equus stenonius, one of the six types of original wild horses known to man.
* WHERE DID THE NAME SORRAIA COME FROM?
The name Sorraia is taken from the rivers Sor and Raia, small tributaries of the Sorraia, which irrigates the plains where these horses are bred.
* WHAT DOES A SORRAIA LOOK LIKE?
The Sorraia is a small horse, too long legged to be called a pony. In color the Sorraia is invariably some shade of dun or grullo. The Sorraia looks like a mini version of the Lusitano horse. The Sorraia bears the strong dominant genes of the sub-convex profile, the high trotting action, and the close-coupled body of his modern descendants.
* IS THE SORRAIA AN IBERIAN HORSE?
Yes, the Sorraia is an Iberian Horse, which is native to the Iberian Peninsula.
* WHAT CAN SORRAIAS DO?
The Sorraia is still used in Portugal to herd the lighting fast wild bulls of the Ribatejo and Alentejo estates. Today Sorraias are being used for Dressage, Working Equestrian Trails, Driving, High School, Jumping and Performance.
* WHAT IS MITOCHONDRIAL DNA?
mtDNA: Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is the DNA of the mitochondrion, a structure situated in the cytoplasm of the cell rather than in the nucleus (where all the other chromosomes are located).
All mtDNA is inherited from the mother. There are 2 to 10 copies of the mtDNA genome in each mitochondrion.
mtDNA is a double-stranded, circular molecule. It is very small relative to the chromosomes in the nucleus and so contains only a limited number of genes. It is specialized in the information it carries and encodes a number of the subunits in the mitochondrial respiratory-chain complex that the cell needs to respire. (It also contains genes for some ribosomal RNAs and transfer RNAs).
* MY HORSE HAS THE SORRAIA MTDNA, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
Many horse breeds have Iberian ancestry that it is not surprising that the Sorraia mtDNA is passed on from the dam's material side. For example, if you bred a Draft stallion to a Sorraia mare, the foal will have its dam's mtDNA. That does not make your horse a "Sorraia".
* WHAT IS THE REGISTRY FOR SORRAIAS?
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MY HORSE IS A SORRAIA MUSTANG, CAN I REGISTER WITH
No, your horse is not a Sorraia, regardless of Sorraia mtDNA or not.
* MY HORSE IS A SORRAIA MUSTANG, IF I BRED TO A SORRAIA , DOES THAT MAKE MY FOAL A PURE SORRAIA?
No, your foal is half Sorraia.
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CAN MY FOAL OUT OF A SORRAIA MUSTANG AND SORRAIA BREEDING BE REGISTERED WITH
No, your foal is half Sorraia
* WHAT IS THE FUTURE FOR THE SORRAIAS?
The Sorraia is breeding well with no alarmist indications of inbreeding depression and will continue breeding only with Sorraia descendants from those Dr. Ruy d' Andrade has chosen to be Sorraia's founders.
* IS THERE A PRESERVATION RESERVE FOR THE SORRAIAS?
Reserva Natural do Cavalo do Sorraia
* WHOM CAN I CONTACT FOR MORE INFORMATION?