Spanish Trotter
| Conservation status | |
|---|---|
| Other names | |
| Country of origin | Spain |
| Distribution | Balearic Islands, principally Mallorca |
| Standard | Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación (page 4, in Spanish) |
| Use | trotting racing |
| Traits | |
| Height | |
| Colour | any colour, usually chestnut[5]: 4 |
The Spanish Trotter, Spanish: Trotador Español, Catalan: Trotó Balear, is the national breed of trotting horse of Spain. It is reared almost exclusively in the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean, predominantly in the island of Mallorca, but also in Menorca and Ibiza.[6]: 101
History
Trotting races were held in the Balearic Islands from the latter part of the nineteenth century.[7]: 483 Trotting horses were bred by putting local Mallorquín and Menorquín mares to imported stallions, usually of French Trotter or Orlov Trotter origin.[6]: 101 Some Anglo-Norman mares and stallions were imported from France in about 1920.[3] Breeding is now usually by artificial insemination with semen from French Trotter or American Standardbred stallions.[8]: 37
A breeders' association, the Asociación de Criadores y Propietarios de Caballos Trotadores, was formed in 1970.[9] A stud-book was started in 1980,[8]: 37 and an official breed standard was approved in 2011 by the Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y Medio Rural y Marino, as the Spanish ministry of agriculture was then called.[5]
In 2005 there were approximately 15500 horses recorded in the stud-book.[8]: 37 In 2023 the total number of the horses in Spain was 7276, including 2459 brood-mares and 129 stallions; of this total, 6803 or 93% were in the Balearic Islands.[10] About 85% of all Spanish Trotters are in Mallorca.[8]: 40
Genetic study has found little recent influence of the Mallorquín and Menorquín on the Spanish Trotter,.despite their contribution to its early development.[8]: 41
Characteristics
The horses are usually chestnut;[5]: 4 they may also be bay or roan, or – more rarely – black or grey.[4] Average height at the withers is about 160 cm for mares and 170 cm for stallions and geldings.[4]
Use
The Spanish Trotter is bred only for competitive performance in trotting races.[8]: 40 There are three hippodromes in the islands.[7]: 483 Races are almost invariably in harness to a sulky, with the horse performing an ordinary diagonal trot; occasionally the horses may instead be raced under saddle.[11] The fastest time recorded for the breed over 1 kilometre is 69.15 seconds.[7]: 483 The horses are obedient and manageable, and are also suitable for recreational riding.[6]: 101
References
- ^ Barbara Rischkowsky, Dafydd Pilling (editors) (2007). List of breeds documented in the Global Databank for Animal Genetic Resources, annex to: The State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Rome: Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. ISBN 9789251057629. Archived 23 June 2020.
- ^ Breed data sheet: Trotador Español / Spain (Horse). Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed August 2025.
- ^ a b Raza equino caballar Trotador Español: Datos Generales (in Spanish). Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación. Archived 9 July 2025.
- ^ a b c d Raza equino caballar Trotador Español: Datos Morfológicos (in Spanish). Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y Medio Rural y Marino. Archived 21 August 2025.
- ^ a b c Margarita Arboix Arbo (20 September 2011). Resolución de la Dirección General de Recursos Agrícolas y Ganaderos, por la que se aprueba la reglamentación específica del libro genealógico, el programa de mejora y el programa de difusión de la mejora de la raza equina Trotador Español, de conformidad con lo dispuesto en el Real Decreto 2129/2008, de 26 de diciembre. (in Spanish). Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y Medio Rural y Marino, Dirección General de Recursos Agrícolas y Ganaderos. Archived 21 August 2025.
- ^ a b c Élise Rousseau, Yann Le Bris, Teresa Lavender Fagan (2017). Horses of the World. Princeton: Princeton University Press. ISBN 9780691167206.
- ^ a b c Valerie Porter, Lawrence Alderson, Stephen J.G. Hall, D. Phillip Sponenberg (2016). Mason's World Encyclopedia of Livestock Breeds and Breeding (sixth edition). Wallingford: CABI. ISBN 9781780647944.
- ^ a b c d e f Pedro Javier Azor, Mercedes Valera, María Dolores Gómez, Félix Goyache, Antonio Molina (2007). Genetic characterization of the Spanish Trotter horse breed using microsatellite markers. Genetics and Molecular Biology. 30 (1): 37–42. doi:10.1590/s1415-47572007000100009.
- ^ Asociacion (in Spanish). Palma de Mallorca: Asociación de Criadores y Propietarios de Caballos Trotadores. Archived 13 July 2019.
- ^ Raza equino caballar Trotador Español: Datos Censales (in Spanish). Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación. Archived 21 June 2025.
- ^ Maria Esperanza de Orellana Moraleda (13 February 2020).Resolución de la Dirección General de Recursos Agrícolas y Ganaderos, por la que se aprueba la reglamentación del libro genealógico y del programa de mejora (in Spanish). Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y Medio Rural y Marino, Dirección General de Recursos Agrícolas y Ganaderos. Archived 21 August 2025.