Nordestino (horse)

Brazilian Nordestino horse breed also known as Crioulo Nordestino, Mourão, Pé Duro Nordestino or Sertanejo do Nordeste[1] is a breed of horses native to the Northeast region of Brazil. Is near the risk of extinction due to the lack of interest of having this horse breed. A stud-book of the breed was created and approved in 1987 by the Brazilian Government, nevertheless in 2017 the authorization to carry out the genealogical records of the breed was revoked by the ministry of agriculture ("Portaria n. 1.537/2017" do MAPA published in Diário Oficial da União, on 26/07/2017, Seção 1, página 17[2]) causing the loss of the breed's lines records. This is the first native horse breed of Brazil, and derived from the first horses brought by Portuguese settlers to Brazil in the sixteenth century. Through the time the horses have evolved into a small breed very well adapted to survive in the local semi-arid climate of the Northeast Region of Brazil. Still today around 500,000 horses (pure and mixed) survive in the regions of the Northeast Region pulling horse carts or in cattle work.

Garrano
Nordestino horse.
Country of originBrazil

History

Origin

With the discovery of Brazil by the Portuguese the horse was introduced into South America where it was nonexistent.[3] In 1549 was introduced into the Northeast region of Brazil[3] by the effort of Duarte Coelho, first grantee of the Captaincy of Pernambuco.[4] that when establishing along the Rio dos Currais (now São Francisco River) cattle farms (provided with cattle and horses) was the precursor of this new breed.[5] This breed of horses was originated from a mixture of runaway farm horses, abandoned horses and horses that survived the attacks made by the aboriginal people against the cattle farms.

Genetic background

Descends mainly from Iberian horse breeds, namely from the Garrano, Sorraia and the Barb horse.[6] These horses were brought mainly from the Madeira Island, Cape Verde and Continental Portugal.[3]

Currently

During several centuries this breed was used by the Brazilian vaquero (Portuguese: vaqueiro) as a work horse all over the Northeast Sertão. With the almost complete disappearance of this profession, at the end of the 20th century, the race followed an equal course. Today few specimens remain. Some in use by the vaqueiro, others used to pull horse carts and very few as a leisure horse (it is not appreciated as a leisure horse due to its low stature and rugged appearance).

Característics

This horse breed is very rustic, being highly adapted to the semi-arid of the Brazilian Northeast Sertão. It withstands dry and hot environments and can feed and subsist on low nutritional quality plants with scarce or unhealthy water. Besides having a low stature (typical of the Brazilian corral horse breeds[6]) can also resists very well to hoof wear (Barefoot hoof) because it has a very hard (Portuguese: duro) hoof . This is the reason why it is also called "Pé Duro" to this breed. The majority of the specimen have a natural Ambling gait.[7]

Características morfologicas padrão:[6]

  • Profile – Straight but sometimes concave profile. Light body with an average of 150 kg(330 lbs) to 250 kg(551 lbs) in weight. Long legs and short hair coat all year round.
  • Height – Even though they have less than 150 centimeters (59.1 in; 14.3 hands) at the withers they are not considered ponies as conformed in the studbook. The adult animals, at the withers measure between 130 cm (51 in; 12.8 hands) to 150 cm (59 in; 14.8 hands).[6]
  • Colors – The most common coat color is brown (colors of Garrano), but also can be grey (flea bitten and dapple grey) or red dun.
  • Brown color coat
  • Grey color coat
  • Temperament – Active, docile and apt to cattle work, saddle riding and sports.
  • Gait – Besides the easy and fast natural gait, it easily produces a natural Ambling gait[7] that allows a smooth-riding four-beat footfall pattern.
  • Fitness – Good for saddle riding and also for work (specially cart wagons). Very good aptitude for pursuing cattle with the vaqueiros in the thorny forests of the caatinga.

Associations of creators and enthusiasts

Besides the fist association, the Associação Brasileira de Criadores de Cavalo Nordestino (ABCCN) that is now extinguished, appeared some organizations that promote the breed and its use.[8] The majority of the animals are concentrated in the Brazilian northeast region, having there three associations: the Associação Brasileira de Criadores de Cavalo Nordestino (ABCCN); the Núcleo de Preservação e Seleção do Cavalo Nordestino (NPSCN); and the Associação Equestre e de Preservação do Cavalo Nordestino (AEPCN). They both try to preserve the breed and its characteristics.[9]

Breed status in the Ministry of Agriculture (Brazil) (MAPA)

The Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture (MAPA) recognizes the breed, the standard of which was submitted to analysis and approved in 1987. However, this was not enough to consolidate an organized breeding of the breed and attract more interested parties. In a document made available in 2016, based on data from 2013, the ministry warns of the need for organization of the breed, that is currently estimated in 500,000 live animals including purebred and crossbred animals. In the same document the MAPA indicates that the association responsible for the breed has been deactivated for 8 years, without mentioning which association was.[10] It is probably the Associação Brasileira de Criadores de Cavalo Nordestino (ABCCN), whose authorization to carry out the genealogical records of the breed was revoked a year later, na Portaria n. 1.537/2017 do MAPA published on the Diário Oficial da União, on the date 07/26/2017, Seção 1, página 17.[2] This revoqued autorization was given int 1974. Currently several associations are taking the registry of the line breeds into their hands. Those that are doing it are the Núcleo de Preservação e Seleção do Cavalo Nordestino (NPSCN) and the Associação Equestre e de Preservação do Cavalo Nordestino (AEPCN)[11] (this last associations is very active in the social networks.

References
  1. DOMINGUES, Octavio - O CAVALO SERTANEJO DO NORDESTE, Revista de Agricultura da Escola Nacional de Agronomia, Universidade Rural (Rio de Janeiro). [Online]. Rio de Janeiro: Typographia Commercial, 1853 pg. 53 to 56. Available in WWW:<URL:http://cavalonordestino.blogspot.com/>.
  2. Federative Government of Brazil. "PORTARIA Noº 1.531, DE 17 DE JULHO DE 2017". Retrieved December 22, 2020.
  3. Costa, M. R. T. da R. (2008). "A História dos eqüinos na Amazônia: ênfase ao cavalo marajoara". Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  4. MIRANDA, Luiz - HISTÓRIA DA RAÇA NORDESTINO, Tropel Nordestino. [Online]. [Consult. Aug. 26, 2020]. Available in WWW:<URL:http://cavalonordestino.blogspot.com/>.
  5. Arraes, Esdras (December 2013). "Rio dos currais: paisagem material e rede urbana do rio São Francisco nas capitanias da Bahia e Pernambuco". Anais do Museu Paulista: História e Cultura Material. 21 (2): 47–77. doi:10.1590/S0101-47142013000200003.
  6. Melo, J. B.; Pires, D. A. F.; Ribeiro, M. N. (26 June 2012). "Perfil fenotípico do remanescente do cavalo nordestino no nordeste do brasil". Archivos de Zootecnia. 62 (238): 171. doi:10.21071/az.v62i238.659.
  7. Verde, Pensamento. "Cavalo nordestino: Um animal brasileiro em extinção". Retrieved December 22, 2020.
  8. Roger Clark. "Cavalo Nordestino". Rancho Clark. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
  9. Clark, Roger. "'Nordestino' conquista novos criadores no CE". Diário do Nordeste. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
  10. "Revisão do Estudo do Complexo do Agronegócio do Cavalo". Ministério da Agricultura, Pecuária e Abastecimento. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
  11. Pires, Denea de Araújo Fernandes (1 June 2012). "Caracterização genética de remanescentes da raça equina nordestina em mesorregiões dos estados da Bahia, Pernambuco e Piauí através de marcadores microssatélites".
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