Sorraia

Sorrai horses come from the wild horses of souther Iberia.  They are about 14 hands tall, and have ancestry with Andalusia and Lusitania horses as well as horses in Europe and America.  The Sorraia horses were captured and taught to ride, as well as to heard fighting bulls and livestock.

At this time, Sorraia horses are almost extinct, with only a few herds maintained in Germany and Portugal.  They are noted for their ability to adapt to extreme climates, including dry and hot climates; as well as the ability tolive on very litle food and still remain healthy.  For awhile, Sorraia were very valuable to stockmen.

Documents show that the Sorraia horses were taken to America by Spanish conquistadors, and the bloodlines are evident in several breeds found in North and South America.  Some American Mustang DNA is similar, and some patterns identical to the DNA patterns of teh Sorraia.

Their colors are always dun or grullo, and they have dark faces with a black dorsal stripe.  Often, Sorraia horses have stripes on their legs resembling zebras.  Pure Sorraia do not have white markings, and doesn't show any Oriental or North European horse bloodlines.  The foals are born with zebra stripes all over that fade as they grow older.