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Pottokas in Lapurdi. Michel Duvert.

Does the equine species found in prehistoric cave paintings represent the pottoka? Or is the pottoka the domesticated descendant of the horses introduced in the early centuries before Christ? Is it a breed according to the English model of the 18^th century based on calibration standards? The population of pottokas is the result of centuries-old crossbreeding of Arab horses, military horses, smuggled horses… From Zuberoa to the farthest end of Bizkaia, different regional subtypes inhabit both sides of the mountain ranges. The ancestry of all such lineages is largely ignored. Their peculiar polymorphism has, however, not been an obstacle in the identification of an undeniable type officially recognised by the Haras, or French public body responsible for the regulation and administration of horse breeding, whose breed standard is now well established. (more…)