Majorcan Pony

The Balearic pony is a breed of pony that is unique to Mallorca in the Balearic Islands, an insular in Spain. It is rather primitive, with disheveled hair, and while some believe the breed is anything but beautiful, there are also those who believe these horses have a certain beauty. Though used mostly as pack animals, the ponies are also a popular riding pony on the island, used for children and in tourism.

The history of the Balearic pony is rather vague and indefinite, but one theory is that the ponies evolved from those brought to the island from Greece in ancient times. It is said they may have the same ancestors as the small Greek Skyros pony breed. The Balearic ponies have an almost remarkable similarity with ponies depicted on ancient vases and coins that dated to ancient Greece.

The Spanish government believed that the breed had no notable features and couldn’t be used to cross with other breeds, so there was no interest devoted to tracking the horse’s history or to preserving the breed. The Balearic pony has, therefore, been bred mainly by local farmers and breeders.

Attributes
The breed is quite primitive and has quite a rough coat and mane stumps, often under the breed standard, but this varies a lot depending on what the horse is used to. The head is usually small with an outwardly curving nose profile. Its ears look somewhat twisted out and backwards in comparison with other horse breeds.

On Mallorca the horses are used frequently in the agricultural industry, and as transport or pack animals. But the pony is very popular as a riding pony for children and is a common sight in the riding schools in the Balearic Islands and also on the mainland in southern Spain. Ponies are also used in tourism in the islands.