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[RC] The Criollo Horse--Endurance - Bruce Weary DC

  I found this intersting blurb about the Criollo horse. Ah, to run on grass and nothing else. Sure would relieve a lot of stress and tension over drug testing.    Dr Q

The Qualities of a Horse Built for Endurance 

Multifaceted leisure horse, exceptionally sober and hardy, the Criollo also has a bright future in endurance competitions, as we can see in the famous marcha of Criollos organized each year in Argentina by the A.C.C.C. The competition takes its inspiration from life on an estancia. All horses participating in the contest must be present 30 days before the start. Without training or manipulation, strictly forbidden by the rules, they spend this time together in a pasture. The goal is to homogenize the physical condition of the animals;  the contest aims at finding the horse with the best genetic disposition, not the best training. Exceedingly difficult, the contest consists of covering an itinerary of 750 kilometers (470 miles) in 14 days, 53.5 km (33.5 miles) per day, without extra food or medicine. The horses feed only on the grass they encounter on the Pampa, and must carry 110 kilograms (240lbs)! Nutritional complements and drugs are forbidden. Each spring, around 20 horses take part in this adventure. The best horses contribute to the fame of the estancia that produced them.