Abaco Barb
Mares:
None Currently |
The Abaco Barb is an extinct breed of horse that lived on the islands of the Bahamas. Their coats of splash white pinto, bay and roan once roamed the islands. They are currently trying to clone the DNA of the last horse that perished on the island to recreate the Abaco Barb.
The breed's origins are unclear, but DNA analyses show that the horses are descendants of horses brought over at the time of Christopher Columbus's explorations. They are more accurately described as Spanish Colonials, and they are being known as Abaco Spanish Colonials. The horses were brought to Abaco by logging companies in the late 1800's from Cuba. Columbus had two horse farms in Cuba. Over time, the horses were being pushed out their forest coverage and many were killed. In 1992, the herd used to number over 30. By 1997 their numbers dropped to 17 horses. After Hurricane Floyd, the horses stayed on a farm and were exposed to toxic chemicals. Four years later, they had not yet reproduced.
The Bahaman Government bestowed an organization to save the horses a large portion of the land in Treasure Cay, Abaco as a sanctuary. The last of the herd DNA is now living there with human attempts to save the breed.
More on the Abaco Barb: http://arkwild.org/blog/
The breed's origins are unclear, but DNA analyses show that the horses are descendants of horses brought over at the time of Christopher Columbus's explorations. They are more accurately described as Spanish Colonials, and they are being known as Abaco Spanish Colonials. The horses were brought to Abaco by logging companies in the late 1800's from Cuba. Columbus had two horse farms in Cuba. Over time, the horses were being pushed out their forest coverage and many were killed. In 1992, the herd used to number over 30. By 1997 their numbers dropped to 17 horses. After Hurricane Floyd, the horses stayed on a farm and were exposed to toxic chemicals. Four years later, they had not yet reproduced.
The Bahaman Government bestowed an organization to save the horses a large portion of the land in Treasure Cay, Abaco as a sanctuary. The last of the herd DNA is now living there with human attempts to save the breed.
More on the Abaco Barb: http://arkwild.org/blog/