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Developed on the Barbary Coast of North Africa, the Barb is a desert horse, with great hardiness and stamina. Because of the amount of cross-breeding, it is difficult to find a pure-bred Barb today.The horses generally a fiery temperament and has less-desirable conformation (for a sport horse), but has had an incredible impact on today's modern breeds. It is not exactly known where the Barb developed, although it is unlikely that the Barb and Arabian share a common ancestor. The Barb originated in Northern Africa during the 8th century. It is possible that is arose from crossing Turkmenian (the breed that also produced the Akhal-Teke) and Caspian horses, and descendants of Iberian horses. There are several varieties of Barb, including the Algerina, Moroccan, and Tunisian. When imported to Europe, they were often mistaken for Arabians, mainly because their handlers were northern African Muslims who spoke Arabic. The Godolphin "Arabian", which was one of the foundation sires for the thoroughbred breed, was actually a Barb stallion, and is now called the Godolphin Barb. He was given to King Louis XV of France by a Moroccan sultan. It is said that he was working as a cart horse in Paris when an Englishman Edward Coke bought him and took him to England. When Coke died, the horse was acquired by renowned breeder Lord Godolphin, who used him for breeding to English mares. |
