The Jaleo and the Minorcan Horse
Minorca's histories
- Menorca and its stories
- The Talayotic settlements and the legend of Es Tudons and Na Patarrá
- Menorca Audax: audacity or Viriato
- Santa Galdana and its legend
- Minorca and the legends of Xoroi and its night club
- The repopulition of Menorca in the middle ages
- Minorca and the attack of Ciutadella by the turkish: The story of a longstanding rivalry
- Mount El Toro, the Eiffel Tower and the Holy Virgin
- Governor Kane: a Menorcan in Westminster
- The capital being transferred from Ciutadella to Mahón
- Nelson and his lover
- Collingwood and his ghost.
- Richelieu and the mayonnaise sauce
- Governor Stuart and the Letters of Marque
- English, Greeks and merchants: The Conception Church in Mahon
- La Mola of Mahon Fortress and the Queens gold.
- The Jaleo and its music
- The Jaleo and the Minorcan Horse
- Horses and Gin
- Farmland within the city: the curious structure of Mahon
- Minorca: The old limestone quarries
- Smugglers and the best landscape of Minorca
- The Mediterranean wood: Hotel Audax's garden
- Hortus botanicus (medicinal garden) in the middle of the sea
Without any doubt the main role in the popular Minorcan festivals is being played by the horse. Although you might see several breeds, the most common one is the Minorcan Horse. Such a specific breed was officially acknowledged in 1987. A genetic study has allowed us to discover the tight links of this horse with the Arabic, Spanish, and English Thoroughbred. In short, it has evolved form the horses brought to Minorca by all the people had have conquered and possessed the island along its history.
The coat of the Minorcan Horse is mainly black, in all its varieties. It can also have some small white spots in its face and legs. It is a warm-blooded animal very energetic and noble, although not much resilient.
Minorcan Horses are trained and ridden in a very specific fashion. The horseman fetches the reins only with his left hand, so that his right hand is left free for greeting or for holding the whip. The most characteristic move in the Minorcan Training style is the “bot” (courbette) when the horse raises his forehand off the ground and tucks up his forelegs evenly. A variety of this basic move is the “bot de caminar” when the animal not only rises but also walks on his two rear legs. The Belearic Horse Federation organize several competitive horse training events every year.Horse training is key for the festivals, when both animals and horsemen show their ability while remaining utterly under control in the middle of a crowded square. This is truly amazing as long as all the horses are stallions. Regarding the riders (called “Caixers”), you can see people of all ages, both men and women, except in Ciudatella, where only men are allowed to ride.
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News and related events
- 05/05/2010 - We are now open
- 30/11/2009 -
- 19/11/2009 -
- 09/11/2009 - TUI Environmental Champion Award 2009
- 06/09/2010 - The Mare de Déu de Gràcia festivities. - Mahon - Menorca
