Height: 1.40m-1.55m. Color: Bay, dark bay, chestnut, black, gray. The Barb can have a rather long, slender head; a straight or convex profile with an often bulging forehead; average-sized ears; a very muscular neck; prominent withers; long, generally sloping shoulders; a short back (often with only five lumbar vertebrae); a dished croup; low-set tail; long legs; and small, slender, resilient, and hard hooves. The hair of the mane andtail is thick, very abundant. Depending on the country, there can be a few variants; thus there are the Libyan, Algerian, and Moroccan Barbs, or even the Plains and Mountain Barbs. Distribution: Mauritania, Morocco, Algeria,Tunisia,Libya,Spain, Italy, France. With a very calm but responsive nature, the Barb is an intelligent, energetic, and bold but docile horse. It is fast, can carry heavy loads, has great endurance, and is also rustic, undemanding, and resilient. This is an excellent recreational horse, for trekking and endurance riding, whose nature is suited to giving riding lessons. Dressage, driving, starring in exhibitions, this very versatile horse can do it all. The breed was on the brink of extinction, but has rebounded due to the rise in recreational riding, where its many assets make it quite popular. It still has low numbers for a breed of this importance, and it has suffered stiff competition from the Barb-Arab.

A very ancient breed, raised by nomads, the Barb was a fearsome and sought-after war horse. In the past it had an important role as improver for other breeds, notably in Spain (Spanish Jennet), in Great Britain (English Thoroughbred), for many American breeds (such as the Mustang, Paso, andCriollo), and almost all African breeds.

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