The Abaco Barb is a hardy horse that was developed on the Barbary Coast of North Africa. Due to inbreeding over the years, it is extremely rare to find a purebred Barb these days. The Barb is said to have a fiery temperament but it has had quite an impact on the modern breeds of today.

Abaco Barbs are light riding horses that possess great stamina. It has a powerful front end, high withers, short back, and a sloping narrow croup. It also carries its tail low. Although it doesn’t have the comfortable gaits of most riding horses, it moves like a sprinter and this has influenced the racing breeds of today such as the Thoroughbred, American Quarter Horse, and the Standardbred. These horses are usually grey, but they can be black, bay, chestnut, and brown.

The origin of the Barb is not entirely known. Many believe it originated by crossing multiple oriental breeds such as the Arabian, Turkemenian, or Akhal-Teke, and Caspian horse. Today we find many different varieties of the Barb which include the Algerian, Tunisian, and Moroccan. Once established on the Iberian Peninsula, the Barb had a major role in the development of the Andalusian and the Lusitano. Even though it has been the contributor to the development of many different breeds, the Barb is not that well known like the Arab even though they possess many of the same characteristics.

The Abaco Barb is an endangered breed. The population once included 200 horses that ran free on the Island of Abaco, but due to attacks from wild animals, new roads being made, and even instances of people killing these horses, their numbers dropped to only three individuals. Efforts were made to preserve the breed and with help, the herd rose to 35. By 1992 though, nearly half of this herd had died and there have been no foals born since 1998. In 2004, there were only 12 horses that remained. Efforts are still being made to preserve this breed and it has been declared that they will not be sold on the commercial market and they will run free on the preserve on Abaco.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barb_(horse)