The Criollo (in Spanish), or Crioulo (in Portuguese), is the native horse of the Pampas (a natural region between Uruguay, Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay, in South America) with a reputation for long-distance endurance linked to a low basal metabolism. The breed, known for its hardiness and stamina, is popular in its home countries. The word / originally referred to human and animals of pure-bred Spanish ancestry who were born in the Americas, or to animals or slaves born in the Americas. In time, the meaning of the word would simply come to refer to native breeds of the Americas. Breed characteristics The Criollo is a hardy horse with a brawny and strong body with broad chest and well-sprung ribs. They have sloping strong shoulders with muscular necks, short and strong legs with good bone structure and resistant joints, low-set hocks, and sound hard feet. The medium to large size long-muzzled head has a straight or slightly convex profile with wide-set eyes. The croup is sloping, the haunches well-muscled, and the back, short with a strong loin. The criollo is tractable, intelligent, willing, and sensible. Criollo horses average 14.3 hands (149 cm) high, being the maximum height for stallions and geldings of 14 to 15 hands (142-152 cm) high. The difference between the maximum and minimum height for mares is approximately 2 cm (one inch). The line-backed dun is the most popular color, but the breed may also come in bay, brown, black, chestnut, grullo, buckskin, palomino, blue or strawberry roan, gray and overo colors. The breed is famous for its endurance capabilities and ability to live in harsh conditions, as their homeland has both extreme heat and cold weather. They are frugal eaters, thriving on little grass. They have good disease resistance and are long-lived horses. Breed history The breed dates back to a 1535 shipment of 100 purebred Spaniards – Andalusian stallions coming from Cadiz, Spain, to the Rio de la Plata imported by the founder of Buenos Aires, Pedro de Mendoza. In 1540, the hostility of the native populace forced the Spaniards to abandon Buenos Aires and release 12 to 45 horses. When Buenos Aires was resettled in 1580, it is estimated that the feral horse population numbered around 12,000. Since they largely reproduced in the wild, the criollo developed into an extremely hardy horse capable of surviving the extreme heat and cold, subsisting with little water, and