 Otherwise , the Sorraia breed was lost to history until 1920 , when Portuguese zoologist and paleontologist Dr. Ruy d 'Andrade first encountered the Sorraia horse during a hunting trip in the Portuguese lowlands . This remnant herd of primitive horses had continued to live a wild existence in these lowlands , which were rather inaccessible and had been used as a hunting preserve by Portuguese royalty until the early 1900s . At the time of d 'Andrade 's initial meeting the breed , the horses were ill @-@ regarded by native farmers , although they were considered <unk> native fauna that lived off of the <unk> lands and salt marshes in the local river valleys . For centuries , peasant farmers of the area would occasionally capture the horses and use them for agricultural work , including <unk> grain and herding bulls . 
