Some reflections on the pied coat of the Catalan Pyrenean Horse

Abstract

The increasingly frequent appearance of pied coats among animals of the cavall pirinenc català (CPC) or Catalan Pyrenean Horse breed leads us to consider the management of horses with this coat colour. Should we continue to avoid the registration of such horses as purebred animals, in accordance with the standard that has been set for this breed, or should we create a specific new stud book, separate from the current CPC, for a new breed? The author advocates the latter option. This is justified, among other reasons, by the wish to avoid losing out on the excellent sales success of these dappled horses, which currently go for much better prices than those registered as pure CPCs – the former being sold for riding or pure fancy while the latter are sold merely for meat production. What’s more, the dominant character of the pied coat makes its genetic selection easy. Following these considerations, this paper also goes on to propose some new Catalan terms to describe horse coat colours.