The Mérens, Cheval de Mérens or Caballo de Merens (), still occasionally referred to by the older name of Ariégeois pony, is a small, rustic horse native to the Pyrenees and Ariégeois mountains of southern France, where the river Ariège flows, and northern Spain, near Andorra. Two general types, a small, light traditional mountain horse and a taller, sportier modern type, are found. Always black in color, Mérens must meet strict physical standards in order to be registered in the stud book. The breed is known for its sure-footedness on mountain terrain, as well as for its endurance, hardiness and docility. The French breed registry organizes regional offices, and partners with other national organizations in Europe to preserve and promote the breed. The organization enforces rigorous selection of breeding stock, with a goal of increasing quality in the breed. In the past, the Mérens was used for farm work, draft work and as pack horses. Today it is mainly used as a saddle horse, although some members of the breed have been successful in carriage driving. Many Mérens are taken on an annual transhumance (seasonal migration), in which they are moved higher in the mountains during the summer and into the valleys for the winter. An old practice, it fell into disfavor, but has recently re-emerged.
Thought to have originated in prehistoric times, the exact early history of the Mérens remains a mystery. Theories on its origins include descent from Iberian horses, similar to many regional mountain horses, or possibly Oriental horses brought to the area by settlers from the east. Small black horses from the area of Ariège have been recorded as early as the time of Julius Caesar, as well as being associated with Charlemagne. They pulled artillery for Napoleon's Grand Army, as well as being used by farmers, dock workers, miners and smugglers moving goods through the Pyrenees mountains. They were frequently seen at local horse fairs, and were used to breed mules in a cross with Catalan donkeys. By the end of the 19th century, they had gained a reputation as light cavalry horses. At the same time, however, uncontrolled crossbreeding led to a decline in the purebred population, and in 1908 the local agricultural society was put in charge of the breed. The breed registry was created in 1933, and in 1948 the first stud book was created under the control of the French National Stud.
In the second half of the 20th century, the population sharply declined, as mechanization transferred work in cavalry and agriculture to machines. By the 1970s, the Mérens was on the verge of extinction, with only 40 horses registered in the stud book. The breed was saved by members of the hippie movement, who re-settled in the Ariège mountains, boosting the local economy and restarting breeding programs. The Mérens also benefited from a new surge in popularity in riding horses, and between 1975 and 1985 its population rebounded, leading the breeding program to be considered an example for the conservation of rare breeds. The herd size remains relatively small, however, and one genetic study considers the traditional type of the breed to be endangered and recommends that efforts should be focused on its preservation.
Naming
The Mérens was traditionally bred in the village of Mérens-les-Vals in the department of Ariège.Salies and Loubes, p. 301 The French National Stud calls the breed the "Mérens", a name which was officially mentioned for the first time in 1866. Laetitia Bataille, a French horse breeding specialist, considers the use of "Mérens" incorrect, and prefers the names "Ariégeois", "Cheval de Mérens" or "Mérengais".Bataille 2008, pp. 83, 86 Jean-Louis Savignol, a traditionalist breeder, prefers the name "Méringais", saying that "Mérens" refers to the village and the valley in which it is located, not the horse breed.Nel, p. 37-38
Characteristics
The traditional Mérens is a small, light horse, well adapted to the mountains, while modern Mérens are increasingly more sporting in style. The breed is known for its elegance, and in 2005 was ranked as one of the 23 most beautiful horse breeds by the French magazine Cheval Pratique. Since 1948, Mérens horses must meet certain physical standards in order to be admitted to the stud book. In this time, the admission criteria have changed several times. Currently, the general appearance of a Mérens is strong and compact, with energetic movement. The Mérens, like many mountain horses, is calm, docile and hardworking. The report of a comprehensive study on the heritability of the breed's temperament was published in Equ'idée in 2010. It is a versatile breed, and very hardy, able to live all year outside without suffering from the weather. Mérens are known for their endurance, agility and sure-footedness. They require very little care, and can survive on poor food, even when working. They are resistant to cold, but react poorly to heat. Mérens foals are often born in the snow, without human intervention, but are usually handled and accustomed to humans from an early age. They show increased resistance to the anticoagulant properties of some varieties of fern, the consumption of which can cause bloody sweats and blood in the urine in other horses.
The breed standard for the Mérens gives an ideal height of and a weight of . The desired size for stallions is and 14.1 hands for mares. Horses smaller than can be considered ponies for some equestrian competitions. Horses bred in the valleys and plains are larger than those bred in the mountains; the latter average around .Edwards, p. 251 The coat is always black, but may have a reddish cast during the winter. Foals may be born black, silver-grey or coffee-colored, but become black as they grow. Dappling on the body is desirable.
The head has a straight or slightly concave facial profile,Bataille, p. 85 a flat forehead, and wide, short ears. A distinguishing characteristic of the breed is a "beard" of hair growing below the cheeks. Small white markings are allowed on the face, but never on the legs. The neck is of medium length in the modern Mérens, and often shorter and broader in the traditional version. The shoulders are sloping and moderately long, and the chest wide and deep. Pronounced withers are favored in those Mérens used for pack horses, but as with most mountain horses, many traditional Mérens have wide, flat withers. The girth is deep. The back is generally shorter in modern Mérens than in the traditional version, where horses with long, strong backs were preferred for use as pack horses. The croup is well-muscled and the tail low-set. The legs are strong and solid, with well-defined joints. They tend to be quite short, and some have hocks set too close together, a recurrent fault in mountain horses. The feet are large and well-formed, allowing the horses to go without shoes. There is little feathering on the lower legs.
Registration
In France, the breed is organized by SHERPA (Syndicat hippique des éleveurs de la race pyrénéenne ariégeoise/Union of Horse Breeders of the Ariège Pyrenees) in La Bastide-de-Sérou, which has about 400 members and 600 horses in the stud book. SHERPA unites eleven regional offices whose purpose is to organize Mérens breeders and enthusiasts. The role of SHERPA is to decide the overall direction of the breed in partnership with the French National Stud. It promotes the Mérens at fairs, national shows and international exhibitions, as well as publishing newsletters and breeder lists. SHERPA also organizes the annual breed show in Bouan.
Only purebred Mérens may be registered in the breed stud book. The selection of stallions is rigorous, based on tests at the age of three.Bataille, p. 86 The breeding goal is to produce horses with the ideal conformation and good character. The gaits are subject to particular observation in all stallions, and during the three-year-old inspections, they must perform a dressage test, a cross-country jumping test, a test on the longe line and a physical inspection. The Mérens has one of the most stringent inspection procedures, and breeders aim to achieve a steady increase in the quality of the breed. Mares are evaluated during a breed competition organized by the French National Stud.
French breeding of the Mérens is divided between two schools of thought. The first is traditional breeders seeking to preserve the original type, that of a light draft horse living high in the mountains year-round and retaining the hardiness for which the breed is known. The second comes from the conversion of the Mérens to a leisure horse in the 1980s, and aims to transform the physical type of the breed into a more sports-oriented horse to ensure the survival of the breed. This dichotomy has become a source of tension between farmers and users of the breed.
Several countries besides France have populations of Mérens, and a few have breed registries and stud books that are recognized by the French. In Italy, the Mérens is the only foreign breed among the "breeds of limited distribution" recognised by the AIA, the national breeders' association. Mérens are found mostly in northwestern Italy, in the provinces of Cuneo and Turin, but has spread to other mountain regions such as the valleys of Bergamo and Trento. The Italian breed registry for the Mérens is based in Cuneo. A Belgian non-profit organization has been organizing the breed in that country since June 2005, and was recognized as an official stud book by the Belgian Ministry of Agriculture in August 2006. An agreement has been signed with the French breed registry to recognize the Belgian stud book as a daughter organization. Mérens are also present in the Netherlands, Switzerland and Germany, where there are recognized stud books and active breeding populations. There are some Mérens in the Czech Republic and members of the breed have also been exported to India and Tunisia.
Transhumance
The department of Ariège is known for the annual transhumance (seasonal migration) of cattle, sheep and horses, including many members of the Mérens breed. Each year, in June, hundreds of horses are moved to summer pastures at around in altitude, where they live in a semi-feral state, traveling on steep mountain paths and weathering storms and other climatic variations. In October, they return to the valleys for the winter. An old tradition, the transhumance fell out of favor, but has been reintroduced to Ariège by the association Autrefois en Couserans. Since 2000, the association has worked with local horse breeders to promote the return to the annual practice. Around 500 Mérens make the transhumance each year.Nel, p. 38 Herds are usually led by an experienced mare marked with a bell, as is done with cattle. A stallion can accompany the mares with foals to maintain cohesion of the herd and prevent it from mixing with other herds on the mountain slopes. The behavior of transhumant herds is midway between that of feral horses and domesticated horses who are around humans year-round. Some horses, raised high in the mountains, stay there year-round and do not perform the transhumance.
History
The history of the Mérens is closely linked to its homeland in the Pyrenees, as evidenced by the many myths and legends in which it plays a role.Vidal Saint-André and Gasc, p. 9 The origins of the Mérens are very old, and are commonly said to be lost in the mists of time. It is native to the upper valley of Ariège, near Andorra.Bataille 2008, p. 84 The direct ancestor of the Mérens was probably in this valley during the Quaternary Period, approximately 15,000 years ago. These wild horses probably moved to the mountains to escape global warming that accompanied the end of the last glacial period.Collective, p. 48