Horses (Spanish: caballo) arrived in Cuba with the conquistador (conquering) troops and the first Spanish colonists accompanying Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar in 1511. Horses were a decisive factor in Spanish victories against the native Arawaks of Cuba. And they were quickly bred locally, first as a military animal, then as a mount for working with cattle. Conflicts with the native Americans led to the enactment of a local law prohibiting them from owning and riding horses. It remained in force for a century, before being repealed to allow the recruitment of non-European Vaqueros.

Horse racing was introduced by the Americans at the beginning of the 20th century. The country then began to motorize, but the economic sanctions it suffered as a result of its conflict with the United States, and in particular its fuel supply problems, led to a resurgence in the use of harnessed horse-drawn transport and ploughing with horses from the 1990s onwards. Horses are also present in the tourism sector.

Fourteen breeds of horse are bred in Cuba, including four local breeds. Like other countries in this geographical region, the island of Cuba is a zone of active circulation of the West Nile virus and diseases transmitted to horses by ticks, babesiosis and Q fever. The animal is an integral part of local culture, particularly cinema.

History

Prehistoric fossils of wild horses have been found all over the Americas. The horse disappeared around 10,000 BC, perhaps due to hunting pressure from human populations.

European explorers and colonists reintroduced domesticated horses in the 15th century.

First arrivals Cuba's native population was quickly won over by the Spanish colonists, and horse and cattle breeding quickly grew. The first horses, a dozen or so, were landed in 1511 by the ships of Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar from the island of Hispaniola, the first to be colonized by the Spanish. Velázquez de Cuéllar himself declares that the purpose of these few horses was to "impose respect" on the local population, to make the conquest easier. Like the mules and donkeys, these animals were destined for military use.

Conqueror Pánfilo de Narváez was the only real rider among the Spanish colonists who arrived in 1511. The expensive mare he rode was luxuriously caparisoned and carried a bard adorned with small bells. According to chronicler Herrera, the Arawaks were highly impressed by this mare, "very frightened to see such a large animal that they had never seen before", carrying a man and performing movements under his control. The presence of this rider and his mount proved decisive in the Spaniards' first victories in Cuba, and against Arawak raids. The Cuban Indians had no tradition of using working animals, either to carry or to pull. Perhaps they initially perceived riders as forming a single entity with their horses.

More horses arrived on the island of Cuba over time, but some of them escaped human control, becoming semi-wild again. In contact with these masterless horses, the Arawaks lost their initial fear of these large animals, learned to control and use them, and eventually became excellent riders. The cacique (tribal chief) Hatuey, fleeing the oppression of his people on the island of Hispaniola, landed in Cuba and for a time led raids targeting Spanish horses. This led to the enactment of a local law strictly prohibiting natives from owning a horse and saddle, and from practicing horseback riding. This law remained in force for over a century in Cuba, until the lack of European agricultural labor and the demand for Vaqueros to work with cattle led to its abolition.

Breeding becomes widespread

Horses were initially rare, expensive and difficult to obtain. Hernán Cortés' military campaign in Cuba, then in Mexico-Tenochtitlan (with sixteen Cuban horses taken), made the Spanish crown realize the strategic importance of cavalry in these victories, facilitating the importation of horses. Horse breeding was quickly introduced. The conquerors gave preference to horses born in the Antilles for their expeditions, due to their lower cost and resistance to local diseases.

When Narváez set out on his campaign to explore Florida in 1527, he managed to obtain all his horses from Cuba. Hernando de Soto had no trouble finding local horses in 1539. He called on a breeder, Vasco Porcallo de Figueroa, and found 50 horses with him. On his arrival in Santiago de Cuba, during Whitsuntide 1538, he was greeted by more than 150 caparisoned riders who escorted him to Havana. According to Garcilaso de la Vega, de Soto tested the bravery of his men by involving them in bullfighting on Cuban mounts. However, this type of training was undoubtedly an integral part of the military training of the habaneros, the inhabitants of Havana.

Cuba established itself as a horse-breeding center on the American continent for 400 years, with cattle-breeding managed by riders forming the basis of the Cuban economy until the early 19th century. Every guajiro, a resident of the Cuban countryside, is required to own at least one horse. Horses are generally used for riding and to pull vehicles for transporting people and materials. They are not generally used for agricultural work. Cuban horses are also driven, but donkeys and mules are preferred for these purposes, especially in hilly areas.

Dutch draft horses, Thoroughbreds, hobby horses and Acadian ambleurs were imported to the island as part of the triangular trade, but the Iberian horse continues to make up the majority of the local herd, most used locally for ranch work. Unlike neighboring islands, Cuba has no populations of cimarrones.

After the abolition of slavery With the abolition of slavery in the 1880s, former Cuban slaves began to claim ownership of horses. White administrator J. S. Murray, who arrived at the Cuban plantation Soledad in 1884 on behalf of new owners E. Atkins and Company, declared that "nearly every negro on the estate owns a horse, and that they are, in one way or another, a constant source of trouble", starting a campaign to force black workers to get rid of their mounts. The campaign was probably a failure, as not only did the horse embody male authority, but it seemed difficult to persuade workers to give up riding and go to work on foot.

In 1891, Cuba was home to an estimated 531 416 horses and 43 309 mules.

Since the 20th century

In 1906, while Cuba was under U.S. government, the Cuban Racing Association attempted to introduce equestrian sport as a tourist activity for bettors and breeders. Curly Brown's Oriental Park racecourse opened in Havana in 1915, but in the midst of World War I, it struggled to function, despite efforts to attract wealthy tourists. It did, however, attract a few wealthy American racehorse owners, who were able to take advantage of the legal authorization to drink alcohol in Cuba even while Prohibition was enforced in the United States. Due to poor management, the racecourse deteriorated, the 1925 racing season was narrowly saved by a Canadian-born businessman, John McEntee Bowman.

In the 1940s, Cuba was home to around one horse for every seven inhabitants. There is no specific state support for breeding. In 1961, based on FAO data, the horse population in Cuba was estimated at 400 000 head. Estimates of the horse population at the end of the 20th century vary, but all point to a sharp decline in the horse population during the 1980s, probably due to increasing access to motor vehicles and urbanization. Agreements with the Soviet Union guaranteed the import of tractors, motor vehicles and parts at low cost, limiting the use of animals. By 1990, the number of horses had fallen to around 235 000.

Since 1990 and the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Cuba has been experiencing special economic conditions, with problems linked to the cost and availability of fuel and spare parts for motor vehicles. While motor vehicles were often used before the 1990s, the "Special Period" (el período especial en tiempos de paz) brought a resurgence in the use of the harnessed horse, not least because of the country's fuel supply difficulties. In the space of a few months, the almost total interruption in supplies led to very limited use of tractors; the austerity measures favored the use of work animals, especially draft oxen, but also horses and mules. The government then embarked on a policy of active support for horse-drawn vehicles and cattle. Draft animals were reintroduced to farms where tractors had long been used. +Number of tractors and working animals in Cuba (source MINAGRI)19601970198019902000Tractors7 00051 60068 30070 20040 000Horses800 000741 000811 000235 000303 000Draft cattle500 000490 000338 000338 000396 000 According to data collected by the Cuban Institute of Agricultural Mechanization (Instituto de Investigaciones de Mecanización Agropecuaria, IIMA by its acronym in Spanish) of the Ministry of Agriculture, the national horse population has been in decline for some time, standing at around 400 000 (2002) or 300 000 head, although trends suggest a resurgence in the use of horses to pull carts and carriages. This trend is particularly palpable on farms. Dr Paul Starkey postulates that the working animal population has reached its peak, and will gradually decline over the next few years.

Usage

For many years, horseback riding has been the main means of transportation in Cuba. Most of the island's horses (as of 2002) are ridden for work (especially on cattle farms) and harnessed for rural or urban transport, and more rarely ridden for pleasure or equestrian sports.

Local horses have historically been used by the entire population, from the Spanish Civil Guard to pirates. As in other American countries, the gaited horse capable of going amble, the marchador, is particularly popular. A show of rodeo is also practiced.

The agricultural sector is very important to the Cuban economy as it represents around 50% of foreign exchange earnings. Working animals are used on all kinds of farms, and in particular on family farms and production cooperatives, which represents 40% of the country's national food production. In the mountainous regions of the east of the country, some horses are used as packhorses.

Despite the high quality of local horses, these animals have rarely been exported to the United States, for political reasons. Research is underway into the production of biomethane from horse manure.

Horse-drawn vehicle

Before the advent of motor vehicles, transportation depended on horses and mules, usually with large carts (charrettes), which were used to move both commercial goods and people. Like Nicaragua, the island of Cuba still relies heavily on horse-drawn vehicles. Starkey cites Cuba as a "fascinating example of animal transport in recent times. Cuba illustrates that the decline of animal transport can be reversed if there is the political will and a population ready to re-engage with draft animals". It is also an example of a country where stable horse-drawn practices have been documented. The island still has (in 2011) horse-drawn public transport, with many private operators providing public transport in the major cities using horse-drawn vehicles (coche de caballos). Horse-drawn public transport is still in use in several major Cuban cities in 2011. As a result, the island of Cuba has never totally abandoned horse-drawn transport.

Despite the importance of animal traction in Cuba, some leaders consider horses to be "backward" or "a necessary evil", a view generally different from that of agricultural leaders, for whom animal transport is indispensable to production mechanisms.