When most people think of France, they generally think of Paris, the wine-producing regions such as Bordeaux and Burgundy, and perhaps Provence in the South of France where Impressionist painters such as Renoir, Van Gogh and Cezanne captured the soft pinkish-gold light which blankets the landscape.
The Camargue region, however, in the Southwest of France close to the Iberian Peninsula, and Spain in particular, is sometimes known as the “Wild West of France.” It is Western Europe’s largest river delta -- a panorama of rippling swamps, marshes, rice paddies, and ancient villages.
This part of France attracts nature lovers from around the world for its diverse population of wildlife. These visitors may know the region from its emblematic white flamingos, their flocks blooming like flowers from the marshes. Hundreds of thousands of birds converge there during migrating season in Spring and Fall. In fact, the Camargue Natural Park area includes a massive UNESCO designated wildlife reserve.
The Camargue horses are an ancient breed of horse indigenous to the Camargue area in southern France. Some researchers believe they are descended from the ancient Solutré horse hunted during the Upper Paleolithic period. Their distinctive colouring develops through their aging process. The underlying skin is black, and during their early years, their "coats" initially lighten from dark to light grey -- ultimately becoming increasingly white at their maturity and in their later life.
Extensive archeological evidence has been found in the present-day Burgundy region of France. The Camargue breed was appreciated by the Celtic and Roman invaders who entered the Iberian Peninsula where their genealogy is closely tied with Iberian horses, especially those of the northern part of the Peninsula. Generally considered one of the oldest breeds of horses in the world, for centuries these small horses have lived wild in the harsh environment of the Camargue marshes and wetlands of the Rhône delta.
The original Spanish "jaca" is often considered to be a cross between the Celtic pony and the Camargue breed. The resulting breed was later crossed with Northern European horse types and ultimately with the Southern Peninsula horse as the Moors spread their influence toward the Pyrenees in the Middle Ages between the late 8th and the late 15th Centuries.
Cross-breeding with both Northern European and the Iberian Peninsula horses, created strong, very hardy horses related to the Camargue horse, and which likely came to the New World as the warhorse accompanying the Spanish explorers and conquistadors in the 16th and 17th Centuries.
Today, The Camargue are the traditional mounts for "gardians", mounted cattle herdsmen in the Gard Department of Southern France in Provence. The Camargue also participate in local events and festivals featuring equestrian competitions for which their calm temperament, stamina and agility are particularly suited.
(Primary Sources: National Geographic Newsroom, July 9, 2017; Photos and primary source credit: Kike Calvo; Hendricks, Bonnie L., International Encyclopedia of Horse Breeds: University of Oklahoma Press, 2007).
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