The Menorquin (also known as 'Menorquino', 'Menorquina', and 'Pure Raza Menorquina') is a Spanish breed of a black, light riding horse. It should not be confused with the Mallorquin which it resembles.


Origins:
Menorca is a Spanish island located in the Mediterranean Sea. Horses have roamed this island for over a millenia, but it wasn't until the 16th century when crossbreeding between Arabians, Barbs, and Spanish horses, including the now-extinct Catalan horse, and, in later centuries, Thoroughbred horses, created the Menorquin.

The Menorquin today:
Today, the Menorquin is still a popular sight on the island of Menorca, especially during parades and festivals. During these events, Menorquin horses rear and even hop forward on command while carrying their rider, an iconic maneuver for which they are famous. In addition, they also perform in jousting events where the rider needs to insert a lance through a ring at high speed.

When not participating in parades, the Menorquin is an all-around horse which is used for various disciplines but particularly in dressage.

Many Menoruqin horses are also trained in the art of doma menorquina, also known as 'Menorca dressage', which combines elements from 'regular' dressage with maneuvers from 'high-school' (Haute Ecole) dressage. One of these movements is the 'rearing and hopping forward' as mentioned above.

Conformation:
Although it is an Iberian horse, the Menorquin has a far lighter conformation than the conformation of the typical Iberian horse (e.g. the Andalusian).

The Menorquin has a long head with a slender jaw and a small muzzle, and a straight or slightly convex profile. The neck is slightly long and visibly arched, connecting to smooth withers and back. The chest is prominent but the girth is slender, and the legs are long.

The mane and tail grow long and can be wavy, and the legs are clear from feathering.

Performance metrics:
The following are the: range, average, (SD), and MOE of performance metrics of ordered Menorquin horses in Horse Isle (not bred ones). In rare cases, horses might have metrics outside of the range. Breeders can produce horses that are beyond this range.

Speed: 14.9-16.8, 15.9 (0.3), 0.06.
Sprint: 44-55, 50 (2), 0.45.

Accel: 0.88-1.07, 0.98 (0.04), 0.01.
Decel: 0.81-0.97, 0.89 (0.03), 0.01.

Jump: 5.06-5.37, 5.20 (0.06), 0.01.
Pull: 1.75-2.62, 2.15 (0.17), 0.03.

Turning: 50.73-63.80, 57.37 (3.06), 0.6.
Reverse: 2.6-3.3, 3.0 (0.1), 0.03.

Stamina: 47.86-54.78, 51.98 (1.6), 0.31.
Reaction: 0.69-0.80, 0.75 (0.03), 0.00.

Coats & Height:
The coat is always solid black, and can be sooty. Markings are rare and do not exceed a small star.

Height: 15hh to 17.3hh