The Monchino (also 'Monchinu') is a Spanish pony breed native to the mountains of Cambria.

The Celts, Cantabria, and the Monchino's ancient origins:
"The Celts" is a collective name for tribes that originated in Central Europe around 1,200BC. They expanded their civilization throughout Europe, crossing the seas to the British Islands around 1,000BC. From there, between 500BC and 400BC, they crossed the seas again and arrived at Cantabria on the northern shore of Spain.

The Celts brought with them Exmoor ponies (see 'Exmoor') from Britain. These Exmoors were crossed with the horses that already roamed Cantabria, and their offspring were further shaped by the mountain to become the Monchino.

A native breed:
The Monchino grew adapted to the mountains. Its upper muzzle began growing a mustache during the winters to help with sensing edible vegetation, and its lips grew thick to prevent injury by the rough forage.

For centuries, Monchino horses were used for pack work and for pulling carts, but they were let go during the 20th century. Still, they weren't forgotten, and in 1986 Cantabrian breeders formed a breeding association for the Monchino. They set a breed standard, established a studbook, and managed the Monchino horses who roamed the mountains.

Ten years later, the Cambrian authorities officially recognized the association and its work (although the studbook was recognized only in the year 2000.) They also declared the Monchino a native Spanish breed.

The Monchino today:
Today (per the 2021 census) there are around 1,000 Monchino horses that roam the mountains of Cantabria in semi-free conditions. Tourists who travel to the area can visit Cabarceno Natural Park and watch the horses grazing in its mountains.

Conformation:
Monchino ponies have a long head with a concave-to-straight profile, large nostrils, large eyes, and small ears that are set wide apart but can be curved inwards. The neck is short and slender, and connects to low withers. The back is sometimes arched, especially behind the withers.

The croup is short, sloping, and is often higher than the withers, giving the Monchino a downhill conformation. The girth is deep but angular, the legs are slender, and the hooves are small.

The mane is usually medium in length although it can sometimes grow long. The tail grows long. The legs often have light feathering behind the fetlocks and sometimes also along the cannons.

Performance metrics:
The following are the: range, average, (SD), and MOE of performance metrics of ordered Monchinos 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: 14.0-15.2, 14.5 (0.3), 0.05.
Sprint: 39-51, 45 (2), 0.45.

Accel: 0.87-1.03, 0.96 (0.04), 0.01.
Decel: 0.79-0.96, 0.88 (0.03), 0.01.

Jump: 4.90-5.13, 5.02 (0.05), 0.01.
Pull: 1.64-2.15, 1.87 (0.13), 0.02.

Turning: 44.88-57.67, 51.20 (2.97), 0.58.
Reverse: 2.3-2.9, 2.6 (0.1), 0.02.

Stamina: 44.86-49.03, 47.36 (0.92), 0.18.
Reaction: 0.66-0.78, 0.72 (0.02), 0.00.

Coats & Height:
Colors: always black or dark-bay (termed 'brown' in Horse Isle.) The coat is usually on the dark side, although in rare cases it can be light enough to see a clear cut between the black legs and the brown body.

Additionals: sooty. The coat is always solid and usually lacks white markings or has only a small star. More rarely, horses can have a short, thin stripe, or small socks on their lower legs.

Markings note: however, in Horse Isle, due to technical reasons, Monchinos cannot have stripes or socks. They can only have stars (both large and small) and, as a compromise, snips of various sizes. Horses with excessive markings will be ineligible for registration.

Height: 13.1hh to 14.1hh.