menorca Precisamente son las fiestas tradicionales de los pueblos menorquines las que más elevan la figura del caballo, vin-culándolos con la artesanía a través de diferentes elementos que engalanan a estos elegantes animales. “El caballo no des-tacaría sin los adornos artesanos y los adornos no existirían sin los caballos de las fiestas”, explica Marqués. Desde la bul-drafa (gualdrapa) que protege al caballo forrada de terciopelo a los flocs, los adornos a base de lazos y flores para cara y cola. “En los orígenes, los bordados y adornos de los caballos eran realizados por las mujeres de los propios jinetes que partici-pan en las fiestas. A día de hoy, aún hay mujeres hábiles y con conocimientos artesanales que los siguen elaborando”. Hoy se sigue trabajando para la conservación de este caba-llo autóctono de carácter dócil y versátil, ya sea con un con-curso morfológico anual u otras actuaciones para conservar la variabilidad genética existente: “Se realizan campañas de concienciación y formativas de los ganaderos para promo-ver la conservación mediante el diseño de los apareamientos efectivos, el uso de los animales en eventos y las fiestas popu-lares y la gestión eficaz del Libro Genealógico de la Raza que garantiza su pureza racial”. Se trata de proteger su estilizado lomo, su crinera abundante, su acompasado trote… ENG In 1301, King Jaume II decreed that all settlers must have a horse ready to fight in case Menorca was attacked. This historical basis helps to understand why this animal, an autochthonous breed, has remained part of the island’s cul-ture and heritage to this day. With 3,877 specimens count-ed in 2023 and still in danger of extinction, its real census is relatively small and “is mainly concentrated on the island of Menorca, although there are population clusters in France, Italy and Germany,” explains Cristóbal Marqués Benejam, president of the Asociación de Criadores y Propietarios de Caballos de Raza Menorquina (Association of Breeders and Owners of Menorquina Horses). The purebred Menorcan horse is slender, with round-ed eyes, a lively gaze and a black coat. Muscular, it also has a square muzzle and an open-arched cheek, among other characteristics. Nowadays, its presence is mainly limited to Menorca’s popular summer festivals, where the horse is the undisputed star. “From an early age, children on Menorca live and dream of horses and taking part in the patron saint fes-tivals in their villages. The bond with the horses is particular-ly strong since in Menorca there are a lot of horses and the chance to enjoy a whole host of activities with them (“horse riding trails, sports, local festivals...”, explains the expert. It is precisely the traditional festivals in Menorca’s towns and villages that exalt the image of the horses, linking them to craftsmanship through the various items that adorn these graceful animals. “The horses would not stand out without the handcrafted adornments, and the adornments would not exist without the horses in the fiestas”, explains Marqués. From the velvet-lined buldrafa (horse blanket) that protects the horse, to the flocs, ornaments made with bows and flow-ers for the face and tail. “Originally, the embroidery and dec-oration on the horses were made by the wives of the riders who took part in the festivities. Even today, there are skilled women with artisanal skills who continue to make them”. Today, work continues to preserve this docile and versa-tile native horse, with an annual morphological competition and other initiatives to protect the existing genetic variabil-ity: “Awareness campaigns and breeder training are carried out to promote conservation through effective breeding, the use of the animals in events and popular festivals and proper management of the Libro Genealógico de la Raza (Stud Book of the Breed), to guarantee racial purity”. The aim is to protect its slender back, its abundant mane, its rhythmic trot... MENORCA Escultura Tre Cavalli de Nag Arnoldi en Mahón, con la catedral al fondo. // Tre Cavalli sculpture by Nag Arnoldi in Mahón, with the cathedral in the background. © jon chica parada/Getty Images Caixers en el Jaleo de Mahón // Caixers (riders) at the Mahón Jaleo horse festival © Matthias Oesterle/Alamy Live News Las fiestas de Sant Llorenç en Alaior. // The festivities of Sant Llorenç in Alaior. © Matthias Oesterle/Alamy Live News El Jaleo es esta misma localidad menorquina. // The Jaleo horse festival in the same Menorcan town. © Matthias Oesterle/Alamy Live News MENORCA Vuelos // Flights: Para llegar a la isla balear se puede hacer mediante dos vuelos diarios con Palma de Mallorca con código compartido con Uep!Fly, excepto los domingos. Y un vuelo diario entre Menorca e Ibiza, también con código compartido con Uep!Fly. // You can get to the Balearic island via two daily flights to Palma de Mallorca with the Uep!Fly codeshare, except on Sundays. And a daily flight between Menorca and Ibiza, also codeshared with Uep!Fly. www.aireuropa.com