Characteristics
The Pottok measures 1.15 to 1.47 metres (11.1 to 14.2 hands) in height, and weighs between 300 to 350 kilograms (661 to 772 lb). It has a large, square head, small ears, short neck and long back with short but slim legs, and small, sturdy hooves.
The winter fur (borra) is one of the key characteristics of the Pottok and can reach up to 10 centimetres (3.9 in) in length on young horses. The archetypal coat colorations are in bay range with no patterning, but today various shades of brown and black exist in Pottok herds. Pottok pintos first appeared in Biscay in the 1850s and have spread to parts of Navarre and Labourd since.
There are noticeable differences between mountain herds of Pottok and valley or flatland herds, with mountain horses generally being smaller. The official French breed standard distinguishes two types, the Pottok de Montagne or Mountain Pottok, with a height range of 1.15–1.32 m (11.1–13.0 h), and the larger Pottok de Prairie or Plains Pottok, which has a height range of 1.20–1.47 m (11.3–14.2 h).
The Government of Biscay carried out research into some 250 horses of the Pottok population of Biscay, both wild and stabled, in 1996-97. The census revealed that the majority of semi-feral Pottoks in Biscay live in the far northwest of the province, in the Encartaciones. These semi-feral herds are rounded up twice a year, once in March before birthing and once in October after weaning. The survey also concluded that the main characteristics of the Biscayan population were:
- black or blackish coats dominating (73%), followed by bays with (19%)
- Height range 1.15 to 1.30 metres (11.1 to 12.3 h), average height 1.256 m (12.1 h)
- long, slim legs with black hooves
- large, heavy heads
- a heavy winter coat (the borra)
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