M'Par

M'Par
Other names	Mpar; Cayor; Cheval du Cayor;
Country of origin	Senegal
Traits
Height	1.25–1.35 m;
	Equus ferus caballus;

The M'Par or Mpar is a Senegalese breed of small horse from the historic region of Cayor in northern and central Senegal.^[2]^: 253 It may for that reason be called the French: Cheval de Cayor. It is the smallest of the four Senegalese horse breeds,^[3]^: 263 the others being the M'Bayar, the Fleuve and the Foutanké.^[4]^: 23

History

The origins of the horse in Senegal are not documented.^[3]^: 261 It may be an autochthonous breed with ancient origins in the area,^[1]^: 4 or may derive from Barb horses from the Maghreb countries to the north.^[3]^: 261^[5]^: 442

In 1996, Senegal had a horse population of about 400000 head, the largest of any West African country.^[6]^: 36 This was a substantial increase from the 216000 reported in 1978,^[1]^: 10 and a much greater increase from the population after the Second World War, estimated at barely 30000.^[3]^: 260 Population numbers for the M'Par are not reported.^[7] In 2007 the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations did not have data from which to estimate the conservation status of the M'Par breed.^[8]^: 101

The M'Par is gradually being assimilated into the much larger M'Bayar population, and is at risk of extinction.^[6]^: 37

Characteristics

The M'Par is a small horse, standing some 1.25 to 1.35 m at the withers^[1]^: 16. It is generally of poor conformation – heavy-headed, too long in the back, thin-legged, flat-chested and often with defective conformation of the legs. In compensation for these defects, it has exceptional qualities of endurance and rusticity.^[3]^: 263

Use

Horses play an important part in the social and economic life in Senegal. The M'Par is used as a light draught horse. Because of its small size it is able to pull only light carts and fiacres.^[1]^: 16

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Magatte Ndiaye (1978). Contribution à l'étude de l'élevage du cheval au Sénégal (doctoral thesis, in French). Ecole Inter-Etats des Sciences et Médecine Vétérinaires de Dakar. Archived 4 March 2016.
^ Georges Doutressoulle (1947). L'élevage en Afrique occidentale française (in French). Paris: Larose.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e René Larrat (1947). L'élevage du cheval au Sénégal (in French). Revue d'élevage et de médecine vétérinaire des pays tropicaux. 1 (4): 257–265. doi:10.19182/remvt.6780.
^ [Institut Sénégalais de Recherches Agricoles] (2003). Rapport national sur l'état des ressources zoogénétiques au Sénégal (in French); annex to: The State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Rome: Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. ISBN 9789251057629. Archived 1 November 2019.
^ Valerie Porter, Lawrence Alderson, Stephen J.G. Hall, D. Phillip Sponenberg (2016). Mason's World Encyclopedia of Livestock Breeds and Breeding (sixth edition). Wallingford: CABI. ISBN 9781780647944.
^ ^a ^b J.-P. Dehoux, A. Dieng, A. Buldgen (1996). Le cheval Mbayar dans la partie centrale du bassin arachidier sénégalais (in French). Animal Genetic Resources Information. 20: 35–54. Archived 31 August 2025.
^ Breed data sheet: M' Par / Senegal (Horse). Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed August 2025.
^ Barbara Rischkowsky, Dafydd Pilling (editors) (2007). List of breeds documented in the Global Databank for Animal Genetic Resources, annex to: The State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Rome: Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. ISBN 9789251057629. Archived 23 June 2020.

[mag-1] Magatte Ndiaye (1978). Contribution à l'étude de l'élevage du cheval au Sénégal (doctoral thesis, in French). Ecole Inter-Etats des Sciences et Médecine Vétérinaires de Dakar. Archived 4 March 2016.

[geo-2] Georges Doutressoulle (1947). L'élevage en Afrique occidentale française (in French). Paris: Larose.

[larrat-3] René Larrat (1947). L'élevage du cheval au Sénégal (in French). Revue d'élevage et de médecine vétérinaire des pays tropicaux. 1 (4): 257–265. doi:10.19182/remvt.6780.

[sen-4] [Institut Sénégalais de Recherches Agricoles] (2003). Rapport national sur l'état des ressources zoogénétiques au Sénégal (in French); annex to: The State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Rome: Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. ISBN 9789251057629. Archived 1 November 2019.

[cabi-5] Valerie Porter, Lawrence Alderson, Stephen J.G. Hall, D. Phillip Sponenberg (2016). Mason's World Encyclopedia of Livestock Breeds and Breeding (sixth edition). Wallingford: CABI. ISBN 9781780647944.

[dehoux-6] J.-P. Dehoux, A. Dieng, A. Buldgen (1996). Le cheval Mbayar dans la partie centrale du bassin arachidier sénégalais (in French). Animal Genetic Resources Information. 20: 35–54. Archived 31 August 2025.

[dad-7] Breed data sheet: M' Par / Senegal (Horse). Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed August 2025.

[barb-8] Barbara Rischkowsky, Dafydd Pilling (editors) (2007). List of breeds documented in the Global Databank for Animal Genetic Resources, annex to: The State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Rome: Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. ISBN 9789251057629. Archived 23 June 2020.

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M'Par

History

Characteristics

Use

References

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