Editing Jennet

{{short description|Extinct medieval horse breed}}
{{About|the small medieval Spanish horse|a female donkey|Jenny (donkey)|other things with the same pronunciation|Genet (disambiguation){{!}}Genet}}
[[Image:Jennet.jpg|thumb|A medieval jennet.]]
A '''jennet''' or '''Spanish jennet''' was a small [[Spain|Spanish]] [[horse]].<ref>[http://www.frankhopkins.com/mustangsA.html Bennett, Deb. "The Spanish Mustang: The Origin and Relationships of the Mustang, Barb, and Arabian Horse"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080506052940/http://www.frankhopkins.com/mustangsA.html |date=2008-05-06 }}</ref> It was noted for a smooth naturally [[ambling]] [[horse gait|gait]], compact and well-muscled build, and a good disposition.  The jennet was an ideal light riding horse, and as such spread across Europe and provided some of the [[foundation bloodstock]] for several [[list of horse breeds|horse breeds]] in the [[Americas]].

== Spanish origin of the term ==
According to the [[Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition|1911 ''Encyclopædia Britannica'']], "jennet" referred to a small Spanish horse. The 2000 edition of the ''[[American Heritage Dictionary]]'' also defines "jennet", with the alternative spelling ''genet'', as a small Spanish saddle horse.  The "jennet" described a type, rather than a breed of horse, and thus is not used today; the term was in regular use during the [[Middle Ages]] to refer to a specific type of [[Horses in the Middle Ages|horse]], usually one of [[Iberian horse|Iberian]] or [[Barb (horse)|Barb]] extraction, often [[ambling|gaited]].

In the [[etymology]] provided by the 1911 ''Encyclopædia Britannica'', "jennet" is derived from the [[French language|French]] ''genet'', from [[Spanish language|Spanish]] ''[[jinete]]'', a light horseman who rides ''à la jineta'', explained as "with his legs tucked up." This referred to their style of riding with shorter stirrups, which they preferred for closer [[Collection (horse)|collection]] of the horse.  The term is taken to be a corruption of ''[[Zenata]]'', a [[Berber people|Berber]] tribe famed for its [[cavalry]]. In English and French, the word came to refer to the horse rather than the style of riding.<ref>{{EB1911|inline=y|wstitle=Jennet|volume=15|page=321}}</ref>  In Spanish, that meaning has developed in modern times. The ''American Heritage Dictionary'''s etymology is similar, citing the [[Middle English]] ''genet'', from Old French; from the [[Catalan language|Catalan]] ''ginet'', of [[Arabic language|Arabic]] and, ultimately, of [[Berber languages|Berber]] origin.<ref>[http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=jennet "jennet"], American Heritage Dictionary</ref>

== Modern descendants and recreated breeds ==
The modern [[Spanish Jennet Horse]], [[Paso Fino]] and [[Peruvian Paso]] breeds probably most closely resemble the original jennet.  In the treatise ''Il Cavallarizzo'' written by Claudio Corte in 1562, three years after the end of the [[Great Italian Wars]], the author describes at length the qualities of the ''ginecti'' (jennets) as horses useful for war. According to Corte, the jennets were one of the most commonly used horses by the Spanish light cavalry.  Spanish heavy cavalry used a different breed which Corte refers to as "Villanos". However, there is no mention of the Andalusian as a war horse in Corte's book, indicating that that breed either did not exist or was not used for war during the rise of Spain as a major European Power in 1494–1562.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Il_cavallarizzo.djvu|title = An ancient horsemanship Italian book. Original title: Il Cavallarizzo di Messer Claudio Corte di Pavia, nel quale si tratta della natura de' Cavalli del modo di domargli, e frenarli, e di tutto quello, che à Cavalli, e à buon Cavalerizzo s'appartiene|year = 1562}}</ref> The castle of Venafro in the Italian region of Molise (which was under Spanish rule in the 1500s) has numerous frescos portraying the ''ginecti'' (jennets), which seem to closely resemble a modern-day [[Criollo horse]]  or a Peruvian Paso<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.francovalente.it/2007/12/22/i-cavalli-di-enrico-pandone-nel-castello-di-venafro-2/|title=I cavalli di Enrico Pandone nel Castello di Venafro}}</ref>

== See also ==
*[[Horses in the Middle Ages]]
*[[Spanish Jennet Horse]] (modern breed)

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20080506052940/http://www.frankhopkins.com/mustangsA.html Bennett, Deb. "The Spanish Mustang: The Origin and Relationships of the Mustang, Barb, and Arabian Horse"]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20071218143226/http://www.thegaitedhorse.com/spanish_jennet.htm Sponenberg, Phillip, DVM, PhD. "Spanish Jennet: Living in the Past" ''The Gaited Horse'' web page accessed January 26, 2008.]

[[Category:Types of horse]]
[[Category:Horse history and evolution]]
[[Category:Extinct horse breeds]]