According to the
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
horse, usually one of
Iberian or
Barb extraction, often
gaited. In the
etymology provided by the 1911
Encyclopædia Britannica, "jennet" is derived from the
French genet, from
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 of the horse. The term is taken to be a corruption of
Zenata, a
Berber tribe famed for its
cavalry. In English and French, the word came to refer to the horse rather than the style of riding. 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 ginet, of
Arabic and, ultimately, of
Berber origin. == Modern descendants and recreated breeds ==