HORSE AND PONY BREEDS 1

1. PRZEWALSKI'S HORSE

We will be kicking off our breed series looking at breeds of horses and ponies around the world with a look at some of the more ‘primitive’ species of horses and ponies. Our first breed for the series is the fascinating Przewalski’s horse.

Did you know?

Przewalski is pronounced shuh-VAL-skee!

APPEARANCE

Przewalksi’s horses come in various shades but are considered dun in colour. They have a lighter underbelly and a white nose. Interestingly they have no forelock and a mane that stands up like the mane of a zebra. They are one stocky little animal with large heads and huge, thick necks. They can survive temperatures well below freezing because of their thick, shaggy coats.

Did you know?

Przewalski is a Polish surname. It was the surname of the man who is said to have identified the horse.

HISTORY

Przewalksi's horse is believed to have roamed the grasslands and deserts of the Central Asian steppes for more than 160,000 years. The famous Mongol warrior Genghis Khan was said to have spotted these horses on his conquests. Mongolians call these horses takhi, which means spirit, or worthy of worship. This wild horse is extremely important to the Mongolian people. Other names for this horse include the Mongolian Wild Horse and P horse.

Did you know?

The zebra is a cousin of Przewalksi's horse.

TRULY WILD

Przewalksi's horse is the only surviving truly wild species of horse in the world, and has only been able to survive due to huge conservation efforts over the last 50 years. Other types of horse that are thought to be ‘wild’ are actually descendants of domesticated horses that were allowed to roam free and continued to make families. Examples include the American Mustang (think of the animated movie Spirit, ‘Spirit, Stallion of the Cimarron’) and Australian Brumbie. The Przewalski’s horse is actually considered a different species entirely to the domesticated horse. Although there are some of these cute, stocky horses in zoos around the world, they have never been tamed. They are considered to be too wild!

A STORY OF HOPE

In 1969 the Przewalski’s horse was declared extinct in the wild, which means that a few horses still existed, but none were free to roam in their natural habitats. Mongolian children had to hear about this incredible wild horse from their parents and grandparents. At one stage, only 12 horses remained in the wild. Thankfully there are now over 1900 of these amazing creatures in existence today and over 300 have been reintroduced to their native Mongolian habitat. When these new horses landed on the Mongolian plains, it was said that local Mongolians rode hundreds of miles to witness this historic event. This shows just how special the Wild Mongolian horse is to the people of Mongolia.

Fast Fact

The first known cave paintings of Przewalksi’s horses have been found in Spain and France and are approximately 20 000 years old!

Kurt

The San Diego Zoo has actually cloned a Przewalski’s horse from a horse that was alive in the 1960s. His name is Kurt, and he is the first cloned Przewalski’s horse in the world! It is hoped that Kurt will help save the species as his genes will introduce more variety into the current gene pool. As an added bonus, Kurt is incredibly cute!