THE ORIGINS OF THE BASOTHO PONY

Text | Skye Littlefield

As their name suggests, Basotho ponies come from Lesotho, a land-locked country surrounded by South Africa. If you’ve ever been to Lesotho, you’ll know that it is a country filled with mountains, and rocky terrain, often joined by vast grasslands. Because Lesotho is located at such a high altitude, it is often colder than the surrounding areas and experiences regular snowfall. These factors combined mean that only the strongest ponies can cope in Lesotho, and so the Basotho pony evolved.

During the 1860s Lesotho became a British protectorate; this means that Britain both controlled and protected Lesotho. A Thoroughbred stallion was gifted to the then-King Moshoeshoe by the British, but it was soon discovered that this regal breed of horse did not do well in the climate and terrain of the country. As an act of good faith, the Thoroughbred was replaced by a sturdy pony of an unknown breed, who took to the climate exceptionally well. This is where Basotho pony breeding began.

By crossing the Cape Horse (Boerperd) with horses imported by Dutch settlers, and the hardy ponies in Lesotho, the Basotho pony began to take shape, and became a fully-fledged breed. These ponies were never more than 14.2hh and were strong, sturdy, and surefooted, quickly showing their worth to the people of Lesotho. As well as having the best physical features for the region, Basotho ponies are smart, willing, and fearless, showing their spirit on week-long treks. Due to the lack of infrastructure in the country, Basotho ponies became people carriers and helped to transport goods through even the toughest of Lesotho’s terrain, which was very important for the land-locked country.

Unfortunately wars in the country resulted in the population of the Basotho ponies decreasing dramatically, with them being near extinction in the 1970s. In an effort to preserve the breed, the Basotho Pony Project was set up in 1977 and focused on breeding and raising Basotho ponies. The following year the National Stud was set up, and collectively these two projects helped to save the Basotho pony.

Nowadays, the Basotho pony is a well-established breed within South Africa and they can be seen at the occasional show. Within Lesotho their population has increased drastically and sits at approximately 100 000 ponies; they remain expert mountain ponies and are still used to this day to transport both goods and people throughout the country.