Rare and Endangered Equine Breeds
40 Degrees Equine Preserve is working towards providing a sanctuary for these equine breeds
Photo by Artur Baboev - http://artur.baboev.com/, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Rare Equine Breeds.
Here is a look at some of the breeds we hope to introduce to the Preserve, unfortunately the list is far greater.
A few of these breeds have been around for thousands of years, We don’t want them to go extinct under this generations watch.
’With ever-increasing threats such as EVH-1 and other disasters…
New Zealand’s isolation lends itself to creating a “first of its kind” Equine Preservation Park
Akhal Teke
The Akhal Teke is a Turkmen horse breed. They have a reputation for speed and endurance, intelligence, loyality and a distinctive metallic sheen. They are one of the oldest domesticated horses with a history that dates back 3000 years. The breed originated in the Karakum desert of the Turkmenistan, where the horses had to tolerate sparse water , food and able to withstand severe climatic conditions. Considered a work of art, elegant in appearance and stride often referred to as the “greyhound” of the horse world. The Akhal-Tekes lived closely with their nomadic humans, each being essential to the others survival. Surviving thousands of years these ancient horses current status is now “Threatened” .
https://www.horsetalk.co.nz/2013/08/06/akhal-teke-golden-horse-desert/
Current status: Threatened
Przewalski Horse
These critically endangered horses found in Mongolia, are the last truly “wild horse” left in the world. Once believed to be the ancestor of the domestic horse, however through Mitochondrial DNA testing suggests they diverged from a common ancestor 500,000 years ago therefore distant cousins. Przewalski horses have 66 Chromosomes compared to the 64 that of domestic horses. Interesting, they are able to produce fertile offspring with domestic horses that are also able to produce offspring.
Photo credit
Zazaa Mongolia, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Suffolk punch
The Suffolk Punch is considered a critically endangered breed by The Rare Breeds Survival Trust. This magnificent heavy weight is an English draught horse mainly used on farms but was also often used to pull heavy artillery in wartime. Being described as “rarer than a panda” fewer than 300 remain in the world. .
Photo credit
Amanda Slater from Coventry, England, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Clydesdale
This heavy weight originates from the Valley of the Clyde River, Lanarkshire, Scotland. Clydesdales have been considered one of the most popular draught horses however in the early 1970’s breed numbers dwindled and in 1975 was categorized as “vunerable” thankfully with an increase in breed numbers the Clydesdale is now categorized as “at risk”.
Photo credit
Paul Keleher from Mass, US, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Hackney.
The British Hackney horse is recognised by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust as endangered. The Hackney was formely known as the Roadster (Road Horse) whose essential role was a working harness horse developed for relatively fast transport on improving roads as its original name implies. In the advent of the Railway, and at a later date motor transport, Hackneys like many horse breeds declined rapidly in numbers. The breed was made fashionable in the show ring however following the second world war only a few breeders remained and this historic bred is now greatly endangered.
Photo credit
Just chaos, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Sorraia
The Sorraia is one of the most endangered horse breeds in the world nearly extinct with fewer than 200 horses exisiting. With unusual primitive characteristics (grulla, dun, dorsal stripes, darker face and leg barring) the Sorraia was recovered and maintained with the purpose of preserving equine type considered to be a representative of the ancestral Iberian Horse, from which several domestic horse breeds may have derived and that probably existed in the Iberian penninsula since the Palaeolithic period.
Photo credit
Andreas Konopka, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Cleveland Bay.
The Cleveland Bay horse is one of the oldest equines in Britain, with pedigree data going back almost 300 years Investigating the critically endangered horse reveals a worrying loss of diversity and high levels of relatedness and inbreeding in the surviving stock. Developed in Yorkshire from a foundation of native stock with some additions of Galloway and Andalusian and Arabian blood the Cleveland Bay was selected for strength, speed, soundness and stamina. As their name suggests they are always Bay in colour. Buffalo Bill Cody was among those interested in the breed, and he drove a hitch of four Cleveland Bay Stallions in his Wild West Show. The British Royal Family and a few breeders took the initiative to conserve the breed and its fortunes have slowly improved with perhaps around 1000 purebreds alive today.
Photo credit
nikoretro from Ft. Myers, FL, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Marwari
The Marwari is a rare breed of horse from the Marwar (or Jodhpur) region of Rajasthan, in north-west India. These horses are known by their distinctive curled ears whose history spans multiple centuries. Today, the Marwari remains a rare but prized horse.
In the 16th century, the Marwari served as a cavalry horses. They had a strong natural sense of direction and were known for carrying their riders back home after getting lost in the desert. The breeds excellent hearing also helped to alert both horse and rider to potential danger.
The 20th century brought life-style changes and the horse fell out of demand. Breed numbers plummeted and British occupiers of India preferred Thoroughbreds over Marwari Horses and the breed was on the verge of extinction.
Thankfully a few dedicated breed enthusiasts helped preserve these horses Maharaja Umaid Singhji and his Grandson stepped up to advocate for these horses.
In 2006 India stopped granting exporting licences for Marwari horses and only a few horses can be found outside India.
Marwari Horse Society of India created a stud book and registration process for the breed in 2009 and re-stablishing the quality that had been emphasized by the Rathores so many centuries before.
Photo credit
Virendra.kankariya, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Norwegian Fiord.
The Norwegian Fjord Horse is one the world’s oldest and purest breeds. It is believed this horse was domesticated over 4000 years ago. Herds of wild Fjords existed in Norwary after the last ice age. Archaeological excavations at Viking burial sites indicated that the Fjord Horse had been selectively breed for at least 2000 years.
One of their unique characteristics is the primitive dun marking, zebra stripes on the legs, dorsal stripe and the centre of the mane is dark usually black and the outer hair white.
They are small horses usually range between 13.2 and 14.2 hands.
Marsh Tacky
Marsh Tacky is a unique breed of colonial spanish horse found only in South Carolina and is also one of the most endangered horses. They lived by their wits and survived on marsh grass and rough forage. They were owned by rich and poor alike and were used for everything from carrying children to school, herding cattle, plowing fields and delivering mail due to their gentle disposition and tough constitution . They were used by the Southern troops in the Civil War and had an advantage traversing the lowcountry, woods and swamps.
These remarkable horses are known for their ability to adapt to new situations and don’t panic when wrapped in briars or when mired in a bog up to their chest often referred to as “Little Bulldozers” with huge hearts and they saying goes “Once you own a Marsh Tacky you will want one for a lifetime”.
Today there are just over 400 remaining in the world.
Photo credit
Anthony Surbeck, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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Caspian Horse
This ancient breed of horse has been found in art works that date back to around 3000 BC making them one of the world’s oldest breeds that are still around today.
This horse is considered a national treasure in Iran where the breed originates and was actually considered extinct for 1,300 until a couple of researches discovered some living in the wild in Iran and 1965.
Due to conservation efforts their numbers are rising but are still considered to be some of the rarest horse breeds around today.
Kerri-Jo Stewart from Vancouver, Canada, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
