The Equinest archives

Grayson Highlands Ponies

Grayson Highlands Ponies

Intro

The Grayson Highland Ponies are a herd of semi-feral animals that live in Grayson Highlands State Park in Virginia. The Highlands are over 5,000 feet and experience extreme heat in summer & cold in the winter with constant sweeping winds.
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Grand Noir du Berry Donkey

Grand Noir du Berry Donkey

Image from La gueuse

Origins

The original origins of this breed are speculated but unknown. However, today the Grand Noir du Berry comes from the French area of Berry and were used for working fields & vineyards as well as general transportation. These donkeys were selectively bred robust enough to meet the specific needs of the people of Berry.
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Goklan Horse

Goklan

Intro

With the exception of the Yabou, the Goklan horse is the heaviest descendant of the old Turanian horse that was bred by the Goklan Turkoman that border Iran. This is a mountainous region, so these animals were well-suited for difficult footing.
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Gidran Horse

Gidran Horse

Image from Siheder

Intro

The Gidran is a Hungarian Anglo-Arabian breed that comes from a combination of Arabian & Thoroughbred bloodlines.

Origins

The flagship of the breed was a chestnut stud named Siglavy Gidran who was imported to Hungary from Arabia in 1814. His son was later brought to the royal stud farm to be used as a breeding stallion. During this time it was fashionable to separate animals based on their color so similar teams could be put together. By 1850, the chestnut animals were primarily Gidran bred animals, however they were not bred to preserve Gidran’s characteristics until some time later.

In an attempt to improve some of the breed’s faults English Thoroughbred blood was added which resulted in temperamental animals so Arabian and Kisber blood was added. By 1943 the Gidran breed was separated into 3 strains, A, B & C.

In 1958 the remaining stock was moved from the royal stud and further reduced until 1977 when a new breeding initiative took off. Today there are two types of Gidran, a smaller saddle type and a more robust harness horse. Their numbers are quite low and the primary focus of breeding is preserving the genepool.

Features

Average height 15.3 – 17 hands (minimum size 15.2)

Physique

Head is small & well set
Neck is slightly arched & muscular
Back is tight
Shoulder is muscular and sloped
Legs are well muscled with strong joints
Feet have good shape & hardness

Traditional Colors

Primarily chestnut

Temperament

Have a history of bad tempers but generally sound individuals.

Use

Light farming
Harness work
Riding horse

Video

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Giara Horse

Giara Horse

Image from docpap

Intro

The Giara horse native to the island of Sardinia, Italy and they are found on a large, basalt plateau in the south of the island. Recently a small number of animals have been re-introduced into other parts of Sardinia in the hopes of growing their numbers.
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