The Equinest archives

Sahel Horse

Intro

Names for the Sahelian empires that once dominated the grasslands of Mali, the Sahel horse is a type of West African Dongola, with Arabian blood. Like many of the people with strong horse culture in West Africa, these animals were well cared for.
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Dombi Horse

Intro

Presumably the Dombi breed is named for the Dombia village and rural commune in south western Mali. This is a vary small community, so while the DAD-SI names them as a local breed of Mali, there is no official information about them.
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Bobo Horse

Intro

Also called Bobodi and Boboli, the Bobo is a light pony or small horse found in Burkina Faso. Like many of the West African breeds, they are generally of Barb or Dongola ancestry. Although these horses can have a natural resistance to trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness), which is found in other native equines of the area.
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Mossi Horse

Intro

Also called Yagha and Burkinabe, this breed horse is named for the Mossi kingdom in what is now Burkina Faso. The Mossi people have been associated with masterful horsemanship for centuries. Their horses are a type among the West African Dongola horse, found in many countries on that part of the continent.
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Sulebawa Horse

Intro

Also know as the Hausa Horse, Sulebawa horses are raised by the Hausa tribe, which seems to be responsible for a large percentage of the known horse breeding in Nigeria today. The Sulebawa Horse is also known as the Hausa Horse, but as they raise the majority of the horseflesh in the country, several of the breeds are attributed to them.
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Piti Pony

Intro

Also called Ibarka Plateau ponies, the Piti Pony is named for the Piti-Abisi people in Nigeria where they are found. The word for horse in the Piti language is Ibarka and these small horses are also known by that moniker.
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Chamba Pony

Intro

Named for the Chamba people found in northeastern Nigeria and northern Cameroon, the Chamba Pony is more mysterious than the other Nigerian breeds. Traditionally they live in grassland areas so their ponies were probably used for light agriculture and transportation.
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Bornu Horse

Intro

Ridden and celebrated by the Kanuri people whose tribal lands included parts of Niger, Nigeria, Chad, and Cameroon, the Bornu Horse (sometimes called Kanuri Horse) is still a bit of a mystery. Although they are one of the four breeds that have been unofficially identified in the country.
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Arewa Horse

Intro

The Arewa breed is named for a Hausa word which means ‘The North’, so it’s fairly safe to assume this breed is found in the north of Nigeria and bred by the Hausa people. Not the only breed associated with the Hausa, the Arewa may be a type of Sulebawa horse.
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