Cook Islands Local Horse

Intro

Horses are not native to the Cook Islands, they were introduced at some point and naturalized. It’s possible there were some feral animals found on Rarotonga, but their numbers have dwindled.

Origins

There is not a lot of information about the local horse found on the Cook Islands except that they are exceptionally rare. It is unclear what breeds were exported to the islands, although they likely came from New Zealand or Australian. They have a variety of traditional names including Puaka ‘Oro-‘enua, ‘Aka‘oro, ‘Oro‘enua and Lio.

Traditional Colors

All colors

Temperament

Calm and willing

Use

Riding
Transportation

Video

Top image from Davedawggy under the CC By-SA 2.0 license