Intro
Yururi Island is a small uninhabited island off the coast of the Nemuro Peninsula in Japan which has been designated as a national treasure. The island is table-shaped with flat, green pastures that are home to a variety of wildlife in addition to a small herd of horses.
Origins
These animals were originally brought to the island to carry sea tangles and were released when their need expired. The pasture conditions have allowed them to continue, however their numbers remain low due to natural selection.
The island is conducive to horses as it has plenty of forage and clean water. Unfortunately a herd so small cannot exist forever and the former residents who cared for them were aging. Traditionally the stallions were removed from the island and auctioned off at two years of age, the mares remaining. However as the people aged it became too difficult to capture the young males, so they were removed from the island. The numbers dwindled very low, but in 2018 three foals were released on the island.
Example Notes
We weren’t able to find any usable images of the animals on Yururi Island, but the example above looks very similar to the type found there. As the horse is male, it’s possibly one of the animals pulled off the island and auctioned off.
Features
Average height 14.3 – 16 hands
Physique
Head is heavy
Neck is long
Shoulders are well slanted
Chest is wide and deep
Back is long and straight
Legs are clean and powerful
Feet are hard and strong
Traditional Colors
Generally grey, but can be found in most other colors
Temperament
Feral animals, but easy going and intelligent when tamed
Use
Draft
Transport