Origin
Poland, Romania
History
Their habitat is the eastern Carpathians, called Huzulland. Many frontiers run together along this range of mountains, and borders have changed with the passing of centuries. Both Romania and Poland claim origin of the Hutsul.
The Hutsul is a breed dating to the 13th century and is believed descended from the crossing of the wild Tarpan with Mongolian horses, both Oriental in type. Horses were brought to the area by migratory tribes, particularly the Mongols.The Hutsul has been bred in the mountains under very difficult climatic conditions. Isolated from other horses, it developed into a resistant and robust horse.
A stud farm for the Hutsul was first established in 1856 at Radauti in Romania, collecting some of the aboriginal animals which for centuries has bred in half-wild conditions. They were bred on bloodlines, the most important being Goral, being a golden sorrel foaled in 1915 at Radauti. Used in the Transcaucasian region from 1920 to 1925, he sired many offspring. All his sons were named Goral. From these horses, thirty-three animals were sent to Czechoslovakia in 1922 to establish a herd. The new line of Gurgul was developed there.
The Second World War caused severe damage to the breed and numbers dwindled.
Breeders in Czechoslovakia were concerned over the lessening number of Hutsul in their country and established the Hutsul Club in 1972, with four elderly mares and one stallion of the Gurgul line. In 1982 the club established a stud book with the goal of including all living Hutsuls in their country.
For centuries, the Hutsul was used a pack pony and was renowned for carrying heavy loads over difficult mountain paths often covered in ice and snow.
Today Hutsuls are bred in Poland, Romania, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and also in the former Soviet Union. Popularity of the Hutsul has spread to England in recent years.
There are said to be three types of Hutsul, although these are very mixed:
-the saddle-pack type contains the lightest horses and are found primarily in the foothills
-the saddle-harness type is numerous and concentrated in the high mountains
-the draft type shows characteristics of the Noric horse and Haflinger. They are rare.
Description
- Head:
expressive with large eyes and small lively ears - Conformation:
-strong and muscular neck
-deep and broad chest
-strong back
-well developed croup
-extremely strong and resistant legs
-small and hard hooves - Average height:
12.2 to 14 h.h. - Colours:
bay, black, grullo and chestnut are common. A dorsal stripe and zebra stripes on the legs are characteristic of the breed - Temperament:
strong and willing, with a docile nature - Today:
most of the modern ponies are used in harness, although they can also be ridden, and they are still indispensable on the highland farms of southern Poland. The Hutsul is a very good riding horse for children, and it displays a natural aptitude for jumping.
