Bali Pony
The
ancestry of the Bali Pony, one of the 17,000 islands of Indonesia, is quite
ancient. Researchers at the beginning of the twentieth century attempted to
trace the origins of these small horses and believed that they descended from
the horses of Mongolia and western Asia.
They found that horses were brought to Java (Indonesia) by the Chinese during
the T'ang dynasty (627 - 649 A. D.) as gifts for the king of Java and that
during the Yuan dynasty (1280 - 1367), the Chinese cavalry landed near Tuban in
Java. The horses brought by the Chinese descended from the Mongolian horse as
well as horses obtained from other areas of western Asia like India and
Turkmenistan. Because of this diverse background it is impossible to identify
the specific breeds of horse that were the foundation stock of the Bali pony.
The Bali pony, which lives on the island of Bali, has not been selectively or
consistently bred to produce any kind of aesthetic or athletic qualities. Bali
ponies do, however, perform the necessary functions of life required by the
local people, and they are used in the transportation of stones and coral from
the beaches, to be used as building materials. The Bali pony is extremely strong
in comparison to their size and are also used for riding, and for trekking and
sightseeing by tourists.
The Bali pony is very strong and is used as a pack animal to transport coral for
building. They are also used as mounts for tourists who wish to view the island
as well as for light draft work. They are very self-sufficient, probably through
necessity, and can survive on minimum rations, with minimum care. They also have
notably hard, tough and sound legs and feet, are rarely shod, and rarely go
lame. Their appearance is primitive and often dun colored with a dorsal stripe,
wither stripes, and zebra stripes - all indications of their ancient roots. They
invariably have an upstanding black main of coarse hair reminiscent of the
Mongolian pony.
Their appearance has often been likened to that of Equus Przevalskii
Poljakoff. The Bali pony generally does not have the best conformation as its
head is often large and rather coarse, though nonetheless full of pony
character.
The Bali pony has a large head with a straight profile. They stand on average
between 11.3 and 13 hands high. They have small ears and almond shaped eyes.
Their necks are usually short and straight with a bristly straight upright mane.
The Bali's withers are generally quite low and have short, slightly upwardly
curved backs. They have strong, hard hooves and like most Indonesian breeds
rarely have ailments of the feet. The Bali is predominately of a dun color with
a dorsal stripe, black mane and tail, and dark points. Other colors do occur.