The Bashkir Curly

The exact origin of the Bashkir Curly is one of the greatest mysteries of the horse world.

The Bashkir Curly is an extraordinary breed which has many unique qualities. There is some mystery surrounding their origins and to list the United States as country of origin is not strictly correct. They have very ancient origins and two of the only other breeds to have a curly coat are the Lokai and Bashkir of the former USSR. Evidence shows that Sioux Indians had Curly horses as early as 1801-02 and in his 1848 autobiography circus master, P. T. Barnum, writes of obtaining and exhibiting a curly horse.

Whatever their origins, the Curly was first discovered in America in 1898 in the Peter Hanson mountain range of central Nevada. Two horseback riders spotted three curly-coated horses living in the wild and now many of the Curlys can be traced back to that original herd. In 1971 the American Bashkir Curly Registry was established in an effort to promote the breed and it is now enjoying increasing popularity. They are inordinately tough and enduring, and able to withstand the most extreme climatic conditions. In the winter of 1951-52, the Curly horses were the only ones to survive on the range of Nevada without supplemental feeding. Those that are captured from the wild herds are reasonably east to tame and train, and those raised in captivity exhibit an extraordinarily friendly and tractable temperament. They perform in any sphere and have so far proved their worth in the show ring, in both Western, and English classes, at Show Jumping, Dressage, Pleasure riding, endurance riding, and all forms of Ranch work.

Their most striking feature is their coat, which is extremely curly in the winter but often less so in the summer. The curly gene is fairly dominant and Curlys crossed with a flat-coated horse often produce a curly-coated foal. One unique aspect is the way in which they shed their mane and sometimes their tail hair in the summer, growing it back for the winter. Strangely too, many Curlys do not have ergots, and will only have very small, soft chestnuts. Another anomaly is that in many cases people who are allergic to horse hair are not allergic to the Curlys coat.

In appearance, they have a fairly heavy head, often with oriental type eyes, and a great width across the forehead. The neck is quite short, and muscular, and they are stoutly built and muscular throughout the body frame. Generally, they are nicely proportioned horses and move with an active action, sometimes having a natural foxtrot or running-walk gait. They are alert, have a proud carriage and most move at a running walk or foxtrot. The hooves are black and hard, almost perfectly round in shape. Curly horses have an exceptionally high concentration of red blood cells, stout, round cannon bones and straight legs. The knees are flat. They have strong hocks short, strong backs; the rump is round without a crease; shoulders are powerful and rounded; and the chest is wide and deep. Foals arrive with thick, curly coats, curls inside their ears and curly eyelashes.

It is a very sensible, affectionate,inquisitive, quick to learn, easy to handle, has a calm disposition, and is very trusting. They vary in height, but average around 14.2 to 15hh Bashkir Curlies come in all color and coat patterns, including paint and appaloosa markings.

There are presently about 1,100 Bashkir Curlies registered in the U.S. and the Bashkir Curly has recently begun to be imported to Britain.

For more pictures, visite: Bashkir Curly


Written by Salina Covich. - 2004 (c)

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