- Misaki -

   The Misaki horse originated in Japan. It lives in the meadow of Cape Toi, or Toimisake, on the south side of Miyazaki Prefecture. Misaki means "cape". Cape Toi is one of the best known and most important sports of tourism in Kyushu, and the Misaki ponies run wild in the meadows. All the native horses from Japan are believed to have descended from horses brought from China around 2,000 years ago. Now they have been separated into eight distinct breeds.

The Misaki horse has very rarely been handled by man, except when almost all the male horses were removed, and a few left as stallions to continue the breed. The numbers of this breed were drastically reduced after WWII. Today, there are only about 100 of the horses remaining. They are mostly bay or black, with a few chestnuts allowed. White markings on the face or legs are extremely rare. They stand approximately 13.2 hh....hence, they should be in the pony section, but I haven't put them there yet. :)

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