The Bali pony is from very
ancient stock, although there is little known about their ancestry.
Various theories regarding their background include one presented
in 1916 by Groenveld, which concludes that the ponies probably developed
from an ancient stock, taken to Indonesia by the Chinese as early
as the sixth century.
If this was the case, the
Mongolian horse would be largely responsible for the early characteristics
of the breed and there are, even now, present some indications of
Mongolian blood in the Bali pony's background. Some Indian horse
breeds were taken to Indonesia but the exact breeds are unknown.
Then, in the 18th century, the Dutch were responsible for importing
various oriental strains to Indonesia, and although rather vague,
this combination of oriental and Mongolian blood is generally considered
to be the most likely base for the Bali pony.
This pony breed, which
lives on the island of Bali, has not been selectively or consistently
bred to produce any kind of aesthetic or athletic qualities. They
do, however, perform the necessary functions of life required of
them by the local people, and they are used in the transportation
of stones and coral from the beaches, to be used as building materials.
They are incredibly strong in comparison to their size and are also
used for riding, trekking, and sightseeing by tourists. These ponies
are very self-sufficient, probably through necessity, and can survive
on minimum rations, with a minimum amount of care.
They have notably hard
feet, tough and sound legs, and feet that are rarely shod. They
also rarely go lame. Their appearance is primitive and often of
a dun
color with a
dorsal stripe,
wither stripes, and
zebra stripes on the legs- all of which are indications of their
ancient roots. They customarily have an upstanding black mane of
coarse hair, another drawback on the Mongolian pony. Their appearance
has often been compared to that of the Przewalski's Horse. The Bali
pony does not habitually have good confirmation, as its head is
often large and rather coarse, though nevertheless full of pony
character.
The neck is of a reasonable
length and the shoulders rather upright, contributing to a short
stride. They are not particularly wide in the chest or in the back,
which is often quite short, and they tend to have a sloping croup.
They tend to range in height pretty much from 12 hh to 13hh.
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