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The Abyssinian horse, also sometimes called the Gala, is a
small, round horse about 13.3 hands high. Although it is of pony size, it is
considered a light horse breed. They are accustomed to life and work in the
mountains, and have also spread down to the plains and today are all around the
coastline of the Red Sea. These horses originated in Ethiopia and there is a
great deal of variability in the coloration, size, and conformation of the
breed.
The Abyssinian is one of the oldest recorded breeds, and it arrived in
England in 1861. Fanciers worked hard to improve the rosette pattern in the
breed's coat, which they found quite interesting and challenging. The Abyssinian
has a short, harsh coat displaying many of these rosettes and ridges. This horse
breed also has an endearing mustache around their noses. Their coats are hard to
brush because of the way the hair grows in so many different directions at once.
Great care is often taken to keep the coat free of dirt and very clean.
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