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An extraordinary breed with many unique qualities, the
American Bashkir Curly is inordinately tough and enduring, and able to withstand
the most extreme climatic conditions. There is some mystery concerning their
origins and it wouldn't be exactly correct to list the United States as their
country of origin. They have quite ancient origins and there are only two other
breeds to have a curly coat similar to theirs, the Lokai and the Bashkir of the
former U.S.S.R. Whatever their origins, the American Bashkir Curly was
discovered in America in the Peter Hanson mountain range of Central Nevada in
1898. Two horseback riders spied three curly-coated horses living in the wild,
and as of today many 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; it worked and the breed is now enjoying increasing popularity.
Those
horses that were captured from the wild herds are reasonably easy to tame and to
train, and those raised in captivity are extraordinarily friendly and exhibit a
tractable temperament. They perform in any area and give a powerful show in both
Western and English classes, including jumping, dressage, pleasure riding,
endurance riding, and all forms of ranch work.
Their most striking feature is
their coat, which is very curly in the winter but less so in the summer. The
curly gene is fairly dominant and even when Curlys are crossed with a
flat-coated horse, a curly-coated horse is often produced. One unique factor
about the American Bashkir Curly is that they shed their mane hair and often
tail hair in the summer, growing it back for the winter. Also, many Curlys do
not have ergots and they have very small, soft chestnuts. A perk to the Curlys
is that in many cases people who are allergic to horse hair are not allergic to
the Curly's coat. Curlys have a fairly heavy head, often with Oriental type
eyes, and great width across the forehead. Their necks are short and muscular,
and they are stoutly built and muscular throughout the body frame. Usually they
are nicely proportioned and move with energetic action, sometimes having a
natural foxtrot or running-walk gait. American Bashkir Curlys vary in height,
but often stand between 14.3 and 15 hands high.
Take the American Bashkir Curly Quiz!
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