Also known as: Bosnian Pony, Bosniak, Glasinački, Bosanki Brdski Konj, Podveleški

 

The Bosnian Mountain Horse is a breed of small domestic horses that makes up the majority of the horse population in what is now Bosnia and Herzgovina (one country). These horses share ancestors with and are very similar to Konik ponies and Hucul ponies. The three breeds make up the "Balkan breeds."

 

They are believed to come from a cross between the Tarpan and Mongolian Wild Horse breeds, although the breed has been diluted some. During the Ottoman empire, the Turks added more Oriental blood, deteriorating the breed's characteristics. The Tarpan has since been added back in and the better breed qualities have been reinforced.

 

At the beginning of the 20th century, the Bosnian Mountain Horse has been strictly regulated and selectively produced. In Goražde, Bosnia and Herzegovina, there was a stud center, when the state government controlled all the stallions. The mares were in Borike, and privately owned. This was before the Bosnian war, and strict standards were in place to ensure the best and strongest sires for breeding. As such, the stallions were required to undergo performance testing.

 

After the war, there was a drastic decrease in the horse population; numbers fell from 46,000 in 1990 to 7,000 in 2002.

 

Characteristics

A small horse that stands at 12.1 to 14 hands at the withers, Bosnian Mountain Horses are suited to riding, draft work, light farm work, and being used as a pack animal in terrain unsuitable for motor vehicles.

 

Stallions weight approximately 300 kg, while mares weigh 250 kg. They are solid colored, options being chestnut, bay, dun, gray, palomino, and black.