The Czechoslovakian Small Riding Pony is a breed of

pony A pony is a type of small horse ('' Equus ferus caballus''). Depending on the context, a pony may be a horse that is under an approximate or exact height at the withers, or a small horse with a specific conformation and temperament. Compared ...

, used as a riding animal for children.

History

Development of this small riding pony began in 1980 at the Agricultural University in

Nitra Nitra (; also known by other alternative names) is a city in western Slovakia, situated at the foot of Zobor Mountain in the valley of the river Nitra. It is located 95 km east of Bratislava. With a population of about 78,353, it is the fifth l ...

. The initial breeding stock, about seventy mares, were kept at the Nová Bana farm. Broodmares were selected mostly of Arabian stock and also included Hanoverian, Slovak Warmblood and Hucul. A herd of twenty-seven mares averaging 14.2 hands were selected for the first crosses to a

Welsh pony The Welsh Pony and Cob is a group of four closelyrelated horse breeds including both pony and cob types, which originated in Wales in the United Kingdom. The four sections within the breed society for the Welsh breeds are primarily distingui ...

stallion, Branco. The first offspring, foaled in 1981, were kept outdoors on the rough terrain. Additional crosses were made to another Welsh stallion, Shal, imported from West

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. The first foals were trained under

saddle The saddle is a supportive structure for a rider of an animal, fastened to an animal's back by a girth. The most common type is equestrian. However, specialized saddles have been created for oxen, camels and other animals. It is not k ...

and in harness in 1984 and nearly all successfully passed the working trials. Animals of the new breed are docile, with an alert but calm temperament, modest in feeding requirement and effective in utilization of food. They have good gaits and

jumping Jumping or leaping is a form of locomotion or movement in which an organism or non-living (e.g., robotics, robotic) mechanical system propels itself through the air along a ballistic trajectory. Jumping can be distinguished from running, gallo ...

ability. They stand between 13.2 and 13.3 hands high. In 1989 a conference was held at the Agricultural University of Nitra regarding the breeding programme. It was agreed that methods being used to breed a small sport horse for children from the ages of eight to sixteen years were correct and that efforts should be continued. There are now over 150 of these new breed of ponies, and plans are being made to establish a club for private breeders of small horses in Nitra.

References

* Hendricks, Bonnie. ''International Encyclopedia of Horse Breeds'', page 146. University of Oklahoma Press. 2007. . Horse breeds Horse breeds originating in Slovakia Ponies {{Horse-breed-stub