Peneia Pony
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The Peneia Pony ( el, άλογο Πηνείας, or el, Πινειώτικο άλογο) is a rare 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 ...
from the
Peloponnese The Peloponnese (), Peloponnesus (; el, Πελοπόννησος, Pelopónnēsos,(), or Morea is a peninsula and geographic regions of Greece, geographic region in southern Greece. It is connected to the central part of the country by the Isthmu ...
in southern
Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
, originating in the former prefecture of Elis, which included the village of Peneia (
Pineia Pineia (Greek: Πηνεία) is a former municipality in Elis, West Greece, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Ilida, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 148.572 km2. I ...
).


Characteristics

Peneias generally stand between 10.1 and 14
hand A hand is a prehensile, multi-fingered appendage located at the end of the forearm or forelimb of primates such as humans, chimpanzees, monkeys, and lemurs. A few other vertebrates such as the koala (which has two opposable thumbs on each "h ...
s high, and are usually bay, black, chestnut, or gray, although other colors are seen. They have a well-proportioned head with a convex profile and a well-set neck running into low withers, a wide chest, and muscular, sloping shoulders. They have a short back, sloping croup, and long legs with small, tough hooves. It is a fairly hardy and sure-footed breed, well adapted mountainous terrain. The natural gait of the Peneia breed is fairly stilted, so they are usually taught a smoother gait called the ''aravani'' ( el, αραβάνι) which makes riding more comfortable. Two other names for this breed, the ''Ravani'' ( el, Ραβάνι) and the ''Georgalídiko'' ( el, Γεωργαλίδικο or Γιοργαλίδικο), refer to this smooth gait. These terms can also be used generically, to refer to both the Peneia and the similarly-gaited Messara. The terms ''giorgalídiko'' and ''ravani'' are derived from the
Turkish language Turkish ( , ), also referred to as Turkish of Turkey (''Türkiye Türkçesi''), is the most widely spoken of the Turkic languages, with around 80 to 90 million speakers. It is the national language of Turkey and Northern Cyprus. Significant sma ...
''yorgala'' 'at''and ''rahvan'' 'at''(''at'' is Turkish for "horse"). ''Yorgala'' describes a lateral
ambling gait An ambling gait or amble is any of several four-beat intermediate horse gaits, all of which are faster than a walk but usually slower than a canter and always slower than a gallop. Horses that amble are sometimes referred to as "gaited", particu ...
that is said to resemble that of a
camel A camel (from: la, camelus and grc-gre, κάμηλος (''kamēlos'') from Hebrew or Phoenician: גָמָל ''gāmāl''.) is an even-toed ungulate in the genus ''Camelus'' that bears distinctive fatty deposits known as "humps" on its back. C ...
, while ''rahvan'' means "hyperactive". ''Yorgala'' is itself derived from the Greek word γοργός (''gorgós''), meaning "swift." The Peneia, along with a number of other gaited horses, was the object of a research study to determine the presence of the DMRT3_Ser301STOP
mutation In biology, a mutation is an alteration in the nucleic acid sequence of the genome of an organism, virus, or extrachromosomal DNA. Viral genomes contain either DNA or RNA. Mutations result from errors during DNA or viral replication, mi ...
, which is associated with gaited horses. It was possible to detect the presence of that mutation in the Peneia with a frequency of 97.1%..


History

The breed was founded on an
autochthonous Autochthon, autochthons or autochthonous may refer to: Fiction * Autochthon (Atlantis), a character in Plato's myth of Atlantis * Autochthons, characters in the novel ''The Divine Invasion'' by Philip K. Dick * Autochthon, a Primordial in the ' ...
Greek variety very possibly related to the
Pindos The Pindus (also Pindos or Pindhos; el, Πίνδος, Píndos; sq, Pindet; rup, Pindu) is a mountain range located in Northern Greece and Southern Albania. It is roughly 160 km (100 miles) long, with a maximum elevation of 2,637 metres ...
, and later crossed with
Anglo-Arab The Anglo-Arabian or Anglo-Arab is a crossbred, part-Arabian horse that now also has its own status as a horse breed. It is the result of a Thoroughbred (hence, the prefix "Anglo") being crossed with an Arabian. The cross can be made betw ...
,
Anglo-Norman Anglo-Norman may refer to: *Anglo-Normans, the medieval ruling class in England following the Norman conquest of 1066 *Anglo-Norman language **Anglo-Norman literature *Anglo-Norman England, or Norman England, the period in English history from 1066 ...
and Nonius strains. It may have originated from Messara ponies who were requisitioned for use on the Pindos front during the
Greco-Italian War The Greco-Italian War (Greek language, Greek: Ελληνοϊταλικός Πόλεμος, ''Ellinoïtalikós Pólemos''), also called the Italo-Greek War, Italian Campaign in Greece, and the War of '40 in Greece, took place between the kingdom ...
in 1940 and 1941. Its herdbook was only established in 1995. The breed is found in Elis and
Achaea Achaea () or Achaia (), sometimes transliterated from Greek as Akhaia (, ''Akhaïa'' ), is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of Western Greece and is situated in the northwestern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. The ...
in the northwest of the Peloponnese. According to Greek Agriculture Ministry statistics, as of 2002 there were two hundred thirty-one breeding
mare A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four ...
s and sixty-nine
stallion A stallion is a male horse that has not been gelded (castrated). Stallions follow the conformation and phenotype of their breed, but within that standard, the presence of hormones such as testosterone may give stallions a thicker, "cresty" nec ...
s. As of 2017, only about one hundred specimens of the breed existed, placing it in danger of extinction.


Uses

Peneias are used as draft animals, pack animals, and mounts for riding and jumping. The stallions are often used for breeding hinnies. Crosses with the
Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...
have produced faster horses, while the Hellenic National Stud Book Society is promoting a new breeding program crossing Peneia stallions with light draft mares.


External links


Video


Rider and Peneia pony demonstrating the ''aravani'' gait

News video on Peneia pony festival
by
ORT (TV channel) Olympiaki Radiofonia Tileorasi ( el, Ολυμπιακή Ραδιοφωνία Τηλεόραση, abbreviated ORT) is a Greek local radio and television station serving the Elis regional unit. Its headquarters are in Pyrgos. Its former logo woul ...


References

{{Horse breeds of Greece Peneia Horse breeds originating in Greece Ponies