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Konik
The Konik or Polish Konik, Polish: konik polski, is a Polish breed of small horse or pony. There are semi-feral populations in some regions. They are usually mouse dun or striped dun.
The Bilgoray, Polish: konik biłgorajski, of south-eastern Poland is a sub-type of the breed influenced by Arab and Thoroughbred blood; it is close to extinction. The extinct Sweyki or Schweike sub-type of East Prussia contributed to the development of the Trakehner.
The word "konik" in Polish means 'small horse'. It may be used in a wider sense to describe the Polish Konik and other similar breeds, among them the Hucul pony of the Carpathian Mountains, the Polesian of Belarus and the Žemaitukas of Lithuania.
The Polish word konik (plural koniki) is the diminutive of koń, the Polish word for "horse" (sometimes confused with kuc, kucyk meaning "pony").[citation needed] It means 'small horse'.
The Konik is a Polish horse breed descending from very hardy horses from the Biłgoraj region. These horses had a predominantly dun colour, but also black and chestnut horses were present in the population. Some researchers claim these foundation animals were hybrids with wild horse breeding that had been sold to farmers by the zoo in Zamość in 1806, which were bred to local domesticated draft horses. However, genetic studies now contradict the view that the Konik is a surviving form of Eastern European wild horse, commonly called the tarpan, nor is it closely related to them. The Konik shares mitochondrial DNA with many other domesticated horse breeds and their Y chromosome is nearly identical.
During World War I, these horses were important transport animals for Russian and German troops and were called Panje horses. In 1923, Tadeusz Vetulani, an agriculturalist from Kraków, started to get interested in the Panje horses, a landrace of Biłgoraj and coined the name "Konik" (Polish for "small horse"), which is now established as the common name for the breed. During the 1920s, several public and private studs were created to conserve this animal. In 1936, Vetulani opened a Konik reserve in the Białowieża Forest. He was convinced that if horses were exposed to natural conditions, they would redevelop their original phenotype. While Vetulani's experiments are well-known and widely publicised, his stock actually had only a minor influence on the modern Konik population. However, World War II marked the end of Vetulani's "breeding back" project. Part of his stock was moved to Popielno, where they continued to live in semi-feral conditions. Popielno became the breed's main stud during the 1950s, but the herd was also preserved by buying animals from Germany.
Between the two world wars, the German brothers Heinz and Lutz Heck crossed stallions of Przewalski's horse with mares of the Konik horse, as well as mares of other breeds such as the Dülmener, Gotland Russ, and the Icelandic horse, to create a breed resembling their understanding of the tarpan phenotype. The result is called the Heck horse. Other breeders crossed Koniks with Anglo-Arabians or the Thoroughbred to increase their quality as a riding horse.
The breed has a strong and stocky build, small head with a straight profile, and a neck set low out of the chest. The Konik has a deep chest, a thick mane, and the hair coat is blue dun, often colloquially called "mouse-gray". The Konik is short in height, ranging from 130–140 cm (12.3–13.3 hands). Minimum heartgirth measurement is 165 cm (65 in), and minimum cannon bone measurement 16.5 cm (6.5 in) for mares, 17.5 cm (6.9 in) for stallions. Weight is 350–400 kg (770–880 lb).
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Konik
The Konik or Polish Konik, Polish: konik polski, is a Polish breed of small horse or pony. There are semi-feral populations in some regions. They are usually mouse dun or striped dun.
The Bilgoray, Polish: konik biłgorajski, of south-eastern Poland is a sub-type of the breed influenced by Arab and Thoroughbred blood; it is close to extinction. The extinct Sweyki or Schweike sub-type of East Prussia contributed to the development of the Trakehner.
The word "konik" in Polish means 'small horse'. It may be used in a wider sense to describe the Polish Konik and other similar breeds, among them the Hucul pony of the Carpathian Mountains, the Polesian of Belarus and the Žemaitukas of Lithuania.
The Polish word konik (plural koniki) is the diminutive of koń, the Polish word for "horse" (sometimes confused with kuc, kucyk meaning "pony").[citation needed] It means 'small horse'.
The Konik is a Polish horse breed descending from very hardy horses from the Biłgoraj region. These horses had a predominantly dun colour, but also black and chestnut horses were present in the population. Some researchers claim these foundation animals were hybrids with wild horse breeding that had been sold to farmers by the zoo in Zamość in 1806, which were bred to local domesticated draft horses. However, genetic studies now contradict the view that the Konik is a surviving form of Eastern European wild horse, commonly called the tarpan, nor is it closely related to them. The Konik shares mitochondrial DNA with many other domesticated horse breeds and their Y chromosome is nearly identical.
During World War I, these horses were important transport animals for Russian and German troops and were called Panje horses. In 1923, Tadeusz Vetulani, an agriculturalist from Kraków, started to get interested in the Panje horses, a landrace of Biłgoraj and coined the name "Konik" (Polish for "small horse"), which is now established as the common name for the breed. During the 1920s, several public and private studs were created to conserve this animal. In 1936, Vetulani opened a Konik reserve in the Białowieża Forest. He was convinced that if horses were exposed to natural conditions, they would redevelop their original phenotype. While Vetulani's experiments are well-known and widely publicised, his stock actually had only a minor influence on the modern Konik population. However, World War II marked the end of Vetulani's "breeding back" project. Part of his stock was moved to Popielno, where they continued to live in semi-feral conditions. Popielno became the breed's main stud during the 1950s, but the herd was also preserved by buying animals from Germany.
Between the two world wars, the German brothers Heinz and Lutz Heck crossed stallions of Przewalski's horse with mares of the Konik horse, as well as mares of other breeds such as the Dülmener, Gotland Russ, and the Icelandic horse, to create a breed resembling their understanding of the tarpan phenotype. The result is called the Heck horse. Other breeders crossed Koniks with Anglo-Arabians or the Thoroughbred to increase their quality as a riding horse.
The breed has a strong and stocky build, small head with a straight profile, and a neck set low out of the chest. The Konik has a deep chest, a thick mane, and the hair coat is blue dun, often colloquially called "mouse-gray". The Konik is short in height, ranging from 130–140 cm (12.3–13.3 hands). Minimum heartgirth measurement is 165 cm (65 in), and minimum cannon bone measurement 16.5 cm (6.5 in) for mares, 17.5 cm (6.9 in) for stallions. Weight is 350–400 kg (770–880 lb).