Tokara

Other Breeds

Keeshond   |   Palomino   |   Pig – Pot Bellied   |  

Alternative Name

N/A

Basic Info

It stands 12 h.h.

Health

N/A

Habitat

N/A

Behavior

It is used for riding and light draft. They were used for farming, transportation of heavy objects, and in processing sugarcane grown in the area. In 1943, at the height of their popularity, the breed reached 100 head, but after World War II their numbers were reduced drastically. Kagoshima Prefecture declared the ponies a prefectural national monument and sent them to the mainland for a time because of the difficult living conditions on the island. Today Kagoshima University, Iriki ranch, Kaimon National Park, and Nakano Island in the Tokara Islands are the centers for breeding and preservation of the Tokara pony. As of December 1988, a total of eighty-eight purebred animals remained. Population Status: Rare

Origin

Japan

History

These horses which are today found in several natural parks in Kagoshima Prefecture are the descendents of two dozen native horses brought to Kyushu from Kikai Shima about 1890. The breed was bred on Tokara Island and at one time was quite numerous throughout the Kagoshima region. However, the numbers decreased drastically during World War II and the breed was preserved only by strenuous efforts. The resulting horses have, under more care and selective breeding, bIn an attempt to preserve the breed in a near original form a number of animals have been taken to Nakanoshima in the Tokara island where they range freely during the year and are rounded up for pest extermination, inoculation and veterinary treatment once a year. The breed has been designated a Prefectural Natural Treasure. The are today 116 head of the Tokara breed. Early in 1950, Dr. Shigeyuki Hayashida found a group of small horses living in the south side of the Tokara Islands and named they Tokara ponies. According to this man, around 1897 people from Kitaiga Island brought about ten native horses to Takara (not Tokara).

Common Foods

grass