The Batak pony, also called the Deli pony, is a

pony A pony is a type of small horse, usually measured under a specified height at maturity. Ponies often have thicker coats, manes and tails, compared to larger horses, and proportionally shorter legs, wider barrels, heavier , thicker necks and s ...

breed from

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

. Originating in Central

Sumatra Sumatra () is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the list of islands by area, sixth-largest island in the world at 482,286.55 km2 (182,812 mi. ...

, it is thought to have descended from

Mongolian Horse The Mongolian horse ( Mongolian Адуу, ''aduu'': "horse" or ''mori''; or as a herd, ''ado'') is the native horse breed of Mongolia. The breed is purported to be largely unchanged since the time of Genghis Khan. Nomads living in the trad ...

and

Arabian The Arabian Peninsula (, , or , , ) or Arabia, is a peninsula in West Asia, situated north-east of Africa on the Arabian plate. At , comparable in size to India, the Arabian Peninsula is the largest peninsula in the world. Geographically, the ...

blood, and has continually been infused with additional Arabian blood to improve its quality. The Batak is selectively breed by the Indonesians, and is often used to upgrade the quality of the horses and ponies on nearby islands.

Characteristics

The ponies are slender, but still strong and sturdy. In general, they are well-conformed, and most of their faults are partly to blame on the poor forage to which they have access. The only other breed of the country which is of better quality is the

Sandalwood Pony The Sandalwood Pony is a breed of small horse originating from Indonesia, on the Sumba and Sumbawa Islands. It is named after the Sandalwood trees, which are a major export of the country. The Sandalwood pony is one of the finest in the ...

. The ponies have a fine head with a straight or slightly convex profile. The neck is short and thin, the withers are prominent. The chest and frame are narrow, the back is usually long, and the quarters sloping. The tail is set and carried quite high. The Batak pony is considered a very willing breed, and is quite hardy. They usually average about but may stand up to , and are generally brown, but can be any

color Color (or colour in English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English; American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, see spelling differences) is the visual perception based on the electromagnetic spectrum. Though co ...

. The Batak pony was once used as sacrificial animals for the gods, but is now employed in a less-gruesome occupation as a riding pony. The Arabian blood makes it spirited when needed, but the pony is generally quiet enough for children to ride, with an excellent temperament. Their speed also makes them popular for

racing In sports, racing is a competition of speed, in which competitors try to complete a given task in the shortest amount of time. Typically this involves traversing some distance, but it can be any other task involving speed to reach a specific g ...

among the local population.

Origin

Horses were introduced to Nusantara archipelago in unknown date, they are descended from Tibetan or Mongol-type horses. It is possible that ancient stocks were brought to Indonesia by the

Chinese Chinese may refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China. **'' Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic ...

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...

in the 7th century, recorded as being given to Dja-va (

Kalingga kingdom Kalingga (; zh, t=訶陵, p=Hēlíng; Middle Chinese: ɑ.lɨŋ or She-po or She-bo ( zh, c=闍婆, p=Shépó; Middle Chinese: ͡ʑia.buɑ in Chinese sources, or Ho-ling in Arabic scriptures of Umayyad Caliphate era; was a 6th-century Indian ...

), Dva-ha-la, and Dva-pa-tan (Bali). Mongolian horses are probably captured during the

Mongol invasion of Java The Yuan dynasty under Kublai Khan attempted in 1293 to invade Java, an island in modern Indonesia, with 20,000 to 30,000 soldiers. This was intended as a punitive expedition against Kertanegara of Singhasari, who had refused to pay tribute to ...

(1293). If this true, the Nusantaran ponies would owe much of its roots to the

Mongolian horse The Mongolian horse ( Mongolian Адуу, ''aduu'': "horse" or ''mori''; or as a herd, ''ado'') is the native horse breed of Mongolia. The breed is purported to be largely unchanged since the time of Genghis Khan. Nomads living in the trad ...

as well as horses obtained from other areas of western Asia like India and Turkmenistan.Groeneveldt, Willem Pieter (1876).
Notes on the Malay Archipelago and Malacca, Compiled from Chinese Sources
. Batavia: W. Bruining.

References

External links

FAO DAD-IS Domestic Animal Diversity Information System data on the Batak
Batak Horse breeds Horse breeds originating in Indonesia Ponies {{Horse-breed-stub

Characteristics

Origin

See also

References

External links