The Sumbawa Pony ( Indonesian: kuda-Sumbawa) is a pony breed, named after the island on which they are bred, Sumbawa Island in Indonesia. This breed is very similar to the Sumba or

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 ...

, a breed also developed in these islands, which came from crossing the native ponies on horses of

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 ...

breeding.''The Encyclopedia of Horses and Ponies''. Pickeral, Tamsin. Parragon Plus, 2001. The Sumbawa Pony descends from Mongolian Horses and ancient Chinese stock

Characteristics

"Sumbawa", or in Indonesian "'", is the international name for this breed, according to the

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; . (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger and improve nutrition and food security. Its Latin motto, , translates t ...

. This pony is known as the ' in

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

.. Sumbawa ponies are quick, agile, athletic, and fast, with great endurance and a willing temperament. They usually have primitive coloring, with many individual horses being

dun Dun most commonly refers to: *Dun gene, which produces a brownish-gray color (dun) in horses and other Equidae * Dun (fortification), an ancient or medieval fort Dun or DUN may also refer to: Places Scotland * Dun, Angus, a civil parish in ...

with a dorsal stripe and black points, although they may be any color. The Sumba and Sumbawa ponies have a heavy head, short, muscular neck, and low withers. The back is usually long, although it is still strong, and the legs are fine but tough with good hooves. Most ponies do not exceed , and the average height is around ..

History

Very little is known about history of the horse in Southeast Asia, because few studies have been published, and many of those have a European

bias Bias is a disproportionate weight ''in favor of'' or ''against'' an idea or thing, usually in a way that is inaccurate, closed-minded, prejudicial, or unfair. Biases can be innate or learned. People may develop biases for or against an individ ...

. The first serious studies came with Peter Boomgaard in 2004. Horse trading in Sumbawa flourished throughout History, with tough competition between breeders from Sumba, which export the

, and those of Sumbawa. There is also competition from breeders from

Timor Timor (, , ) is an island at the southern end of Maritime Southeast Asia, in the north of the Timor Sea. The island is Indonesia–Timor-Leste border, divided between the sovereign states of Timor-Leste in the eastern part and Indonesia in the ...

and

Savu Savu (, also known as Sabu, Havu, and Hawu) is the largest of a group of three islands, situated midway between Sumba and Rote, west of Timor, in Indonesia's eastern province, East Nusa Tenggara. Ferries connect the islands to Waingapu on Su ...

. It is likely that Sumbawa horse was introduced to the island by the

Javanese people The Javanese ( , ; ) are an Austronesian peoples, Austronesian ethnic group native to the central and eastern part of the Indonesian island of Java. With more than 100 million people, Javanese people are the largest ethnic group in both Indo ...

Majapahit Empire Majapahit (; (eastern and central dialect) or (western dialect)), also known as Wilwatikta (; ), was a Javanese Hindu-Buddhist thalassocratic empire in Southeast Asia based on the island of Java (in modern-day Indonesia). At its greatest ...

, who conquered the island in the 14th century. The

sultan Sultan (; ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be use ...

s of Bima and West Sumbawa are deemed to possess numerous horses. This breed and the

Sumba Sumba (; ), natively also spelt as Humba, Hubba, Suba, or Zuba (in Sumba languages) is an Indonesian island (part of the Lesser Sunda Archipelago group) located in the Eastern Indonesia and administratively part of the East Nusa Tenggara pro ...

are supposed to be close from the Mongolian Horse.. Although Arabic origin is often cited in ancient documents (including the Dutch ones), there is no evidence of this in Indonesian horses and Sumbawa ponies..

Uses

Sumbawa ponies are today used for packing, riding, and light

draft Draft, the draft, or draught may refer to: Watercraft dimensions * Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel * Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail * Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a v ...

work. They are strong, and many are ridden by men in games of lance throwing despite never reaching . Young boys also ride the ponies

bareback Bareback riding is a form of horseback riding without a saddle. It requires skill, balance, and coordination, as the rider does not have any equipment to compensate for errors of balance or skill. Proponents of bareback riding argue that riding ...

in traditional dance competitions, manuveuring them in patterns as instructed. The legs of the ponies are decorated with bells that chime in rhythm to the drumming.

References

Bibliography

* * * * * , « Sumba » {{Horse breeds of Indonesia, state=expanded Horse breeds Horse breeds originating in Indonesia Ponies

Characteristics

History

Uses

See also

References

Bibliography