Anadolu, Turk or Turkish Pony

Image from Celie

Country of Origin: Turkey

The Anadolu Pony is a Turkish breed of horse developed over 1,000 years ago. The pony descended from crosses of Turkoman, Arabian, Persian, Karabakh, Akhal-Teke, Karbada, Deliboz, Mongolian and the ancient Anatolia horse. Some books refer to this small pony as the Native Turkish Pony, or Turk, but Professors Salahattin Batu and M. Nurettin Aral made a distinction in types between the horses in Anatolia as Anadolu and East and Southeast Anadolu. Anadolu can be translated as "Turkey on the Asia." This is the most numerous Turkish horse breed, with approximately 930,000 alive today.

The Anadolu is a small pony, standing between 12.1 and 13.3 hands high. The head is small and shows refinement. Both convex and concave profiles are found within the breed. The mouth is small, the nostrils are open and flexible, while the withers are somewhat low, the chest is narrow and the croup is sloped. They are known for their speed, endurance and hardiness.

It is usually used as a riding horse and a pack horse, and is known to be strong, enduring and fast. It has been bred to live in poor conditions, and is today found throughout Turkey.

Arabian Horse