Skyros Pony
Encyclopedia
The Skyros Pony is a breed of pony
found on the Greek
isle of Skyros
.
, bay, or palomino
. They tend to be fairly unattractive horses, with poor conformation
, although this may be a product of their native habitat. With better management and more than the subsistence diet that they normally eat in the wild, they tend to have better conformation.
As of 2001, there were ninety-three breeding mare
s and fifty-two studs
. It is not clear if all members of the herd are pure-bred. The breed is considered by many to be endangered
, although no government or international authority has made such a declaration. Nevertheless the existence of such small numbers of ponies is conducive to inbreeding
and is therefore likely to endanger the ponies' survival even further.
A possible obstacle to the recovery and expansion of the herd is a ban on exportation of the animal from the island. The export of Skyros-derived hinnies or mules is not illegal, and consequently there is a great economic incentive to breed hybrids for export instead of purebred ponies to continue the bloodline. A group called the Silva Project
is currently working to promote the foundation of Skyros herds elsewhere in Greece and abroad.
Also another non profit organisation Hippolytus est.2010 (ελληνικά Ιππόλυτος) based in Falani Larissa is making efforts towards promoting the breed culturally and at the same time helping with its preservation.
.
They developed mainly as semi-feral horses in the mountainous area on the southern part of the island, although individuals were caught and tamed by farmers for agricultural uses. The advances in agricultural mechanization during the 1960's called into question the survival of the breed, as they were no longer needed for farm work and their numbers were already low. The prevalence of feral donkeys in the same area of the island that the Skyros calls home is also a threat, as the two groups cross-breed and prevent pure breeding by the Skyros ponies.
During the 1970's there was a short-lived breeding program focued on the Skyros breed. This program brought publicity to the breed, and resulted in them being declared critically endangered in 1991.
grain. Skyroi are also used as pack horses, harness horses, for riding and for breeding hinnies
or mule
s.
Pony
A pony is a small horse . Depending on context, a pony may be a horse that is under an approximate or exact height at the withers, or a small horse with a specific conformation and temperament. There are many different breeds...
found on the Greek
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
isle of Skyros
Skyros
Skyros is an island in Greece, the southernmost of the Sporades, an archipelago in the Aegean Sea. Around the 2nd millennium BC and slightly later, the island was known as The Island of the Magnetes where the Magnetes used to live and later Pelasgia and Dolopia and later Skyros...
.
Breed Characteristics
The Skyros breed generally stands between 9.1 and 11 hands high, and may be grayGray (horse)
Gray or grey is a coat color of horses characterized by progressive silvering of the colored hairs of the coat. Most gray horses have black skin and dark eyes; unlike many depigmentation genes, gray does not affect skin or eye color Their adult hair coat is white, dappled, or white intermingled...
, bay, or palomino
Palomino
Palomino is a coat color in horses, consisting of a gold coat and white mane and tail. Genetically, the palomino color is created by a single allele of a dilution gene called the cream gene working on a "red" base coat...
. They tend to be fairly unattractive horses, with poor conformation
Equine conformation
Equine conformation evaluates the degree of correctness of a horse's bone structure, musculature, and its body proportions in relation to each other. Undesirable conformation can limit the ability to perform a specific task. Although there are several universal "faults," a horse's conformation is...
, although this may be a product of their native habitat. With better management and more than the subsistence diet that they normally eat in the wild, they tend to have better conformation.
As of 2001, there were ninety-three breeding mare
Mare (horse)
A mare is an adult female horse or other equine.In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse age three and younger. However, in Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four years old; in harness racing a mare is a...
s and fifty-two studs
Stallion (horse)
A stallion is a male horse that has not been gelded .Stallions will follow the conformation and phenotype of their breed, but within that standard, the presence of hormones such as testosterone may give stallions a thicker, "cresty" neck, as well as a somewhat more muscular physique as compared to...
. It is not clear if all members of the herd are pure-bred. The breed is considered by many to be endangered
Endangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
, although no government or international authority has made such a declaration. Nevertheless the existence of such small numbers of ponies is conducive to inbreeding
Inbreeding
Inbreeding is the reproduction from the mating of two genetically related parents. Inbreeding results in increased homozygosity, which can increase the chances of offspring being affected by recessive or deleterious traits. This generally leads to a decreased fitness of a population, which is...
and is therefore likely to endanger the ponies' survival even further.
A possible obstacle to the recovery and expansion of the herd is a ban on exportation of the animal from the island. The export of Skyros-derived hinnies or mules is not illegal, and consequently there is a great economic incentive to breed hybrids for export instead of purebred ponies to continue the bloodline. A group called the Silva Project
Silva Project
The Silva Project is a non-profit organization centered in Corfu, Greece dedicated, in part, to the preservation of the Skyros Pony. In addition to the efforts to breed the remaining Skyros ponies, the Silva Project is also beginning work on a therapeutic riding center, an organic kiwi farm and...
is currently working to promote the foundation of Skyros herds elsewhere in Greece and abroad.
Also another non profit organisation Hippolytus est.2010 (ελληνικά Ιππόλυτος) based in Falani Larissa is making efforts towards promoting the breed culturally and at the same time helping with its preservation.
History
The Skyros breed is believed to be descended from horses brought to the island of Skyros during the 5th to 8th centuries BCE by Athenian colonists. It is possible that they were used by Alexander the Great in his conquests, and also possible that they are the horses depicted in the friezes of the ParthenonParthenon
The Parthenon is a temple on the Athenian Acropolis, Greece, dedicated to the Greek goddess Athena, whom the people of Athens considered their virgin patron. Its construction began in 447 BC when the Athenian Empire was at the height of its power. It was completed in 438 BC, although...
.
They developed mainly as semi-feral horses in the mountainous area on the southern part of the island, although individuals were caught and tamed by farmers for agricultural uses. The advances in agricultural mechanization during the 1960's called into question the survival of the breed, as they were no longer needed for farm work and their numbers were already low. The prevalence of feral donkeys in the same area of the island that the Skyros calls home is also a threat, as the two groups cross-breed and prevent pure breeding by the Skyros ponies.
During the 1970's there was a short-lived breeding program focued on the Skyros breed. This program brought publicity to the breed, and resulted in them being declared critically endangered in 1991.
Uses
The ponies are often kept semi-wild, ranging the mountainous interior of the island until they are needed at the harvest for threshingThreshing
Threshing is the process of loosening the edible part of cereal grain from the scaly, inedible chaff that surrounds it. It is the step in grain preparation after harvesting and before winnowing, which separates the loosened chaff from the grain...
grain. Skyroi are also used as pack horses, harness horses, for riding and for breeding hinnies
Hinny
A hinny is a domestic equine hybrid that is the offspring of a male horse and a female donkey . It is similar to the more common mule, which is the product of a female horse and a male donkey....
or mule
Mule
A mule is the offspring of a male donkey and a female horse. Horses and donkeys are different species, with different numbers of chromosomes. Of the two F1 hybrids between these two species, a mule is easier to obtain than a hinny...
s.