The Basuto Pony is one of the few horse breeds to live in the harsh conditions of Lesotho in South Africa.
The Basuto Pony tends to be very angular, both due to poor nutrition and lack of forage and feed, but also because of the conformation of the breed. They have very long thin necks and very straight shoulders with a typical narrower chest and frame as is typically seen in horses from very hot climates.
The Basuto Pony is a very important part of the culture and the horses are very important within the communities. Cattle are used for all hauling and work, and the Basuto Pony is only used for riding.
It is likely that the first ancestors of the Basuto Ponies were the Cape Horse that were crossed with other native pony species. There may have also been other horses in the breed, many which would have be obtained through wars and raids on other groups during the settlement of the area.
The Basuto Pony was used as a racing horse in tribal competitions and events, which attracted the European livestock owners and ranches in the area to the breed. The European settlers traded cattle for the Basuto Ponies, taking the horses to other parts of Africa where they were crossed with Thoroughbreds and Arabians, resulting in a very high stamina, easy keeping but slightly more substantial horse.
During the 1900 Anglo-Boer War the Basuto Pony became well known through the British Empire. They were considered to be an excellent remount for the harsh and dry conditions. The Basuto Pony was prized for their ability to walk all day and then find enough food to keep up their energy for the next days march.
The greatest number of Basuto Ponies was found to be around the late 1800's to the early 1900's. They became as numerous and popular as the original Cape Horse, but because of their fearless attitude and ability to work in mountainous terrain through to the dry flatlands, they quickly outnumbered the Cape Horse.
In modern times the speed, agility and responsiveness of the Basuto Pony has made them a popular trekking pony but also an ideal polo pony. As polo pony the Basuto combines their intelligence with their competitive nature to bring a great deal of energy and excitement to the sport that is very popular throughout Africa.
The Basuto Pony seems to understand its historical place as an important family member, and they are known to be extremely loving and affectionate towards their owners.
The Basuto Pony is the foundation stock for the new and relatively rare breed of horse known as the Nooitgedachter. This new breed of horse combines the stamina, athletic ability and surefootedness of the Basuto Pony with other South African breeds to become South Africa's first indigenous breed of horse.
The Basuto Pony is well known for its ability to cover extremely rough and rugged terrain at a break neck speed. Today traditional types of races are still held that allow the horse and rider to exhibit their skills at cross country racing.
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