The Bhutia Pony is one of three horse or pony breeds that are found in the Himalayan region of India. The others include the Spiti Pony (often mistaken for the Bhutia) and the Tibetan Pony. The Bhutia tends to be narrower and smaller than the Tibetan Pony but is very close in conformation to the Spiti. All three breeds, plus the other ponies found in the area are typically known as "Indian Country Bred" rather than by specific breeds.
Although when thinking of India most people think of heat and humid climates, the Bhutia pony is ideally adapted to live in the higher altitudes of the Himalayas. The Bhutia Pony cannot tolerate heat or humidity and will simply become very unhealthy, fail to thrive and live a very short lifespan if kept in the hotter, humid area of India.
It is a fact that the hay and grass of India is relatively low in nutritional value, especially the wild native grasses. Therefore the horses that originally came to India that were left to graze on their own became smaller and decreased their food requirements in order to survive. The Bhutia Pony can live on much smaller food rations than other ponies of its size, and can survive on native grasses that simply would not provide any other breed to be able to live off of.
The Bhutia Pony was not bred for any selected qualities or characteristics. While there are some well conformed Bhutia Ponies the majority have some type of conformation fault or flaw. The most common include a relatively large head for the size of their body and a straight back with low withers. Most Bhutia Ponies have very slender legs with relatively small and flat joints.
The Bhutia Pony is typically gray in color but white or bay may also be seen. Bhutia Ponies may also show a dappling pattern that is more common in the gray colorations. They have a coarse mane and tail that is often rather sparse and tends to have some of the features of more primitive types of ponies in that the mane may stand up off the neck more than in other pony breeds.
A Bhutia Pony is still a working pony in the areas where they are kept and bred. They are used as packing ponies and may also be used as transportation, more than capable of carrying a full grown man over mountainous terrain with seeming ease. They are also used to carry very heavy agricultural produce, supplies and equipment into areas that could not be traveled using cars or other vehicles.
The Bhutia Pony, like the Tibetan and Spiti, are often left to wander close to the living areas of their owners and are not typically fenced. This allows the ponies to feed and move about when they are not being worked. Remarkably these ponies are known to be very calm and docile and are very accepting of human interaction.
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