The Island of Cheju, located off the south coast of South Korea, is the largest island in the area and is roughly circular with an extinct volcano in the middle of the land mass. The Cheju Pony is ideally suited to working through both the densely forested areas as well as the mountainous rough terrain in the center of the island.
The hardy Cheju Pony likely is a direct descendent of the Chinese Ponies brought into what is now Korea before the first century BC. They were essential for agriculture as well as for transportation and military movement through to the 19th century.
The small Cheju Pony is reported to be able to carry over 230 pounds on its back without any noticeable stress or strain. These smaller ponies, often only measuring 11 hands or 44 inches at the withers, can easily carry a large adult on their backs and are often used as trekking ponies for tourism companies throughout the Cheju Island.
In the Korean Dynasty which lasted from 1276-1376 the island of Cheju was under Mongolian control. During this time Mongolian horses were imported to the island and bred with the local ponies, with the offspring exported back to the mainland for work as light draft ponies.
Although at the height of the breeding industry there were over 20,000 Cheju Ponies on the island, there are closer to 2000 left alive today. The Korean government, in an effort to preserve these amazingly strong and hardy ponies have designed them a National Treasure and are working to preserve and expand the breed both on and off of Cheju Island.
The island of Cheju was once a booming horse industry center, producing almost one quarter of all the horses and ponies in Korea. This is a considerable achievement given that the island is only 1,845km2 and 73 by 41 km in distance from east to west and north to south respectively.
Despite living without human support year round on the island these ponies are amazingly long lived. Mares are typically fertile up into their twenties and it is not uncommon for these ponies to live into their late twenties and early thirties.
The Cheju pony is not as primitive looking as many of the ponies that are found throughout Asia. It is likely that the influence of the Mongolian horses as well as Arabian horse lines added to the refinement and development of the breed.
The Cheju pony has a very thick and dense coat as well as mane and tail. This is important as the island of Cheju can have very extreme weather conditions and is known to be relatively humid and damp most seasons.
The hardy Cheju pony is at home skirting the edge of the volcano as well as packing through the dense forest and walking through the marshes and swamps. They are very insect resistant and seem to be able to withstand most common diseases. They are also reported to be untroubled by ticks, which can be a serious problem on the island.
|
