Hucul horse

The home of Hucul is Hutsul Land (Hutsulshchyna) region in the Eastern Carpathians – in the Ukraine about 60 % and in Romania about 40 %. It is a typical mountainous region, occupied by ethnic group of Hutsul highlanders, by whom the hucul horse acquired its name. We are proud to present that also Slovakia was part of that region – in period when the Sub-Carpathian Russia was part of Slovakia. From available sources we know that Hutsuls were shepherds in Poloniny Mountains, living solitary and shepherding their herds of horses, sheep and goats. They produced milk products, carried by small and sturdy Huculs to cities and villages in lowlands. Hutsuls was poor and active nation and therefore on their way back they often helped themselves especially by small thefts. Thanks to their small and dexterous horses, they were able to hide themselves cannily in the inaccessible mountains. The name Hutsul itself means a robber.

Photos: Hutsuls, Hutsuls 2, Hutsul woman riding with spindle, Hutsuls way to market, Hutsuls saddle

Groups of Hutsuls used to live in the mountainous environment and they were used to harsh natural conditions, therefore their horses had to be adapted not only to natural conditions, but also to toughness of the man. Only then, due to their low diet and poor overall care, they were able to do the heaviest work.

Hucul horses are very intelligent, they know people and mountain-tracks and they are able to protect themselves against wild game. They use to establish very close relations with home-folks, they are very devoted, but on the other hand, they can remember bad treatment very well and for a long time. People during demanding passages rely on cautiousness of the horse, its brains and its legs that overcome all obstacles on the road with absolute confidence, even such that the man itself would not be brave enough to overcome.

Likelihood of existence of the mountain Carpathian horse in Slovakia was neither expected nor accepted, what was result of missing evidence material. Prevailing opinion was that the first domestic horse was to our territory brought by foreign nations.

Currently we have available historical material evidence on the existence of a wild horse on territory of Northern Slovakia. In 1933 was published report of the first finding of remnants of the wild horse – in Carpathian Basin in Gánovce, district Poprad. In 1964 was by Z. Schmidt published report of finding of remnants of the wild horse in a calc-tuff quarry in Vyšné Ružbachy. Skeletal remnants and imprints of horse’s hoofs have origin in older pleistocene, from period about 700 000 up to 245 000 B.C. From above mentioned evidence we can say that also in the Carpathian part of Slovakia was breeded a mountain horse, based on Tarpan; therefore we are entitled to tag the Hucul horse as an indigenous breed of the Carpathians.

Creation of a breed can not be historically evidenced by an exact date; it was progressing through several centuries, along with existence of wild Tarpan horse.

In the era of Austria-Hungary started systematic breeding of the Hucul horse, especially for military purposes. Since then are kept breeding records and there are also the oldest bloodlines of the Hucul horse.

The Czechoslovak Republic, after its establishment in 1918, took over part of breeding herd of the Austria-Hungarian Army and continued in breeding. This breed was used in former armies of Austria-Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Slovakia, in mountaineer formations as a carrying animal not only for heavy machine guns, but also for disassembled mountain cannons and other material. The old veterans said that Hucul horse stooped their backs, in order to allow soldiers to load heavy freight. With change of economic and technical conditions after World War II, herds in all countries were reduced and later even declined.

By the end of sixties was number of Hucul horses reduced so drastically, that there was imminent threat of total extinction of this horse breed from surface of our planet. In all traditional countries of the Hucul horse breeding were at that time not more than 300 pieces of them.

Photos: Hucul horse by transportation of hunted wild animals, Hucul in the trenches

From an expert viewpoint it is very valuable remembrance and at the same time also potential source of sound genetic information. The Hucul horse was therefore in 1979 included into protected genetic resources of original and primitive breeds of domestic animals FAO. In 1994 was established the HIF (Hucul International Federation), with the goal to create a quality expert framework for future breeding, corresponding to its historical, economic and scientific value. Thus were set conditions for international cooperation in salvation and retention of valued Hucul.

Today`s type of Hucul has several bloodlines:í:

A: Austria-Hungarian bloodlines:

1. Hroby bloodline – the founder was stallion Hroby, born in 1895 in a provincial breed in Romania. The term Hroby means rough, big. The continuator of the bloodline, Hroby I, born in 1908 was acting in 1913 – 1914 in a stud farm Luczina; and from there was the hucul breeding during the first weeks of the war evacuated to Waldhoff in Lower Austria. After 1922 this stud-horse became a breeding stallion of the Topoľčianky stud farm. He was acting in Czechoslovak breeding until 1934. The Hroby bloodline is in stud farms Luczina and Topoľčianky represented until today and there were several exchanges between both stud farms.
2. 2. Goral bloodline – the founder stallion Ghoral, born in 1899, bought from Halychian provincial breed. Its descendant Goral I born in 1913 became a founder of Czechoslovak breed. This bloodline is here until today. Along with import from Romania, in Topoľčianky stud farm was introduced stallion imported from former Soviet Republic of Ukraine, BAJÁN, born in 1946 in Turji Remety, acting in Topoľčianky in 1958 – 1959 as a breeding stallion Goral IX and also in Slovak provincial breed under its original name Baján. Later on was from Polish stud farm Šiary acquired stallion Lemesz, born in 1978 after Elf and Gazel, acting in Topoľčianky between 1984 – 1995 as Goral XIV.

Ideal type of Hucul horse was represented by descendants of stallions Hroby and Goral.

Photos: Hroby XVII Dragan, Goral Grosant

B: Interwar bloodlines:

1. Gurgul bloodline – established in Topoľčianky stud farm by stallion Gurgul, born in 1924 in Eastern Slovakia. Between 1934 – 1937 was performed unsuccessful attempt to transfer this bloodline into Luczina stud farm by a stallion Gurgul, born in 1930 in Topoľčianky.
2. Oušor bloodline – the founder was stallion Oušor, born in 1929 in Romania. This stallion founded an important bloodline, which was in 1957 moved by stallion Oušor -5, born in 1944 into Czechoslovakia. This stallion was breeding in Muráň in 1957 – 1962 and became a founder of this bloodline in Czechoslovakia.
3. Pietrosu bloodline – the founder was stallion Pietrosu, born in 1930 in Romania. This bloodline penetrated into Czechoslovak breeding via mare Goral IV-7, born in Romania, which was bought for the Topoľčianky herd as in foal mare.
4. Príslop bloodline – the founder was stallion Príslop, born in 1932. This stallion acted as a breeding stallion only in 1936 – 1937, but this bloodline is here represented until today. In 2000 was this bloodline brought by stallion Príslop, born in 1995 into Topoľčianky breed.

Photos: Gurgul Castor, Oušor VII Vulkán, Príslop I Argel

C: Afterwar bloodlines:

Javor bloodline – in an effort to prevent blood relations in breeding, after the World War II was in Topoľčianky performed attempt to establish new bloodline of the Hucul horse. For this purpose was from the remains of horses from German army in the military stud farm in Hostoun selected a Bilgoraj stud-horse with 25 % share of blood of the Arab 1/1 Bachmat. Bachmat was included as a breeding stallion in Topoľčianky, under new name Javor, and after 1952 was used also in the provincial breed. Into the herd of mares in Topoľčianky were included his descendants 4 mares and into the provincial breed 12 stud-horses in total, the last one was discarded in 1963. Influence of this stallion from the Hucul breed was gradually eliminated.

Characteristic features of the Hucul:

-smaller build, muscular body, short legs, stiff hoofs, more massive head with heavy jaws, strong muscular neck, less expressive wither. Its back is firm, flat, with short and well bound hips. Its rump is shorter, wide and slightly inclined. He is usually a bayhorse of all grades, straw-coloured, mouse-coloured, less frequently a blackhorse without ensigns. Also a sorrel horse can be seen. After their wild predecessor they inherited an expressive eel-strip, often a donkey-cross and zebra strips on legs. They have dense horse-hair and tail, hair is thicker and at the tail root is a brush from short hair. The tail is often falling up to ground. Height is between 137 – 145 cm, weight is between 400-460 kg. They are changing their fur periodically twice a year; before winter their fur grows up to 5-6 cm, in spring time it falls out and changes to soft and glossy.

Hucul is descendant of the wild Tarpan

Tarpan

From time immemorial used to live in the Central and Eastern Europe a smaller breed of a horse – Tarpan. He occupied hostile prairies, tundras and forests. Overall deterioration of living conditions, proliferous lifestock breeding, as well as occasional poaching caused decline of Tarpans. Since the half of 19th century they became rare and just few of them were captured. In 1854 was snared small Tarpan stud on estates of count Obolenski. He was breastfed by domestic mare and at age of 4 years he was castrated and in 1862 transported to Moscow ZOO. One year later he was sold to Sankt Peterburg, as asset of the Russian Academy of Science. This animal died in 1868. His complete skeleton is preserved in collection of Zoological Institute of Academy of Science in Sankt Peterburg.

In spring of 1866 went steward of a manor across Zagdarovska steppe to inspect herds of sheep. On his way he saw seven-head herd of Tarpans. As he approached to the animals, sex of them fled away, but one mare remained on the spot. From several meters he could see that by her legs is newly born foal. The filly tried to get up, but was not able to run after his mother, whose fear of man was stronger than maternal instinct. The filly was caught and breastfed by domestic mare. Although from the very first hour of his life he was in contact with humans, his character differed from all domestic horses. He was kicking and biting also horses with which was permanently in a stable and it was very difficult to teach him at least how to walk under a saddle. But he was extraordinarily fast and tireless. In 1880 he was discovered as already castrated on Voroncov farmstead by the commission of Russian Ministry of Agriculture and they acquired this horse for Moscow ZOO. But the ZOO was committed to pass the cadaver after extinction to Zoological Museum of the Moscow University for investigation of skeleton and internals. Tarpan died in 1887. We do not know what the fate of the rest of herd was.

About 30 km from Askania Nova station in Southern Ukraine lived in 1870 a mare of Tarpan. 30 000 hectares of steppe was not cultivated at all. They were used just as pastures or for haymaking. The heard of landowner Durilina was grazing here throughout whole year, as it was used, under clear sky. When no shepherd was around, the Tarpan mare came to this hear to graze with them. But as soon as the shepherd came closer, the mare moved away and lived separately. She was always cautious and shier. While the domestic horses were resting in lying position, she was always standing. But in the course of time she became more tamed. When a man approached, she did not run that far away and when the heard was driven to watering place, she did not run far away to the steppe, just stayed at safe distance. She has been monitored for 3 years.

During that period she gave birth to two foals. Their father was stallion from domestic breeding. One foal was like its mother, the other one rather like its father. Both were captured and when adults, they were characterized by high endurance.

The wild mare became step by step so credulous, that in winter time she was used to go with domestic horses into a yard, where the hay was stored. Once she even entered the shed. So she went into captivity without additional effort. But she suffered. She jumped upon mangers, she got hurt by logs and for several days she did not touch food at all. At the end she was placed to a small box, where she did not have such chance to move. She remained there until spring, when she gave birth to another foal. Durilin thought that she is already adequately domestified and that the foal will keep her with the heard. Therefore he let her go on pastures. But as soon as the mare was free, she galloped to the steppe with loud neigh. After some time she came back and, took her foal with her and disappeared from Durilin`s heard.

Later on she appeared close to Agaimana. It was welcome opportunity for men to hunt her. They did not want to kill her, just to test speed and endurance of their own domestic horses. They aligned themselves around the steppe and were hounding the mare. But she was escaping her pursuers without visible effort. The step was covered by snow and ice. The mare jumped over every unevenness with extraordinary easiness and much volubly than domestic horses. But all the sudden, upon one jump she fell into icy crevice and broke her front leg. She was moved to Agaimana on sledges and nursed. But after several days she died. It was in 1979 on a Christmas Day. So, it was the end of the last wild Tarpan in Southern Russia. Nothing has remained from her, neither dead hide, nor skeleton.

And it was the end of Tarpans in free environment at all.

But it seems that we should not consider this mare as the very last living individual of its kind. In spring of 1934, the famous Russian zoologist received a letter that during the World War I was in the Dubrouka manor watched an old Tarpan stallion, kept as breeding stallion in a heard of eleven Kirghizian mares. This stallion was reportedly bought by local shepherd as a young foal from German colonists, when a small heard from which this animal came from, fell as a prey to hunters. The stallion was already quite old; he was probably born at the turn of eighties and nineties of 19th century. In that time was killed his mother heard. The stallion died during civil war in 1918 or 1919 and he contributed to the menu of local men.

Photo: Tarpan in Moscow zoo

Tarpan was at it’s wither 130- 135 cm high. His head was short, straight nose, flat forehead and short, prick ears. Relatively high set neck was straight and narrow. His softly built body was carried by slender limbs with high, narrow hoof. Tarpan was overall coloured like a grey mouth; only around his chops and bottom part of body had lighter hues. At his back was dark eel-strip and and zebra strips were on his limbs. Horse-hair and tail were black.

The fact that Tarpans from second half of 19th century deviates by few signs from this description is not a reason for rejection of their origin. The inflow of domestic blood at the last individuals was really negligible. Situations when the Tarpan stallion took domestic mares with him from their herds were exaggerated by men, in order to have reason to persuade wild horses. But anyway, not every departure of domestic mare meant a definite loss of her. She often came home pregnant or even with her filly. And besides to it, a cock-tailed stud had no chance to come across next to the wild stallion. So we can summarize, that impact of domestic horses to Tarpan population was definitely smaller than impact of Tarpan to domestic horses.

There were also lets say values in use. The Tarpans surpassed from breeding point of view by excellent features. They were temperament, fast and tireless, easy to be pastured, resistible against illnesses and cold. And because of it, they were directly predestined to participate on creation of unpretentious and all-purpose horse breeds, when they could not be fully applied due to their indomitability.

Rokoš

Gunali (1933) reports that cross-breeds between wild and domestic horses demonstrated high working capabilities and extraordinary endurance. But from our experiences we can confirm rather the other side of this characteristic.

On 28 June 1950 was to Uran, the breeding stallion of Przewalski horse in Prague ZOO put for breeding a mouse-coloured mare of Bilgorai breed, called Runa. On 25 May 1951 she gave birth to healthy filly. He got he name Tarpan – Rokoš. Exactly at the age of 5 months was weaned and nursed with other fillies. On 2 October 1954 was sent with his mother to the Research Station for Horse Breeding in Zlobiny, close to Bánovce nad Bebravou, where he passed through 9-months training and completed performance tests for mountain horses. During training was stabled in a box inside a shed with other stallions. Under the saddle carried the same load like other horses. He has passed terrain and long-distance ride with prescribed load without breaks, mostly trotting, with very good physiologic results. He passed the reliability tests in pull according to directions, but he was not willing to withstand higher weight. Already during training were his character features evaluated quite low: he could not accept presence of studs and geldings. Rokoš connected in his exterior signs of both his parents, predominantly signs of Przewalski horse. He was a straw-coloured horse with darker forehead and nose, expressive eel-stripe and dark pasterns. He has strong body constitution. Quality (hardness) of horn of his hoofs was excellent.

Six years old Rokoš was assigned to the State Stud Farm in Prešov, as a provincial breeding stallion and on 18 May 1957 was conferred for unlimited period to the State Forests in Muráň. They tried to unload Rokoš at the railway station, but were not able to get him out of wagon and therefore they considered to disassemble the roof or to entry into wagon through the window and to leave wagon on a horseback. And this method was at the end successful, but the stud managed to kick out a window from nearby bus (full of people).

Rokoš acted as breeding stallion in Muráň between 1957 – 1962 and breeded 26 mares, from which 21 (19 Huculs and 2 Norik) gave birth to fillies; therefore this stallion demonstrated high fertilizing ability. The male descendants were generally quite nervous and even the castration did not suppress their bad characters. The mares were more calm. Only the only one descendant of Rokoš was classified into breeding.

Photo: Rokoš

Also as breeding stallion was Rokoš only hardly manageable horse. Ing. Duruttya reports about him: this stallion preferred to walk on his hind legs, even with a rider. When he was in a classic box, he stepped on the upper wooden part from where he could bite the neighbouring stud to his back. Bars in his shed had to be changed every other day. Through a night he was able to dig a one cubic meter hole. Without warning he laid down also with his rider and he got up only after water was poured into his ear. Once a year his got blood-red eyes and it was better not to approach to him in that time. About one year after his arrival to Muráň he in rage ran into concrete cornice and scalped part of his head up to ears; he was then lying for one hour and everybody thought he was dead. But he was not. When he was in rage, the only thing that helped was to pour a bucket of water on him. His stable-man Ferko Kanoš once with permission of the management of stud farm went out for a whole day trip to the mountains, long about 85-90 km, and when he totally devastated unsaddled the stallion, he still had enough energy to kick his hind legs and ran away from yard to the mountains.

Because of his bad character, Rokoš was in 1963 eliminated from breeding and sold to Bratislava ZOO. But as usually, it was not without problems. At the train station he was waiting for three days, as nobody was able to transport him from there. Finally the transport was organized by police patrol, while F. Kanoš from Muráň carried the horse via streets at his hand. Result: broken diary show-window, as the stallion saw his ,,competitor,,. Rokoš lived in ZOO not just for one year, but he managed to bite 3 visitors, therefore he was castrated, but his character got even worse. Rokoš was in the spring of 1964 returned to his mother institute – to Slatiňany. He did not live there for a long time. On 13 August 1964 he was destroyed in slaughterhouse. Nothing has left from him.

The wild horse can under certain circumstances improve some qualities, eventually some physical signs of domestic horses. But we must keep in mind that there is just limited selection of domestic horse breeds suitable for such experiments and we must not forget temperament and character qualities of the cross-breeds.

Tarpan was extincted in total quietness, without any emotions of scientific world. !!! But anyway, it was irretrievable loss of the large animal species and undoubtedly also a cultural loss. Even a human without special relation to living nature is sorrow to know that due to civilization has from European continent disappeared and from surface of the Earth was extincted an animal, helping in its domestic status to built civilization of this continent.

And what about the end of hucul?

In Muráň were between 1950 – 1958 raised 136 breeding Hucul horses in the permanent herd and there were acting 23 Hucul breeding stallions. Within this period were born 685 Hucul foals. This farm was a gem of Slovak Hucul Breeding, recognized also abroad. This breeding farm was cancelled by decision of clerks of that era! There is a calm, nobody is missing anything, everything is forgotten and nobody is guilty. But several Huculs were thanks to people salvaged. Most of them ended up in transports with meat.

Dear friends, if Huculs end up abandoned, they will loose their lives and we will loose with them.