| CIAN PONY* | | | | long necks and well sloped shoulders. They have long |
| Found in northwest Spain, The Galician Pony is home in | | | | legs with sloping pasterns that make them a |
| a region that features many mountains and a wet | | | | comfortable riding horse. They are usually between |
| climate. The breed is used for the production of meat | | | | 1000 and 1200 pounds, and 15 to 17 hands in height. |
| and for riding. The breed was used to develop the | | | | Coloring of the Golden American Saddlebred will range |
| Galiceno, and it's size is between a pony and a horse. | | | | from a copper to a cream color, and include many |
| The Galician Pony comes from a mix of Roman and | | | | variations of shades in between. The ideal color of the |
| Celtic horses that were brought into Spain by the | | | | breed is similar to a gold coin- hence the breed's name! |
| Suevos. They have short bodies and strong legs. Most | | | | The mane and tail of a Golden American Saddlebred |
| have chesnut colored coats. | | | | is white. |
| While valuable in their meat production uses, they also | | | | One of the easiest horses to train, the American |
| have tourist value. There is a festival in Galicia that is | | | | Saddlebred is adaptable to most conditions. Some of |
| called "Curros". During this festival, everyone | | | | the horses in the breed excel on the trails while others |
| participates in catching semi-wild horses from the | | | | are better in the show ring. |
| Galician mountains to brand and cut manes and tails to | | | | *GOTLAND* |
| sell them in the "curro". Some of the horses are | | | | Sweden's primordial horse breed, Gotland, still live on |
| purchased and the rest are set free to the mountains | | | | the land in the woods of Gotland, as they have for |
| again. | | | | thousands of years. They are a living relic of the past. |
| *GELDERLANDER* | | | | The history of the Gotland horse breed is a bit |
| The Gelderlander breed comes from the Dutch | | | | mysterious, but discoveries from the Stone Age lead |
| Province with the same name, known for their | | | | people to believe the Gotland has been roaming the |
| excellent horse breeding traditions. The Gelderlander | | | | land for about 5,000 years or more. The oldest |
| breed is a result from crossbreeding between local | | | | reference to the pony is found in 13th century legal |
| breeds like the Fiesian, and imported breeds including | | | | code, in Skanelagen, with mention of "the wild horses |
| the Thoroughbred, Oldenburg, East Friesian, Hackney | | | | of Gotland." |
| and Anglo-Norman. The original use for Gelderlander | | | | In the 18th Century, many references of the Gotland |
| horses was for agricultural work and road harness, but | | | | pony are found. By the 19th century, the ponies were |
| more recently the Gelderland has been a riding horse | | | | found throughout Gotland on large forest and within |
| with superior jumping ability. | | | | the center of the island. Farmers were using Gotland |
| The Gelderlander's appearance features a convex | | | | Ponies as draft horses on their farms. The number of |
| nose and a plain head. Their tails are held high. They | | | | Gotland ponies dropped in the middle of the 19th |
| are about 15 or 16 hands in height, chestnut and gray | | | | century, as many were sold to Germany and England |
| colored and often have white markings on legs and | | | | for mining and chore work. As the forests in Gotland |
| face. | | | | were cultivated for farmers, the ponies were seen as |
| The Gelderlander horse breed is considered | | | | pests because they began trampling the newly built |
| demonstration of the successful breeding of many | | | | fences for the farmers. |
| different types of horses. It has the best qualities of | | | | Only about 150 Gotland ponies remained in the |
| each of the horse types in it's bloodlines. | | | | beginning of the 20th century, but the Gotland |
| *GIDRAN* | | | | Agricultural Society set out ot save the Gotland Pony. |
| In 1816, when a desert bred Arabian was imported to | | | | They fenced in over 200 acres of land and captured 5 |
| the Mezohegyes State Stud, the Gidran breed was | | | | Gotland Ponies to live there. Soon, a clan of Gotland |
| developed. Breeding continued with Arabian, | | | | ponies developed, and it was these horses that were |
| Spanish-Naples, Turkish and Transylvanian mares and | | | | uesed for breeding in an effort to maintain the breed. |
| the colts from the mares led the breeding of the new | | | | Most Gotland ponies are black, sorrels, bays or |
| breed, Gidran. | | | | buckskins. When a foal is born of light coloring, it is |
| Modern Gidran horses are quality riding and driving | | | | considered undesirable as there is a risk of breeding of |
| horses with recognition in competitions held | | | | two light colored Gotland ponies resulting in an Albino. |
| internationally. They have well balanced temperaments, | | | | Albino horses have skin that is overly sensitive to sun |
| great athletic abilities and sturdy builds. There are less | | | | exposure. |
| than 200 Gidran horses in the world, and their size | | | | Gotland ponies are used as children's horses, for |
| ranges from 15 to 17 hnads. | | | | dressage, jumping, trotting and driving. To obtain a |
| *GOLDEN AMERICAN SADDLEBRED* | | | | pedigree, the breed must produce a horse that is 45 to |
| Golden American Saddlebreds have gorgeous and | | | | 51 inches in height, with an energetic disposition. In |
| well proportioned heads. Their ears are erect and | | | | Sweeden, there are about 9,000 Gotland ponies, with |
| small. They give off an appearance of elegance with | | | | more found in Finland, Denmark and the USA. |