| merican Bashkir Curly Horse is a hardy breed with a | | | | 1898, when Peter Damele and his father were out |
| wide variety of curly coat types that range from a | | | | riding in the remote Peter Hanson Mountains in the high |
| crushed velvet effect to a perfect Marcel wave; or | | | | country of Central Nevada near Austin. Peter |
| from extremely tight ringlets to long spiral curls; or to no | | | | remembered seeing 3 horses with tight curly ringlets |
| apparent curl at all. The latter coat type is called a | | | | over their entire bodies and it intrigued them both. From |
| Smooth-Coated Curly and may or may not produce | | | | that day forward, there were always curly-coated |
| Curly horses themselves. The breed's name was | | | | horses on the Damele range and many of the Bashkir |
| inspired from a photo of a curly coated Bashkir horse | | | | Curly Horses in the U.S. can be traced back to that |
| from Russia that was printed in the 1938 March issue | | | | Damele herd. |
| of the Nature magazine entitled "The Evolution of the | | | | The American Bashkir Curly Registry (ABCR) was |
| Horses". | | | | established in 1971 when the founders discovered that |
| In this unique breed, there are dominant and recessive | | | | many of them, through ignorance, were being |
| curly genes and either of these makes it possible to | | | | slaughtered. In January 2000, the registry was closed |
| get curly-coated foals to show up in normally | | | | and only the offspring of two ABC registered Curly |
| straight-coated breeds - from pony to draft horse. | | | | Horses can be registered. Currently there are less than |
| Oddly, the curly coated foals, whether from the | | | | 4,000 registered Curly Horses living in the world. When |
| dominant or the recessive version of gene, all seem to | | | | the ABCR founders began the process of establishing |
| carry most of the same basic traits and many of | | | | breeding traits for the association by asking U.S. |
| these traits do not fit the norm for other breeds. Some | | | | owners to list the characteristics unique to the Bashkir |
| Missouri Foxtrotters carry a dominant Curly gene | | | | Curly, several interesting features of the breed |
| through the lineage of *Curly Jim and the breed also | | | | emerged when the data was compiled. |
| carries the recessive curly gene. Percherons also | | | | American Bashkir Curly Horses stand 13.3 hands to 16 |
| carry the recessive gene. The American Bashkir Curly | | | | hands, but average 15 hands and their average weight |
| transmits this curly characteristic to its offspring about | | | | is 800 to 1200 pounds. Due to the many breeds |
| fifty percent of the time even when mated to horses | | | | involved in outcrossing, the breed comes in all colors |
| without the curly coat. A horse that is homozygous for | | | | including Appaloosa and Pinto and has many different |
| the dominant version of the curly gene does not | | | | physical conformations. It is expected that this |
| appear to have any undesirable effects. | | | | cross-breed influence will continue for the next 5 to 10 |
| But where these genes originated is a mystery. What | | | | generations of Curly-to-Curly breeding until a |
| is known is that curly horses have been depicted in art | | | | uniform type is finally established. However, these |
| and statuary in early China as far back as 161 AD and | | | | offspring will all be registered as long as they meet |
| there has been evidence of their presence in South | | | | ABCR criteria. |
| America and Europe. The earliest recorded Curly | | | | Many Curlies with white legs have black hooves that |
| Horses in North America were with Native Americans | | | | are unusually tough and hard and almost perfectly |
| during the Winter Count of 1801-1802. The Sioux had | | | | round in shape and many Curlies are not shod. They |
| stolen some Curly horses from the Crow which | | | | also have stout roundbone cannons; straight legs that |
| placed these tribes at the Standing Rock Cheyenne | | | | also move straight and flat knees. They have a |
| River Reservation at the mouth of the Grand River. A | | | | noticeably short back of five lumbar vertebrae and a |
| significant location of Curly Horses today has been | | | | round rump without a crease or dimple. They seem to |
| traced to Indian Reservations in the Dakotas and | | | | have an exceptionally high concentration of red blood |
| many Curlies have been acquired from the wild | | | | cells. |
| American Mustang herds. They have been | | | | The foals are born with thick, crinkly coats, curls inside |
| domesticated, bred and raised by ranchers throughout | | | | their ears and long up-curled eyelashes. They are born |
| the U.S. and Canada. | | | | with an unusually affectionate disposition and insist on |
| One theory for how curly horses ended up roaming | | | | being friendly. They delight in human companionship and |
| with the mustangs is that Russian Bashkir Curly horses | | | | love to be talked to. When excited or at play, the foals |
| came with Russian colonists during the 1700’s, | | | | trot with their tails absolutely straight in the air. |
| but research that included consultations with Russian | | | | The American Bashkir Curly coat is considered |
| scientists, the Moscow Zoo and the Soviet Union's | | | | hypo-allergenic to people who are allergic to horses, |
| Ministry of Agriculture has determined that there were | | | | but the reason why is still under study. It may be |
| no curly haired horses from the Bashkir region and no | | | | because the Curly Horse's hair is different or that the |
| proof of the gene originating in Russian Bashkir horses. | | | | proteins in their skin are different. It has been proven |
| Another theory is that ancestors of the Curly Horse | | | | that flat hair is curly, yet the Bashkir Curly's hairs are |
| crossed the land bridge during the last Ice Age, but | | | | round. They are also barbed or feathered underneath |
| there is no fossil evidence to support that until | | | | a microscope and can be spun and woven into yarn. |
| reintroduction of horses to this hemisphere by the | | | | The hair is more closely related to mohair, than to |
| Spanish. Yet another theory is that the gene came | | | | horsehair. |
| from the Lokai horses of the Tajikistan region of | | | | One especially odd feature of the breed is the fact |
| Russia which sometimes display the curly coat, but | | | | that they can completely shed out the mane and tail |
| there was no mention of importation of horses in ships' | | | | hair each summer, along with their body coat and their |
| logs when the Russian settlers arrived in North | | | | summer coat is wavy or fairly straight on their bodies, |
| America. Several other theories have failed to be | | | | with the distinctive and more pronounced curly winter |
| proven or simply remain untested. | | | | coat returning in late fall. They have a double mane |
| Blood typing on 200 Curly horses in the Serology Lab | | | | which splits down the middle leaving curly ringlets |
| at University of California-Davis could not confirm the | | | | hanging on both sides of the neck. Oddly, the ears do |
| Bashkir Curly as a genetically distinct breed. Instead, | | | | not totally shed out in the summer. |
| the typing showed that many breeds have been used, | | | | Many traits have been found that links them to |
| particularly Quarter Horses and Morgan Horses. The | | | | primitive horses, such as some have no ergots and |
| rare and unusual variants that did emerge from the | | | | others have small soft chestnuts. They have wide-set |
| testing are found only in those breeds that are based | | | | eyes that have a slant that is characteristic of the |
| on feral herds with no single common blood marker | | | | Oriental breeds and that gives them a wider range of |
| being found. | | | | peripheral vision. These eyes also give them a sleepy |
| Fortunately, more is known about the modern | | | | expression that is deceiving since they are very alert. |
| American Bashkir Curly Horse which dates back to | | | | |