Konik Horse

The Konik is a breed of pony that originated from Poland. The word Konik means “pony” or “little horse” in Polish. Konik is approximately 130 to 140 cm at the shoulders and has always had a primitive look and is dark brown grey black in color.

They are used as much as horses on farms in Poland where they are strong and durable despite its small size. They also tend to be good children’s ponies, but can be extremely stubborn.

The Konik is a direct descendant of the primitive and previously thought extinct Tarpan, and the Konik is the pony that is being used to genetically breed a new adaptation of the Tarpan.

The Konik is a more or less a direct descendants of the primitive and extinct Tarpan, and has existed in Poland since time immemorial. The Konik main residence is the lowlands in South Eastern Poland, East of the river San.

They are bred primarily at the State stud of Jezewice and Popielno but today they are also bred in several countries in Eastern Europe. The breeding herds have improved over the years through the cross breeding with some of Poland’s top-class Arabian thoroughbred blood horses.

The Konik pony is know in Poland for centuries and was once a very important asset for farmers who used the ponies in farm work. During the early 1900s most of the ponies were owned by smallholders, but when the availability of larger horses increased the demand for the Konik pony decreased.

The breed, however, increased in popularity again when they realized its historic value. During the 1930s, the breeding programme to rejuvenate the extinct Tarpan began by breed selecting certain Konik ponies.

These new Tarpan herds are living in a semi-wild state in the National Park in Popielno. The Konik is also being used to improve other pony breeds in Poland and Russia. Today the Konikna breed is selected for confirmation that ensures the preservation of the primitive breed and their unique characteristics.

Attributes

The Konik pony has inherited many characteristics from its predecessor, the Tarpan. Among other things, the primitive characters that was typical of Tarpan such as an eel, being a dark dorsal stripe along the spine, and zebra marks on the cannon bones.

Although the breed’s color is inherited from the Tarpan, there is usually a predominance of the primitive black color, either grey in various shades of black.

The horses can also be roan or sometimes a brown color with a slight bluish tint.
The breed has over the years been improved with cross breeding with Arab horses for their genetic inheritance.

This new blood gives the breed a better confirmation despite the primitive outline of the pony. The head is proportionate, with a primitive straight nose profile to th head.

The head of Konik is often likened to the head of a much heavier workhorse, but with small ears. The eyes should be lively. The neck is somewhat short but muscular and ends in a low withers. The withers are relatively straight in the pony which results in poor movements.

The Konik is robust, durable and strong with a good temperament, but they may have a tendency to be a bit stubborn. The Konik pony is still used as farm horses in many parts of Poland, but is used more as a Riding Pony at riding schools.

The Konik’s action is very poorly developed, as the Konik was more popular as a draft pony rather than a riding pony.

The Konik are exported all over the world and they are bred in several places in Sweden. The Konik is very easy to breed, is durable and inexpensive to keep and is a good doer not requiring lots of food.