| |
Basuto
Horse Insurance
Basuto Horse Insurance quotes UK.
Health accident and liability insurance for Basuto Horses.
Click
Here for online Basuto Horse Insurance
About the Basuto Breed
.The famous Basuto pony is not in its origin
an indigenous African breed. The horse (equus caballus) was
unknown in South Africa until the middle of the 17th century,
although his ultimate ancestor was flourishing on the North
African littoral. With the enormous jungles that lay between
the north and the south, that the belts of the dreaded tsetse
fly, there was little chance of his migrating southwards by
land. The opening of the sea routes to the East by the Portuguese
and Dutch prepared the way, and in 1653 four horses of Arab
and Bard blood from Java were landed in the Cape by the Dutch
East India Company. These were the first horses to set foot
in South Africa, and they became the foundation of the Cape
horse, which was the direct ancestor of the Basuto Pony.
The importation of oriental strains – Arab, Barb and Persian
– continued steadily up to 1811. In the 18th century,
when the English began to be interested in the country, the
introduction of the English Thoroughbred stock began. Between
1770 and 1790 especially, many good English stallions were imported,
mainly descendants of “Herod”, “Matchem,”
and “Eclipse”, so the Byerley Turk, and Darley and
Godolphin Arabians were all represented, and the oriental ancestry
was present on both sides.
The Cape Horse breed flourished during the early years of the
19th century, figured conspicuously in the Boer War, and achieved
a high reputation for looks and stamina. Then, partly owing
to lack of interest and the introduction of inferior foreign
stock, the quality of the breed dropped off, and has deteriorated
considerably since 1860, and is now for all practical purposes
represented by the Basuto.
The Cape Horse was introduced into Basutoland as a result of
border raids and the confusion caused by the invasion of that
territory by the Zulus from 1822 onwards. The stolen horses
figured in many a conflict, contributing great moral effect
on behalf of those who had ventured to ride them. From about
1830 onwards the type developed into the Basuto pony as he is
known today: small, thickset, short legs, longish back, very
hard hoofs, with that bit of quality about the head which declares
his high ancestry. Brought up and worked among the formidable
heights of the Drakensberg with no horsemastership or care,
but ridden by absolutely fearless riders, the Basuto became
as tough and self-reliant as a wild horse and one of the most
fearless and surefooted ponies in the world, being habitually
ridden at a gallop up and down hills where most other horses
and riders would hesitate to walk. The endurance of these ponies,
too, is very great, and they are capable of carrying 13 or 14
stone for 60 to 80 miles a day. In their own country they became
in great demand for racing and polo.
Although Basutos were much used in the Boer War, the breed had
already begun to decline, the descent becoming more rapid in
the beginning of this century. Efforts were then started, and
are now continuing, to revive the breed by the introduction
of good Arab stallions and carrying out breeding on systematic
lines. The experiment of introducing Highland Pony blood was
tried in 1917 but was not ultimately successful.
In a country such as South Africa where records seem to show
that an increased interest is being taken in the breeding of
light horses, where polo flourishes in a smallish way and where
riding clubs and pony clubs increase in numbers, the Basuto
pony may well stage a comeback. It may be that the pony will
be crossed to the extinction of the true Basuto, but the latter
gained for itself such a world-wide reputation for hardiness,
surefootedness and ability to thrive on the smallest fare that
there are strong hopes that it may survive as a breed where
others may unhappily proceed to extinction.
Basuto Horse Insurance
Cover
Insurance for horse breeds Index:
Arab
| Akhal-Teke
| Albino
| American
Quarter | American
Saddle | Andalusian
| Anglo-Arab
| Anglo-Arab
in France | Anglo-Kabarda
| Anglo-Norman
| Appaloosa
| Ardennes
| Australian
(Waler) | Austrian
| Balearic
| Barb
| Basuto
| Batak/Deli
| Beberbeck
| Beetwk
| Boulonnais
| Brabancon
| Breton
| Budyonovsky
| Burmese
(Shan) | Camargue
| Caspian
| Charollais
Half-bred | Cleveland
Bay | Clydesdale
| Cob
(Riding) | Connemara
| Criollo
| Dales
| Danish
| Danubian
| Dartmoor
| Donsky
| Dutch
Draught | East
Bulgarian | Exmoor
| Falabella
| Fell
| Flemish
| French
Thoroughbred | Friesian
| Galiceno
| Gelderland
| Gidran
and Nonius | Gothland
| Groningen
| Gudbrandsdal
| Hack
| Hackney
Horse | Hackney
Pony | Hafflinger
| Hanoverian
| Highland
| Holstein
| Hungarian
Shagya | Hunter
| Iceland
| Iomud
| Italian
| Jutland
| Kabarda
| Karabair
and Lokai | Karabakh
| Kathiawari
and Marwari | Klepper
| Knabstrup
| Konik
| Latvian
| Limousin
(Half-bred) | Lipizzaner
| Manipur
| Mecklenburg
| Mongolian
| Morgan
| Mustang
| New
Forest | Norwegian-Fjord
| Oldenburg
| Orlov
| Palomino
| Percheron
| Persian
| Pinto
| Pleven
| Polish
Arab | Polish
Half-bred | Polish
Thoroughbred | Rhenish
| Russian
Saddle | Russian
Steppe | Russian
Thoroughbred | Scandinavian
| Schleswig
| Shetland
| Shire
| Spanish
| Spiti
and Bhutia | Standard
Bred | Strelets
| Suffolk
| Swedish
| Tarpan
| Tennessee
Walking Horse | Tersky
| Thoroughbred
| Timor
Pony | Trakehner
| Turk
| Ukrainian
| Vendéen-Charentais
Half-bred | Viatka
| Welsh
Cob | Welsh
Mountain and Welsh Pony | Zeeland
Horse | Zemaitukas
DOG
INSURANCE COVER | CAT
INSURANCE COVER
HORSE INSURANCE HOME
FIND A LOCAL VET FOR YOU HORSE |
|
|
|
UK
Pet Insurance 
