Skyros pony

The little horse of Skyros considered one of the smallest and most rare breeds horses that exist in the world. It is classified in the category of pony (poni: small horse), although its morphological features - except for the height - do not look at all like the typical ponies, but are common to those of horses.

The small breed of Skyros horses is one of the indigenous horse breeds of Greece, which in antiquity was widespread throughout Greece. It has common roots with the Horse of Pindos. He is considered to be a descendant of the horses that Achilles had with him when he went to Troy. It is said that their distant ancestors were the horses of Alexander the Great, while some claim that the horses depicted in the frieze of the Parthenon are of this breed. It is speculated that these horses were brought to the island by the Athenians in the 5th century BC. century. Eventually, from the ancient tribe, they survived only in Skyros for this reason and got the relevant name. In recent years these ponies are used for agricultural work and sports-cultural events. From October to May they are left free on the mountain Kochyla, in the southeast of the island. In summer they return to their owners due to lack of food and water.

The Skyrian ponies they are companion animals, social, strong, intelligent, with a very attentive attitude towards children. Their height reaches 116 cm. Their body type resembles that of a large horse and their head is particularly beautiful. Their mane is long and rich with a color usually darker than the skin. Their legs are thin, strong and nervous. The tail is tufted and long. The color of Skyrian horses is usually in shades of brown-red and brown, more rarely white or gray-gray and less often blonde.

Today Skyrian ponies exist 260 throughout Greece, of which 187 live in Skyros. It is a protected species.