The Domesticated Horse most likely appeared in the Greek peninsula with the arrival of the first Indo-European phyla approximately at the beginning of the 2nd millennium BC.
Man is fascinated by the grace and strength of the horse; he quickly integrates it into his life and, ultimately, the horse plays a leading role in every manifestation of human activity. Greek mythology is full of myths in which horses play the leading role: from Pegasus, the winged horse and the horses that pull Helios’ chariot, to the Trojan Horse, the Centaurs and the Amazons; the list goes on. In Bronze Age Greece, the horse has made a place for itself and is of great value. We know that during the Mycenaean period horse races took place (1660 BC – 1100 BC), while the relationship between man and horse is so significant that horse racing became an Olympic sport in 680 BC.
The Greek domain, as a crossroads of civilizations has received and continues to receive many influences from foreign civilizations. Inevitably, the Greek horse mixed with other equine breeds. Imports continued throughout the centuries with horses brought to Greece by enemies and friends such as the Persians, Crusaders, Arabs, Venetians and Turks.
Today in Greece we have three types of horses and eight breeds, seven of which are recognized by the Greek state. The three types are: the mountain type, the plains type and that of the islands. The mountain type spread throughout the entire mountainous mainland, the plains type spread throughout the plains of Thessaly, Macedonia, Thrace, and East and West Peloponnese, whereas the third type spread throughout the Aegean islands.
The mountain breeds are the breeds of Messara in Crete, Penias in the Peloponnese, Pindos in mainland Greece and the Rodope breed in Eastern Macedonia and Thrace. Plain type breeds are the Thessaly in central Greece and the Andravida in the Peloponnese. Finally, the insular breeds are the Skyros on the island of Skyros and Rodos on the island of Rhodes.
The vulnerability status of each breed has been assigned according to the classification criteria adopted by “The Rare Breed Survival Trust”. The listing of categories in the chart bellow is based on the estimated number of recorded reproductive females of each breed capable of producing pure bred offspring. Other factors have also been considered such as the number of herds, the distribution of the breed etc.
