History
The Skyros Small Horse evolved on the island of Skyros in the Aegean Sea. The Skyros Small Horse can be considered the smallest ‘natural’ horse in the world. More specifically, the horse is the result of isolation and adaptation over thousands of years in an insular environment with poor vegetation and adverse climatic conditions. All miniature horse breeds and all known pony breeds are the result of human ‘design’ since these breeds are governed by breed associations which decide the characteristics of their breed, hence intervening and altering the phenotype and character of the breeds.
This small horse is a member of the Aegean breed, a large family of small horses which lived in the broader area of the eastern Mediterranean for over 2500 years. Remains of horses of a similar size and conformation have been found throughout the Greek domain, the shores of Asia Minor and the North African coast. The population of the Aegean family began to decline gradually as technology advanced. At first the Aegean breed disappeared from mainland areas where large horse keeping was possible. But it continued to prosper on most of the Aegean islands until the middle of the 20th century. Today, representatives of the family are the Skyros Small Horse, the Rodos Small Horse, and there is evidence that ‘Midili’ the small horse of the island of Lesvos has survived in a feral state.
During the 20th century the population of the Skyros Small Horse decreased dangerously, while various efforts to increase the population failed. In 2006 the "Skyros Small Horse Association" was created, aiming at the preservation, protection and wellbeing of the Skyros horse. The Association recorded all the Skyros horses that live in Skyros, the rest of Greece and abroad. The "Skyros Small Horse Association" is the first official horse association in Greece responsible for the registration of all Skyros Small Horses and the keeping of the breed's studbook.
Morphological Traits
Today the Skyros horse has a height of 102 - 115 cm at the withers, and is characterized by a small head and small ears. The body is relatively narrow, the chest flat, while the mane and tail are abundant. The hooves are dark, narrow and hard. Finally, most Skyros horses tend to be cow-hocked. The main colours are bay and grey. They usually do not have facial markings except the occasional star.
Use
In the past the Skyros horse was used by their owners for transportation from the village to the field or for various agricultural tasks, such as threshing and transporting crops, etc. At present it is bred for entertainment, agro-tourism, therapeutic riding and sports such as gymkhana games for children.
Population
Today, the once very populous breed, survives essentially only in Skyros, while there are also small populations in Corfu island (Greece), Scotland and France.
According to data from the Center of Animal Genetic Resources (2019), 199 females and 147 males are registered in the studbook.
The total number of purebred Skyros horses is estimated to be approximately 160, classifying the breed as in the ‘Critical’ status.
