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The pottok, pronounced 'pot-ee-ok' (Basque: pottoka, "little horse"), is a formerly wild pony native to the Pyrenees of the Basque Country in France and Spain.
The pottok's origins may lie as far back as 10,000 years ago. Ancient cave paintings in the area show pottok-like horses. They are thought to descend from the Magdalenian horses of 14,000 - 7,000 BC. There are now only a few hundred left and all have owners, rather than freely wandering through the mountains. The pottok has a black or bay brown coat, about 1.25m tall to its withers, with a large head, small ears, short neck, long back and shaggy mane. It has small but sturdy hooves for mountain walking. Their adaptation to mountain life and dark colour made them ideal for use by smugglers. They were also used in mining work across France in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Pottok numbers have been severely reduced by habitat loss and crossbreeding. In the 20th century, piebald pottoks were bred, particularly for circus use. Stockier ponies for agricultural work were bred by cross-breeding with draught horses, also often with a large variety of coat colours. They have also been bred with Spanish horses following guidelines of pony clubs. This cross-breeding has left perhaps no more than 150 pure-bred mares in the French Basque Country. A reserve in Bidarray, Basse-Navarre has been started to protect the pony and its environment. There is much debate about how to increase numbers - whether to focus only on the pure-bred pottoks or to employ selective inter-breeding to build greater numbers of pottok-like ponies.
There are pottok fairs held in Espelette, Labourd in November and January. Pottoks featured in the 1935 film Ramuntcho by Réné Barbéris with Louis Jouvet. Bayonne's rugby club, Aviron Bayonnais has 'pottoka' as its official mascot.
The Basque name of the Smurfs is pottokiak, probably for the connotations of smallness.
The pottok's origins may lie as far back as 10,000 years ago. Ancient cave paintings in the area show pottok-like horses. They are thought to descend from the Magdalenian horses of 14,000 - 7,000 BC. There are now only a few hundred left and all have owners, rather than freely wandering through the mountains. The pottok has a black or bay brown coat, about 1.25m tall to its withers, with a large head, small ears, short neck, long back and shaggy mane. It has small but sturdy hooves for mountain walking. Their adaptation to mountain life and dark colour made them ideal for use by smugglers. They were also used in mining work across France in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Pottok numbers have been severely reduced by habitat loss and crossbreeding. In the 20th century, piebald pottoks were bred, particularly for circus use. Stockier ponies for agricultural work were bred by cross-breeding with draught horses, also often with a large variety of coat colours. They have also been bred with Spanish horses following guidelines of pony clubs. This cross-breeding has left perhaps no more than 150 pure-bred mares in the French Basque Country. A reserve in Bidarray, Basse-Navarre has been started to protect the pony and its environment. There is much debate about how to increase numbers - whether to focus only on the pure-bred pottoks or to employ selective inter-breeding to build greater numbers of pottok-like ponies.
There are pottok fairs held in Espelette, Labourd in November and January. Pottoks featured in the 1935 film Ramuntcho by Réné Barbéris with Louis Jouvet. Bayonne's rugby club, Aviron Bayonnais has 'pottoka' as its official mascot.
The Basque name of the Smurfs is pottokiak, probably for the connotations of smallness.
