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Spiti Horse, Chamurthi

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Accession number: INDIA_ HORSE_0600_SPITI_07004

Country: India

Home tract: Spiti valley and adjoining areas of Kullu and Kinnaur divisions of Himachal Pradesh.

The Spiti ponies have two strains, Spiti pure and Konimare. Konimare are capable of thriving in cold regions under adverse conditions of scarcity of food, low temperature and long journeys at high altitude.

Morphological Characters

Body: Solid and compact body, smaller in height. The Konimare ponies are comparatively taller. Body is well developed with fairly strong bones. The females have shorter body, height, heart girth and paunch girth.

Body coat: The predominant body colour is grey (complete white) followed by black, black flay bone (white body with black patches), brown and bay. The distinguishing features are a series of small strips slong the spine, an ancestral mark of the extinct Central Asian Wild horse; and a series of small white patches along the spine, which incorrectly may be thought old saddle-sore marks.

Head: Heavy, fine

Face: Slightly convex

Eyes: Small to medium, black, alert looking

Ears: Small to medium, erect

Neck: The mane is longer having 20-30 cm long hairs.

Withers: Low

Back: Short, straight

Quarters: Slightly sloped shoulders

Chest: Deep

Tail: Long and straight

Legs: Thick and covered with long coarse hairs.

Mophometric traits

Body length: 97 cm

Body height at withers: 127 cm

Paunch girth: 150 cm

Face length: 49 cm

Face width: 20 cm

Ear length: 15 cm

Temperament: Nervous

Uses: The Spiti horses are used for riding and as pack animals.

Remarks: The Spiti horses are hardy, disease resistant and surefooted.

References

  1. Gupta A.K., et al., 2012, “Phenotypic characterization of Indian equine breeds: a comparative study,” Animal Genetic Resources: 50: 49-58. [Web Reference]
  2. Hendricks B.L., 2007, “International encyclopedia of horse breeds,” University of Oklahoma Press; p. 401. [Web Reference]
  3. IHSI, “The Horse breed Standards,” Indigenous Horse Society of India [Web Reference]
  4. NBAGR, “REGISTERED BREEDS OF HORSE & PONY,” [Web Reference]
  5. NRCE, “Equines in India,” [Web Reference]
  6. The Equinest, 2011, “Chamurthi Horse,” The Equinest - The 100% Horse Crap. [Web Reference]
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