curlies

Curly Horse, (Hypo-allergenic), Breeding Program of Swan Creek

Imagine a chance to enjoy horses without the use of medication! Any discipline, any need, one sniff, one touch becomes an all new horse experience. Imagine the possibilities.... with the Curly Horse opening the gate to an all new world of wonder.

If you or anyone in your family is allergic to horses. This breed offers an excellent solution to those who are allergic to horses.

If you enjoy a quiet, calm horse. Curly horses bond easily with adults and children and are quick and keen to learn. They are noted for strong bone and hooves, intelligence, easily trainable temperaments, friendly personalities and stamina.

Curlies are believed to be a hypoallergenic horse breed; Most people allergic to horses can handle Curly Horses without suffering any allergic reaction or at the very least, very little reaction. Research indicates a protein is missing from the hair of Curlies which may be what causes allergic reactions to horses in allergy sufferers, but the study was never officially published. Members of the Curly Community are working towards funding more research on this.

Nature has provided the Curly horse with a unique heating and cooling system. Their thick winter coat repels rain and snow. Underneath, air is trapped near the short, downy coat next to the body to keep them warm. They also have naturally tough feet and rarely require shoes depending on usage.

Curlies can be extreme with tight, ringlet type curls all over the body but next to no mane and tail hair, to straight coated. Two Curly coated parents, like our Dee, can produce a straight coated foal. As well, two straight coated Curlies can produce a Curly coated foal. Although some wish to disagree with this. It should be noted that most respectable breeders discourage the crossing of two Extreme Coated horses as the resulting offspring can become bald in summer (almost hairless).

Things of note:

- Curlies have extra thick hide, more like a cow than a horse.

- Curlies also have extra high red blood cell counts, giving them the ability to work at high altitudes and be exceptionally strong for their size.

In the August 2007 "Curly Cues" newsletter one of the ABCR (American Baskir Curly Registry) members found the documents in her family records of the documentation of a "Wooly Mare" and her "Bald Colt" listed in an estate inventory from 1828 in Pleasant Township, Fairfield County, Ohio. Please note a number of very Extreme Curly coated horses will shed to a near "bald", almost hairless summer coat. Curlies as rule shed most of their winter curly coats to have a slick, and very silky "normal" horse coat. Thank you Janice Voss-Crosby for this tidbit!

In his biography, P. T. Barnum made reference to a "curly coated horse" in Cincinnati in 1848.

The Baskir Curly got its name from the Baskir area in Russia where some people believed "Curly coated" horses came from. However, Russian scientists, the Soviet Union's agriculture department, the Moscow Zoo and other experts in Russian livestock, unanimously agreed that there was no curly haired horse from the Bashkir area. However they did confirm that the Lokai, found in the Tajikistan region, does sometimes display the characteristic curly coat. Shan Thomas wrote of this in his book "The Curly Horse in America - Myth and Mystery."

More History:

Sioux Indian tribe records indicate that the winter of 1801 is known as the winter the Sioux stole the Curly horses from the Crow tribe. This tribe lived around North and South Dakota and many of today's Curly horses can be traced back to the Dakotas.

The Damele family of Nevada is credited as one of the most important breeders of this continent. After acquiring a ranch in Nevada in 1898, they spotted the first Curlies running with a wild horse band on their range. It wasn't until 1931 that they caught the first Curly and broke it to ride. In 1932, much of the Damele's horse stock was struck down during a particularly vicious winter. Among the survivors were a few Curly horses, which then became the base of their breeding herd. The sire of our filly Faith is from a branded Damele stallion.

In Canada, the Skjonsberg family brought Curly horses with them to Alberta when they moved there from South Dakota around the turn of the century (farm name Cypress). Curly horses have also been observed in wild horse herds in Alberta as far back as 1920, and their presence was noted in Manitoba around the same time.

Curly horses were documented in Asian art work as early as 161AD.

Charles Darwin documented Curly horses in South America in the early 1800`s.

The early Sioux Indians regarded Curly horses as sacred mounts for chiefs and medicine men.

North American artworks shows Curlies carrying warriors in the Battle of Bighorn.

Since the wild herds of horses are claimed to be from escaped horses Cortez and Columbus brought to the New Americas (Iberian horses of "Spanish", "Portuguese" and Sorraia, native wild horses of Dun coloring of the Iberian Peninsula), by crossing back Curly mares onto our Spanish, Portuguese and Spanish Portuguese stallions, we hope to bring the "Curly" line back to it`s original build with the re introduction of these lines. Like wise by crossing our newly acquired stallion KC Prince Charles onto our Purebred Andalusian mares.

It is interesting to note that our son, Olie, has been tested by a specialist to be highly allergic to cattle and horses. He shows no reaction to these mares PLUS he shows NO reaction at all to our Portuguese/Lusitano stallion :Shads". Shads does lose all fetlock hair in the summer as well as thinning of his mane and tail. Shads also has wavy shoulder, flank, and neck hair in the winter.

Although we would like to see a nice wave in our foals coats it is more important to us that the foals by our Iberian stallions crossed with the Curly mares, as well as Prince Charles (aka Chuck) onto the Iberian mares, will continue to produce Hypoallergenic offspring. Our deepest thanks to Sheryl D`Uva of http://www.cozynookcurlys.com/ for entrusting us with Chuck.

Until the gene is found that makes "Curly" horses, (and as in Shads case, other horses,) hypoallergenic, straight coated foals from our straight coated Curly mares and our Iberian stallions can not be registered with the International Curly Horse Association (http://www.curlyhorses.org/ ) If they are curly coated foals, they can be. Straight or Curly coated foals from our Curly coated mare Dee and one of our Iberian stallions, can be registered with the ICHO. Curly and smooth coated offspring can also be registered with the Curly Sporthorse International ( http://www.curlysporthorse.org/ ).

All foals sired by KC Prince Charles can be registered with the ICHO and CSI, straight coated or not. They can also be registered with ABCR as halfbreds.

All foals by our Iberian stallions can be registered with the International Andalusian and Lusitano Horse Association as Halfbreds. Curly foals produced by the Iberian/curly foals which are smooth coated, if bred back to a curly coated sire, or possibly dam, can get ICHO papers as well as Iberian Warmblood papers.

Two rare and ageless breeds, reunited again
"For the Ultimate Sport, Performance, Ranch and Family horse."
Dedicated to producing Top Quality horses suitable for all disciplines all levels, all ages!