The American Bashkir Curly is a horse breed that purportedly originated in central Nevada, though some argue to the contrary. I think we need to start with the story of the Damele Family in writing historial facts about the American Curly Horse. No one needed to tell the Dameles what they'd witnessed, which was a real turning point in their thinking. Only the strongest people and animals survive this harsh environment. It is very unlikely that even this breed of horse could have made the treacherous journey from Alaska to Nevada. Sunny Martin The Curly Horse Country web site is for informational purposes only. The Dameles weren't too concerned with the Curly Horse as a pure breed. However, upon closer examination this does not seem plausible. According to Damele family history, this was their first experience with handling and training Curly Horses. They soon found out that the Curly Horse could do all these things and maybe more. Stock breeding was not very successful with most settlements only able to keep a small number of cattle, sheep, pigs and perhaps chickens. The winter of 1951 and 1952 was another brutal, cold one with deep snow. [4]:88, The Bashkir horse is used for riding and for pack, harness, draught and farm work. Today, there are more than 4,000 Curlies in this registry and more than 1,000 in other registries and groups that have started since then. [4]:88 A two-year study published in 1990 found it unlikely that the North American Curly Horse, which also has a curly coat and may be called "American Bashkir Curly", descends from the Bashkir breed. While the history of the original Bashkir Curly is shrouded in mystery, the origins of the American Bashkir Curly are much clearer. [4]:88, Horses at Tra-Tau Mountain in Ishimbaysky District, For North American curly-coated horse breed, see. The surrounding Great Basin countryside is a cold, high-altitude desert dominated by sagebrush flats and surrounded by steep mountains. The Bashkir is the horse breed of the Bashkir people. [4]:88, Bashkir mares are prolific producers of milk. When spring came and the ranch horses were gathered from where they'd "wintered out," the only horses the Damele boys could find alive were curly-haired horses. The goals of the ABCR are to preserve this rare horse breed, to promote the Curly Horse as much as possible in shows and in the media, provide education about the special features of the horses and to protect the genetic pool of the small breed population … Mane and tail hair also is curly. Handling big numbers of horses on the open range meant having good hands on horseback. Research done by Shan Thomas for the CS Fund and resulting in the report, Myth and Mystery: The Curly Horse in America , indicates that the Russian breed most often found with the curly coat is the Lokai breed, found in the Taijikistan region. The origin of the Curly Horse is highly debated. No one associated with The Curly Horse Country site assumes any responsibility for its accuracy. (This was approved for posting on Curly Horse Country). Copyright © 2006-2021. As with any new product or food source, consult your veterinarian or trainer before using or feeding. It seems possible, but cannot be concluded, that the Spanish conquistadors may have brough curly horses, or the curly gene, to South America, as there are several European breeds with curly hair. Others suggest that curly coated horses were imported while the Russians occupied parts of the West Coast of North America. A single stallion could cover about 30 mares outside, so quite a few stallions were needed in the big, open country. Perhaps that's what brought Giovanni, "John" Damele to Eureka, where he came to appreciate the curly-haired horses. In separate research, the CS Fund has done blood typing of 200 curly horse in the Serology Lab at UC-Davis. The Damele family is still at the Dry Creek and Ackerman Ranches, and they still use Curly horses for working cattle. Much of the milk is made into kumis;[4]:88 kumis-making is a national activity of the Bashkiri people. Qcard [5] In 2003 the population of Bashkir horses was reported as 94,470. The exact origin of the Bashkir Curly is one of the greatest mysteries of the horse world. The horses share many physical characteristics with primitive horses, including wide-set eyes and strong cannon bones, and Curly Horses have particularly tough hooves, almost perfectly round in shape, which makes them good in rocky country. Barbara Rischkowsky, D. Pilling (eds.) John Damele arrived in Eureka from Genoa, Italy, in 1879. Many modern day Curlies can be traced back to many of the original Damele stock. No one really knows. In 1817 there were only sixteen horses in Russian America and they were more than likely the hardy Yakut and not the Bashkir or Lokai breeds. Dixie D Thus, Nevada Red became a part of the Damele herd and he remained a great influence in it until his death in 1981). It is illegal to download photos or reuse information off this site without written permission. The family used these horses to begin a breeding program. American Bashkir Curly horses are still a rare breed with a mysterious and unknown history. The Dameles wanted to breed a ranch horse that could do it all. The American Bashkir Curly Horse Registry (ABCR) was founded in 1971 and is the oldest Registry of Curly Horses. An old newspaper cartoon from the 1930s suggested (falsely) that curly horses were Bashkir horses from Russia. The modern day history of the American Bashkir Curly dates back to 1898 and the Damele (Duh-mel’ly) family. Through the years the Dameles purchased many stallions to use on their outside broodmares. The Dameles continued to breed Curly Horses and raise cattle on the Dry Creek and Ackerman Ranches. The ranches had specific needs for their horses, and certain ideas about what they wanted their horses to look like. The Curly Horse is known for its intelligence, easy going temperament, high level of endurance and a willing spirit. (2007). The Dameles caught their first Curly Horse stallion out of a herd of mustangs, named him Copper D, and broke him to ride as a 2-year-old. The existence of a horse with the curly gene is a mystery on North America. April 2004 issue. All rights reserved. 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