BALI

About the Breed

The ancestry of the ponies of Bali, one of the 17,000 islands of Indonesia, is quite ancient. Researchers at the beginning of the twentieth century attempted to trace the origins of these small horses and believed that they descended from the horses of Mongolia and western Asia.

They found that horses were brought to Java (Indonesia) by the Chinese during the T'ang dynasty (627 - 649 A. D.) as gifts for the king of Java and that during the Yuan dynasty (1280 - 1367), the Chinese cavalry landed near Tuban in Java. The horses brought by the Chinese descended from the Mongolian horse as well as horses obtained from other areas of western Asia like India and Turkmenistan. Because of this diverse background it is impossible to identify the specific breeds of horse that were the foundation stock of the Bali pony.

The Bali pony is very strong and is used as a pack animal to transport coral for building. They are also used as mounts for tourists who wish to view the island as well as for light draft work.

Breed Characteristics
The Bali pony has a large head with a straight profile. They stand on average between 11.3 and 13 hands high. They have small ears and almond shaped eyes. Their necks are usually short and straight with a bristly straight upright mane. The Bali's withers are generally quite low and have short, slightly upwardly curved backs. They have strong, hard hooves and like most Indonesian breeds rarely have ailments of the feet. The Bali is predominately of a dun color with a dorsal stripe, black mane and tail, and dark points. Other colors do occur.