Il Konik
The konik
The name
The word “konik” is a diminutive of the Polish word “ koń”, which means “horse”. The name clearly refers to the small size of the animal.
History
The konik horse breed was created by Polish farmers at the beginning of the 19th century, probably crossing local hardy horses and wild horses of the Eurasian steppe. During World War I, these horses were used as transport animals by Russian and German troops. In 1923 Tadeusz Vetulani, an agriculturalist from Kraków, coined the word “konik”, which is now established as the common name for the breed. Vetulani started a project to conserve these animals but World War II put an end to his experiments.
Koniks currently live on nature reserves in Poland and are bred in controlled conditions. Also in other nations koniks have been introduced into nature reserves, the most important of which is the Oostvaardersplassen reserve in the Netherlands, where the biggest herd of free-ranging feral Konik horses in the world lives.
Appearance
The konik is short in height, ranging from 130 to 140 cm. Weight is around 320-350 kg, but it can reach 380 kg. The konik is a mesomorphic animal, with a strong and stocky build, typical of animals used in heavy tasks, like for example work in the fields. The hair coat can be of various colours, frequently steel gray and Buckskin [?] with a dorsal stripe; the mane and the tail are darker, often gray and bay.
Behaviour
The konik has a docile temperament; it can also be determined and even rebellious, but it is never aggressive or dangerous. This breed has always been used by man to carry out heavy tasks in agriculture; today it can be used as a riding pony in the countryside or in trekking activities.
The konik on our reserve
Six horses of konik breed live in the Quadris Reserve today. In 1988 some individuals coming from the Oostwaardersplassen Nature Reserve were taken to Friuli: at first they lived in the area of Mount Cuar in a semi-wild state and then, in 1999, they were moved to Malga Amula, in the village of Trasaghis. In a few years there were 15 individuals, which grazed the abandoned pasture in the area from Amula to the slopes of Mount Cuar. In 2004 the animals began to die, some naturally and some under mysterious circumstances; three of them were found poisoned in 2005, near the stables above the village of Avasinis.
Finally in 2014 the three remaining individuals were brought to our Reserve: a stallion named Rocco, a pregnant mare named Belen and a young female, probably their daughter, named Ludmilla. Today the family has expanded with the births of Marius (27/3/2014), Marco (15/2/2015) and Rosa 87/3/2017).