GENERAL CURLY HORSE DESCRIPTION
The American Bashkir Curly The Curly Horse which has gained recognition through
the American Bashkir Curly Registry started as a breed preservation project
over 25 years ago. Through the foresight of Sunny Martin of Ely, Nevada and
others who she encouraged, this unique horse was sought out and recorded.
The recorded horses were of many different types and colors. The curly gene
has appeared in many breeds, including Draft Horses, Ponies, Arabians, Fox
Trotters, Appaloosas, Pintos, etc. Some Curly Horses shed out the mane hair
and tail hair each summer, to grow back during the winter. The mane hair
is usually fine and soft as a child's hair, it is quite kinky, and this ability
to shed the mane is perhaps natures' way of coping with the corkscrew curls.
( Impossible to manage if it became matted through years of growth) Their
body coat also sheds out in the summer and they become wavy or fairly straight
haired with their curly coat returning in the late fall. Several winter coat
patterns have been observed, from a crushed velvet effect, to a perfect marcel
wave, to extremely tight ringlets over the entire body. Some folks allergic
to horses are not allergic to Curlies. Curlies have been crossed with nearly
all horse breeds therefore, they come in all colors. Most sorrels have
flaxen legs, which is rather unusual, and this seems to be the basic color
of the Curly Horse breed. Some individuals have been found without ergots.
Some have small, soft chestnuts. Their soft, unexpressive eyes have an unusual
Oriental slant to them giving them a sleepy look, but gives them a larger
range of vision to the rear. They have a proud carriage, are very alert,
and not lazy, but typically very calm. Their unusually tough, black
hoofs (even the white ones are tough) are almost perfectly round in shape.
They have a stout round-bone cannon; straight legs that also move straight;
flat knees; strong hocks; short back which could indicate five lumbar vertebrae;
a round rump without crease or dimple; V'd chest and round barrel, all of
which contribute to their strength and endurance. The foals are born with
thick krinkly coats, even inside their short broad ears, and usually have
curly eyelashes. They have an unusually affectionate disposition. They will
struggle frantically when first roped or haltered but they soon willingly
respond to kindness and affection.
NORTH AMERICAN CURLY HORSE HISTORY
<----some of these Curly Horse accounts are not
documented as fact---->
When and how the first Curly Horse came to be on the North American Continent
remains a mystery. They have been recorded as being on the North American
Continent for over 200 years.
The Curly Horse is depicted as early as 1801 - 02 in a Sioux Indian "Winter
Count", which was known as the winter the Sioux stole Curly horses from the
Crow. This particular "Winter Count" was kept by a Sioux artist named Swift
Dog, whose tribe has been placed on the Standing Rock/Cheyenne River Reservation
of South Dakota. A portion of the Curly horses today can trace their roots
to these horses.
In 1880 some Curlies were captured from the wild herds in Nevada. The locals
referred to them as "Wooly Ones" or "Buffalo Horses." Drawings made by Chief
Red Cloud in 1881, describing the battle of the Little Bighorn, depict Curly
horses as being at the battle.
The Damele's purchased a ranch in Eureka in 1899. Soon after they moved to
the ranch they began seeing Curly horses in the wild herds. Two of the sons
caught a sorrel Curly and broke him to ride and sold him in 1931. In 1932
Nevada had one of the worst winters they had ever faced. In the spring, when
they were rounding up what little stock they had left, among their horses
were a few Curlies. These Curlies became the base stock of the Damele Ranch
horses. Benny Damele was one of the founding members of the first Curly horse
Registry.
Today there are approximately 3,000 Curlies registered in the two Curly
Registries: The International Curly Horse Organization (ICHO), The American
Bashkir Curly Registry (ABC)
NATIVE AMERICAN CURLY HORSE LEGENDS
<----some of these Curly Horse stories are not
documented as fact---->
"They first appeared to the people as a group of large, curly, red, dogs."
The color preferred was sorrel (red) and chestnut which is believed to be
the correct coloration for the breed. It appears that the Native Americans
had not seen horses prior to the sighting of the Curlies. Some time after
the legend of the" Curly Dogs", it has been found that the Curlies were described
by the Native Americans as the " horses before there were horses" which would
seem that the Curlies were apparent prior to the arrival of the Spanish horses
in North America. Curlies were known as "Mystery or Mystical Horses" by the
Sioux and as a old Chief stated there were "Never many". The Native American
Curly Horse is shown in "Winter Counts" and writings that date back beyond
white man. This information from Northern Sioux tribes.
At Wounded Knee, white men killed Big Foots' band of people and most of their
horses. After this time there were only a few Curly Horses left on the Standing
Rock and Fort Berthold Reservations in the Dakotas. The Standing Rock horses
were remnants of horses that were not with the people at the massacre of
Wounded Knee. They were among the "turned out" horses belonging to those
people, thus they were saved.
The Fort Berthold horses were discovered in a search for Native American
Curly Horses in an effort to find other bloodlines to keep the Standing Rock
stock strong. This "find" turned out to be a very small group of horses that
belonged to an Native American family who had possessed several Curly Horses
and then traded for two Curly mares from Siting Bull's band when they were
enroute back from Canada . (after the Custer massacre) Miss Fort Berthold,
her baby filly and her yearling daughter wre acquired that summer, this left
them with one old favorite stallion that was buried with the father of the
family when he passed away, according to tradition. They were used as buffalo
running horses, and because of their sacred status they were felt to have
the power to carry their Chief to a successful hunt.
One more trait that is unique to the Native American Curly is that many of
them have "Medicine Marks" which are roan spots or small black spots.
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