The Peneia Pony is a rare breed of pony

Pony

A pony is a small horse . Depending on context, a pony may be a horse that is under an approximate or exact height at the withers, or a small horse with a specific conformation and temperament. There are many different breeds...

 from the Peloponnese

Peloponnese

The Peloponnese, Peloponnesos or Peloponnesus , is a large peninsula , located in a region of southern Greece, forming the part of the country south of the Gulf of Corinth...

 in southern Greece

Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....

. Peneia is a poetic name for the peninsula, often found in classical texts.

History

The breed was founded on an autochthonous

Endemic (ecology)

Endemism is the ecological state of being unique to a defined geographic location, such as an island, nation or other defined zone, or habitat type; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. For example, all species of lemur are endemic to the...

 Greek variety very possibly related to the Pindos

Pindos Pony

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, and later crossed with Anglo-Arab

Anglo-Arabian

The Anglo-Arabian or Anglo-Arab is a crossbred horse that now also has its own status as a horse breed. It is a Thoroughbred crossed with an Arabian. The cross can be made between a Thoroughbred stallion and an Arabian mare, or vice-versa...

, Anglo-Norman

Anglo-Norman horse

The Anglo-Norman horse was a warmblood horse breed from the old province of Normandy in northern France. From early in the 19th century, local Norman mares were crossed with imported English thoroughbreds, Norfolk Roadsters and half-breds, which themselves had Norfolk Roadster and Mecklenburg blood...

 and Nonius strains. Its herdbook was only established in 1995. The breed is found in Ilia

Elis Prefecture

Elis or Ilia is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of West Greece. It is situated in the western part of the Peloponnese peninsula. Its capital is Pyrgos.-Geography:...

 and Achaia prefectures

Prefectures of Greece

During the first administrative division of independent Greece in 1833–1836 and then again from 1845 until their abolition with the Kallikratis reform in 2010, the prefectures were the country's main administrative unit...

 in the northwest of the Peloponnese.

According to Greek Agriculture Ministry

Minister for Rural Development and Food (Greece)

The Ministry of Rural Development and Food is a government department of Greece responsible for the country's agriculture.The current minister, as of 7 September 2010, is Kostas Skandalidis.-List of Ministers of Agriculture:...

 statistics, as of 2002 there were two hundred thirty-one breeding mare

Mare (horse)

A mare is an adult female horse or other equine.In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse age three and younger. However, in Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four years old; in harness racing a mare is a...

s and sixty-nine stallion

Stallion (horse)

A stallion is a male horse that has not been gelded .Stallions will follow the conformation and phenotype of their breed, but within that standard, the presence of hormones such as testosterone may give stallions a thicker, "cresty" neck, as well as a somewhat more muscular physique as compared to...

s.

Breed Characteristics

Peneias generally stand between 10.1 and 14 hands high, and are usually bay, black, chestnut, or gray, although other colors are seen. They have a well-proportioned head with a convex profile and a well-set neck running into low withers, a wide chest, and muscular, sloping shoulders. They have a short back, sloping croup, and long lets with small, tough hooves.

The natural gait of the Peneia breed is fairly stilted, so they are usually taught a smoother gait called the aravani.

Uses

Peneias are used as draft animals, pack animals, and mounts for riding and jumping. The stallions are often used for breeding hinnies. Crosses with the Thoroughbred

Thoroughbred

The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...

have produced faster horses, while the Hellenic National Stud Book Society is promoting a new breeding program crossing Peneia stallions with light draft mares.