The Sandalwood Pony originated in Indonesia

Indonesia

Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...

, on the Sumba

Sumba

Sumba is an island in eastern Indonesia, is one of the Lesser Sunda Islands, and is in the province of East Nusa Tenggara. Sumba has an area of 11,153 km², and the population was officially at 611,422 in 2005...

 and Sumbawa Islands. It is named after the Sandalwood trees

Sandalwood

Sandalwood is the name of a class of fragrant woods from trees in the genus Santalum. The woods are heavy, yellow, and fine-grained, and unlike many other aromatic woods they retain their fragrance for decades. As well as using the harvested and cut wood in-situ, essential oils are also extracted...

, which are a major export of the country. The Sandalwood pony is one of the finest in the country, partly due to the great amount of Arabian blood. They make suitable children's ponies, and have been exported to Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

 for this purpose. They have also been exported to other Southeast Asian countries for use as racing ponies.

The Sandalwood is used for light draft

Draft horse

A draft horse , draught horse or dray horse , less often called a work horse or heavy horse, is a large horse bred for hard, heavy tasks such as ploughing and farm labour...

, pack

Packhorse

.A packhorse or pack horse refers generally to an equid such as a horse, mule, donkey or pony used for carrying goods on their backs, usually carried in sidebags or panniers. Typically packhorses are used to cross difficult terrain, where the absence of roads prevents the use of wheeled vehicles. ...

, farm

Farm

A farm is an area of land, or, for aquaculture, lake, river or sea, including various structures, devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food , fibres and, increasingly, fuel. It is the basic production facility in food production. Farms may be owned and operated by a single...

, and riding

Equestrianism

Equestrianism more often known as riding, horseback riding or horse riding refers to the skill of riding, driving, or vaulting with horses...

 work. They are especially popular in horse racing

Horse racing

Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...

, both on the flat and in harness

Harness racing

Harness racing is a form of horse racing in which the horses race at a specific gait . They usually pull a two-wheeled cart called a sulky, although racing under saddle is also conducted in Europe.-Breeds:...

. They are also used in the bareback

Bareback riding

Bareback riding is a form of horseback riding without a saddle. It requires skill, balance, and coordination, as the rider does not have any equipment to compensate for errors of balance or skill....

 races held on the islands, which are often over three miles long.

Sandalwoods have incredible endurance, and are very easy to manage. They should have a nice head with small ears, a short, muscular neck, and a deep chest with a sloping shoulder. The back is usually long, and the croup is sloping. The ponies are usually 12-13 hh, and may be any color.

There are eight breeds native to Indonesia, the Batak Pony

Batak Pony

The Batak Pony is a pony breed from Indonesia. Originating in Central Sumatra, it is thought to have descended from Mongolian Horse and Arabian blood, and has continually been infused with additional Arabian blood to improve its quality...

, Gayoe

Gayoe

The Gayoe, also known as the kuda-Gayo is a pony from the island of Sumatra, found near Aceh. The name is derived from the Gayoe hills in the north of the island....

, Deli pony

Deli pony

The Deli pony is native to the island of Sumatra in Indonesia. Closely related to the Batak Pony, both breeds developed in the Batak hills. The name of the breed most likely came from the large numbers of ponies exported from the port of Deli...

, Bali Pony

Bali Pony

- Characteristics :The Bali ponies are quite hardy and self-sufficient, surviving with little outside care. They are tough animals that are not shod and are remarkably sound, with hard feet, and strong legs...

, Java Pony

Java Pony

The Java pony is a breed of pony developed on the island of Java in Indonesia. It is thought to have descended from wild forebears of Mongolian Wild Horse ancestry...

, Sumba and Sumbawa Pony

Sumba and Sumbawa Pony

The Sumba Pony and Sumbawa Pony are named after the islands on which they are bred -- Sumba and Sumbawa Island respectively. However, the two breeds are very similar. The ponies descended from Mongolian Horses and ancient Chinese stock...

 (and closely related Sandalwood Pony) and Timor Pony

Timor Pony

The Timor Pony was developed on Timor Island, likely from Indian breeds of horses and ponies that were imported to the island. The Timor Pony is thought to be closely related to the Flores Pony, which was developed on nearby Flores Island. Both breeds are used by the local people for cattle work, ...

.