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

Mongolian horse

The Mongol horse is the native horse breed of Mongolia. The breed is purported to be largely unchanged since the time of Genghis Khan. Nomads living in the traditional Mongol fashion still hold more than 3 million animals, which outnumber the country's human population...

s and ancient Chinese stock. A closely related breed also developed in these islands is the Sandalwood Pony

Sandalwood Pony

The Sandalwood Pony originated in Indonesia, on the Sumba and Sumbawa Islands. It is named after the Sandalwood trees, 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...

, which came from crossing the native ponies on horses of Arabian

Arabian horse

The Arabian or Arab horse is a breed of horse that originated on the Arabian Peninsula. With a distinctive head shape and high tail carriage, the Arabian is one of the most easily recognizable horse breeds in the world. It is also one of the oldest breeds, with archaeological evidence of horses...

 breeding.

Uses

Sumba and Sumbawa ponies are today used for pack, riding, and light draft work. They are incredibly strong, and many are ridden by men in games of lance throwing despite never reaching 13 hands

Hand (unit)

The hand is a non-SI unit of measurement of length, now used only for the measurement of the height of horses in some English-speaking countries, including Australia, Canada, the UK and the USA. With origins in ancient Egypt, it was originally based on the breadth of a human hand...

 high. Young boys also ride the ponies 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....

 in traditional dance competitions, manuveuring them in patterns as instructed. The knee of the ponies are decorated with bells, that chime in rhythm to the drumming.

Characteristics

The ponies are quick, agile, athletic, and fast, with great endurance, and a willing temperament. They usually have primitive coloring, being dun

Dun gene

The dun gene is a dilution gene that affects both red and black pigments in the coat color of a horse. The dun gene has the ability to affect the appearance of all black, bay, or chestnut -based horses to some degree by lightening the base body coat and suppressing the underlying base color to the...

 with a dorsal stripe and black points, although they may be any color. The Sumba and Sumbawa have a heavy head, short, muscular neck, and low withers. The back is usually long, although it is still strong, and the legs are fine but tough with good hooves. Most ponies do not exceed 12.2 hh, and the average height is around 12 hh.

There are eight pony breeds native to Indonesia, the others are 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...

, 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, ...

.