The Timor Pony was developed on Timor Island, likely from India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

n breeds of horse

Horse

The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...

s and ponies

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...

 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

Flores

Flores is one of the Lesser Sunda Islands, an island arc with an estimated area of 14,300 km² extending east from the Java island of Indonesia. The population was 1.831.000 in the 2010 census and the largest town is Maumere. Flores is Portuguese for "flowers".Flores is located east of Sumbawa...

 Island. Both breeds are used by the local people for cattle work, as well as riding

Equestrianism

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

, driving

Driving (horse)

Driving, when applied to horses, ponies, mules, or donkeys, is a broad term for hitching equines to a wagon, carriage, cart, sleigh, or other horse-drawn vehicle by means of a harness and working them in this way...

, and light farm work. Many of these ponies 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...

, where they have had an influence on the breeding of the Australian Pony

Australian Pony

The Australian Pony is a breed of pony that developed in Australia. It was greatly influenced by the native British breeds, especially the Welsh Pony, as well as some Arabian bloodlines.-Characteristics:...

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Timor Ponies are strong, frugal, and agile, and have a quiet and willing temperament. The ponies have a narrow frame, short back, muscular neck, prominent withers, and a sloping croup. The shoulders tend to be straight, but the legs and feet are strong. The ponies usually stand 10 to 12 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 (40 to 48 in (101.6 to 121.9 cm)), and are usually brown, black

Black (horse)

Black is a hair coat color of horses in which the entire hair coat is black. Black is a relatively uncommon coat color, and novices frequently mistake dark chestnuts or bays for black. However, some breeds of horses, such as the Friesian horse, Murgese and Ariegeois are almost exclusively black...

, and bay, but a few are gray

Gray (horse)

Gray or grey is a coat color of horses characterized by progressive silvering of the colored hairs of the coat. Most gray horses have black skin and dark eyes; unlike many depigmentation genes, gray does not affect skin or eye color Their adult hair coat is white, dappled, or white intermingled...

. The Flores Pony is usually around 12.1 hh and the dominant colors are bay and chestnut.

In addition to the Timor pony, there are eight other breeds native to the islands that make up 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...

, and three breeds so closely related that there is debate over whether they are one, two or three, the "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 the closely related 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...

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Sixty Timor Ponies that were imported into Australia formed the foundation of the Coffin Bay Pony

Coffin Bay Pony

The Coffin Bay Pony is a semi-feral horse that developed in Australia. These ponies evolved from foundation bloodstock of 60 Timor Ponies that were imported by English settlers from Indonesia to Coffin Bay, on the southern tip of the Eyre Peninsula at Coffin Bay, South Australia.Coffin Bay Ponies...

 breed that was developed in South Australia

South Australia

South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...

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The Timor Pony is referenced in the poem The Man from Snowy River by Banjo Paterson

Banjo Paterson

Andrew Barton "Banjo" Paterson, OBE was an Australian bush poet, journalist and author. He wrote many ballads and poems about Australian life, focusing particularly on the rural and outback areas, including the district around Binalong, New South Wales where he spent much of his childhood...

, first published in 1890.