Cape Horse & Basotho Pony

Developments during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries gave rise to the lofty era of the Cape Horse.

The Cape Horse, particularly as remounts, achieved fame far beyond the borders of that colony, culminating in their heroic epics during the Crimean War. However for various reasons, including severe horse-sickness epidemics, the horse breeding industry commenced to decline from about 1860. Among with the detrimental effects of so-called “Blood Weeds” imported during the years 1870 to 1875 the Cape Horse virtually disappeared from the scene.

Many excellent animals of the afore-mentioned stock found their way to the homeland of the Basuto, known know as Lesotho either through barter or as booty. As recorded in history the first horses to reach the kingdom of the then reigning monarch, Moshesh, arrived in 1825, following a counter-attack on a band of marauding Griquas.

In subsequent years the tribesmen rapidly took to horse riding as a means of traversing the mountainous terrain of their ancestral home and stronghold.

Delving into the sequence of events preceding the arrival in Basutoland of batches of horses and bounty of war, Thornton et al (1936) conclude that they were predominantly of oriental blood, since these animals in all probability left the Cape before Somerset’s thoroughbreds could have created much effect. But all progenitors of the Basuto Pony did not reach that country illegally; in later years Basuto laborers were frequently paid in kind, horses being a much favored reward for their services. This increased the demand locally for high class stallion, and between the years 1835 to 1840 excellent blood stock no doubt entered the territory.

On the other hand J.H.R. Bisschop in a recent (1970) personal communication expressed the opinion that if the Cape Horse is defined as the product of the original warm-blooded stock and Thoroughbred stallions, the Basuto Pony of fame according to this authority were the Barbary-Arab type of horses imported from the Orient.

By the year 1980 it was recorded that practically the whole Basuto Nation was mounted and the tide turned from import to an export of horses. This saturation of imports into Basuto land, in contrast to the fate elsewhere of the Cape Horse, prevented entrance of the inferior so-called Blood Weeds referred to previously. Indeed, from that date onwards the Basuto Pony as a type or breed gained recognition amongst Europeans both locally and abroad, the latter particularly following experiences of British cavalrymen during the Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902) However, the Basuto Pony’s fame also led to its downfall. So great was the demand that by 1906 exports very nearly drained the country of its larger and better stock and left Basutoland possessed of mostly inferior animals. Although this was soon realized by the authorities and determined efforts have ever since been made to revive the glory of the breed, principally through the introduction of superior Arab Stallions though unfortunately also by way of Thoroughbred Weeds, the outstanding characteristics of the Basuto Pony are found currently in individuals rather than in the breed as a whole.

The Basuto Pony, to summarize is the product of predominantly oriental blood introduced ba excellent parent stock, combined with a hardiness derived from rough mountainous terrain together with scanty nutritional and managerial conditions. This background produced and animal of small size and exceptional endurance, according to experts moreover as fearless and surefooted as any known type or breed of horse. These qualities are linked with conformational characteristics such as a somewhat thickset body, with short legs and extremely hard hooves, apart from its renowned easy paces, good nature, intelligence and fair turn of speed.