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Arenberg-Nordkirchener pony
| Country Of Origin | Germany |
| History and Background | Germany does not have a long tradition of small horse breeding; the only native small horse is the Dülmener. From the early twentieth century ponies and small horses were imported, mostly from Great Britain, and some private individuals started breeding from them. The Arenberg-Nordkirchen breed was started in 1923 by the then Duke of Arenberg as a semi-feral herd on his estates in Nordkirchen, near Münster in Westphalia. It was based on the Dülmener, from which he intended to create a small and elegant riding horse. His stock was small, with no more than about 40 mares. In 1968 the entire herd was sold to a breeder from Nordkirchen, who introduced other pony and small horse blood to improve its riding-horse qualities. In the 1980s the herd was broken up, and the horses sold in Schleswig-Holstein and North Rhine-Westphalia, where they became part of the regional German Riding Pony populations. The Arenberg-Nordkirchen was seen at the Berlin International Green Week in 1984, after which it was thought extinct. In 1995 a small number of surviving animals were found. Since 1999 the known population has remained stable at about 20–25 head. In 2007 there were four stallions and eighteen mares. The Arenberg-Nordkirchen is classed as "Category I: extremely endangered" on the Rote Liste (red list) of the Gesellschaft zur Erhaltung alter und gefährdeter Haustierrassen, the German national association for the conservation of historic and endangered domestic animal breeds; it was listed as "critical" by the FAO in 2007. It is not among the 151 horse breeds reported by Germany to DAD-IS. |
| Use Today | Riding pony |
| Height | 12 to 13.3 hands high (48-53 inches, 122-134 centimeters) |
| Colour | Bay, Black, Chestnut, Dun, Grey |
| Characteristics | Dry, expressive head Sloping shoulder Well shaped croup Correct, clear foundation |
| Personality and Temperament | Friendly, able, persistent and tenacious |
