# Difference between mustang curly and bashkir curly?



## BarrelracingArabian (Mar 31, 2010)

I believe the difference would be that the bashkir is an actual breed bred fora specific reason. Where as the curly mustang is a mixture of different breeds that aquired the bashkir curly somewhere along the lines which would make it just a mustang with a curly coat.


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## Newby32 (Dec 4, 2011)

That makes sense. A mustang curly would probably have more of a mustang build, but with curly hair. I'm going to buy a Bashkir curly and unfortunately there is no paperwork on him. It makes no difference on whether I would take him or not. I'm head over heels in love with him. I'm just dying to know where he came from!


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## BarrelracingArabian (Mar 31, 2010)

Well mustangs come in a wide range of builds haha. Im not very familiar with bashkirs but I believe they are smaller and quite stout right? Congrats on your new boy :]


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## Newby32 (Dec 4, 2011)

That's true. They do come in a wide range of builds. The curlies do too. Mine is a big guy! They used to breed with drafts (not sure if they still do). I find breeding and genetics to be fascinating, but it makes my head spin too! lol


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## BarrelracingArabian (Mar 31, 2010)

Well thats cool! I was just basing off the ones I've seen in person The tallest I've met was about 15 h and fairly stocky the smallest being 14.1 nd fairly stocky as well.


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## CLaPorte432 (Jan 3, 2012)

My aunt used to breed Curlies. I own one myself, he was my first horse. Honestly, I've been around Curly horses for 10 years and have never heard of a "mustang curly" besides the Curly X Spanish Mustang mix that I also own. :lol:

What I'm guessing, because I've seen them on the BLM website, is that a Curly got in with a Mustang herd, then was picked up and that's how the lines got crossed. A "wild" Curly.

I'd love to see pictures of the Curly your looking at. They are super rare and a lot of horse people don't know about them. I take mine to shows and he gets soooo much attention and comments about what a puppy dog that he is. When he was 4 he was ridden by an 8 year old at a speed show and was the calmest horse there. People couldn't believe the way that he acted.

My aunt went out to South Dakota and purchased 3 mares, a stud colt (which she gelded) and leased a stallion and started her Curly herd from them. She got them from Ernie Hammerick whom if you happen to google, you'll find that he helped to create the stockier Curlies. Bad Warrior was one of his best known horses, and my Curly and Curly mix go back to him. He had alot of Quarter Horse blood in him and had Curls.

Curlies are wonderful, wonderful horses. I just wish more people knew of them and understood them. Back in the day, Americans used to push the herds of Curlies off cliffs like they did for hunting buffalo because they thought they were diseased due to their Curly hair. The Souix Indians saved the breed by herding as many as they could up to Canada.


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## CLaPorte432 (Jan 3, 2012)

BarrelracingArabian said:


> Well thats cool! I was just basing off the ones I've seen in person The tallest I've met was about 15 h and fairly stocky the smallest being 14.1 nd fairly stocky as well.


You're most likely seeing the old fashioned lines. The "foundation" of many of the Curlies was the Quarter Horse and Mustang and stayed between 13.3 and 15.1 hands high. In the past 20 years, many people have taken the Curly and started crossbreeding to Warmbloods, Thoroughbreds and Ponies to get the different sizes. Curly Ponies are sooooo stinking cute! But there's nothing like a 14.2 Curly because you know that they have the old fashioned blood running through them. It's super exciting! Curlies are a great mystery.


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## Newby32 (Dec 4, 2011)

I'm so excited to find someone who is passionate about curlies!!!! I've been researching the heck out of them. I just read the book "Nevada's Mystery Horse". It was all about how the curlies were saved and how they went from less than 300 to now over 4000! If I can figure out how to post a picture than I will get one up today. I think my guy was gelded late as he was acting stud like yesterday around a couple of old geldings. He has been an absolute gentleman with me, but this was the first time I've seen him do anything that was rude. I tied him next to these old guys and if they so much as swung their head around in his direction he got very loud, pawed the ground, and even reared up a bit. Being new to the horse world, I didn't know whether to interpret this as stud behavior or if he was "weirded" out about being tied next to strangers. Unfortunately, there is very little about his past. I know he is 8 and that his previous owner had kids on him. The day before I started leasing him, a 7 year old rode him all day. Anyway, sorry about the novel.... I'm just so excited about this boy!


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## CLaPorte432 (Jan 3, 2012)

Very cool. Doesn't sound quite like he was being studdish to me. More along the lines of insecure possibly at being next to horses that he doesn't know? My mare does that, she'll squeal and strike out when she's excited about new horses. She acts slightly mareish and nickers and squeals and acts kinda naughty

Where did you purchase your Curly from?

















This is my boy Jasper. 









This is Sonic. We rescued him and we able to find a new home for him after a couple of months. He was pretty malnourished when we got him, but he's a really thick boy now! He filled out something fierce!


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## Newby32 (Dec 4, 2011)

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I'm not sure I did this right. I haven't posted a picture on here before. 

This is Curly. He still has to gain some weight. So far, he's put on over 150 pounds. The current owner has had him for about 2 months. I am leasing right now, but I plan on buying him soon. I'm not sure where he came from, but we live in southern Nevada. I wish I could know some history on him. 

I'm glad to know that maybe he wasn't acting "stud-like". Because I don't know the history on him, I have no idea what he's like with other horses. He does fine on the trail with everyone, just not standing around.


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## Newby32 (Dec 4, 2011)

Your horses are gorgeous. My guy is super curly after riding. It will be interesting to see how he looks next winter after eating well. The people who had him before his current owner had no idea that he was a curly. Everyone at the barn is interested. Many people have never seen curlies and they think that his coat just came in really thick.


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## CLaPorte432 (Jan 3, 2012)

There are varying stages of curls that Curlies can have. There are straight Curlies that look like a regular horse and then you can have a Curly with tight long ringlets all over their bodies. My Curly gets pretty Curly in the winter. I can probably get some pictures of him tonight when I go out and feed them just so you can see what he looks like. His mane doesn't seem curly, but I can tell his legs have some wave to them. My Curly mix is straight haired, but hypoallergenic, and he gets soooo fuzzy in winter. It's like his hair decided since it can't curl, it's going to foof out! LoL. 

I would definitely be curious to see him next year after better nutrition. See if his coat curls more then it did this winter. It's like his bottom half if curly, but the top half is quarter horse. LoL. When Jasper came back to us, because he was underweight, his curls weren't very good that winter, but they seem to have gotten better over the years so I'm sure good nutrition plays a part it in.


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## Newby32 (Dec 4, 2011)

I'm going to try and take some better pictures tomorrow. All over his back there are light golden curling hair. When he is sweaty it kinks into curls all over his body. Also, I wonder if the weather here has something to do with it. It can get into the 20's and 30's and night where he is boarded, but this winter has been surprisingly warm. We are riding in weather that is in the high 60's! It's been so great. It seems like it would come in thicker and curlier if it was colder.


002 (Medium).jpg 

Here's another one that you can see how thick his hair is. Hopefully, in another month we won't be able to see those ribs anymore.


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## Faceman (Nov 29, 2007)

BarrelracingArabian said:


> I believe the difference would be that the bashkir is an actual breed bred fora specific reason. Where as the curly mustang is a mixture of different breeds that aquired the bashkir curly somewhere along the lines which would make it just a mustang with a curly coat.


Yup...curlys are a breed. Mustangs are not. The OP's horse looks sort of like a rare Womamtang to me...a very rare breed developed in early Europe during the last ice age. They were developed by crossing native horses with stunted wooly mammoths...:rofl:


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## draftgrl (Jan 8, 2011)

Don't have alot to say since I know little to nothing about the Curly's but they have always intrigued me when I first heard of them a couple years ago. Those guys are sure good looking though you two!! 

Hope all goes well with you and your boy Newby32!


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## CLaPorte432 (Jan 3, 2012)

They honestly are such a great breed. The best, most honest and trainable breed ive ever worked with. They are super forgiving. My first horse was a Curly, i was 11, he was a yearling and i made mistakes that everyone makes but he didnt seem to care. It never affected him. My trainer loves the Curly breed.

I got pictures of Jasper with his curls. Ill post them in a bit. 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## CLaPorte432 (Jan 3, 2012)

Good picture of his mane...









His, unfortunate tail. It used to be thick and down to his hocks, but either it's been chewed off by the previous owners horses, or that's the way he is now...??? I might try some mane and tail growth on it this spring...









His curly legs...


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## trailhorserider (Oct 13, 2009)

Do you guys find your curlies smell different than regular horses?

My friend has a curly Missouri Fox Trotter and he has a particular smell to him, especially when he sweats. He smells more like a wet dog than a horse! I know they are supposed to be hypoallergenic and so I don't know if that has anything to do with it or not, but he really smells unlike any horse I have ever met.

He's not my horse so I probably shouldn't post pictures, but he's a very curly palomino Missouri Fox Trotter. Tons of mane and tail. Mane on both sides of his neck if she doesn't keep it banded. He looks like a barbie horse.

Is the curly gene in Fox Trotters a separate mutation from the non-gaited curlies? This guy is tall and leggy like a gaited horse too, not built like a Mustang curly.


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## trailhorserider (Oct 13, 2009)

PS. It seems like I've read somewhere that the Russian Baskir Curlies are a separate genetic mutation from the American curlies. But I don't remember where I read that. Somewhere on the Internet.

I assume the Fox Trotter curlies and the Mustang curlies must be related somehow but I don't know that for a fact. What is interesting is that Fox Trotter curlies seem to have lots of mane/tail while non-Fox Trotter curlies seem to have sparser manes/tails.


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## Newby32 (Dec 4, 2011)

Wow! His main is so cool! My Curly's main is hardly there, but what is there, is wavy. When dry, he has the marcel wave and when wet, he looks like your boy. My guy has a long tail that is tri colored and has slight wave. After seeing pictures of yours, I'm even more excited to see what he may look like next year. 

The air here in the winter is very very dry. Every time you touch someone, you get a little zap. After brushing your hair, it stands straight up with static electricity! I have two curly haired daughters that have the frizzy fly away look going on. I think if my Curly horse were around a little more humidity he would definitely curl more. 

You are right. This is an awesome breed. He's a fantastic horse for a beginner like me!


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## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

And those who are allergic to horses.....Curlies are hypoallergic! I love Curlies, truly a different breed.


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## Newby32 (Dec 4, 2011)

trailhorserider- This is what is says on the American Bashkir Curly Horse Registration:
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*It is still a mystery how the Curlies came to the US. Many theories have been advanced on the subject, but no factual proof has yet been found. But there is evidence that Curlies have been in North America since the early 1800's. Many Indian pictographs illustrating the "Winter Counts" have noted that in the winter of 1801-1802 the Sioux had stolen some curly horses from the Crow. This incident placed the tribes at the Standing Rock/Cheyenne River Reservation at the mouth of the Grand River. A significant location of the Curlies today has been traced to Indian Reservations in North and South Dakota. Many Curlies then and now have been acquired from the wild horses that roam the lands of the United States. They have been domesticated, bred and raised by ranchers throughout the United States and Canada.

One theory why curly coated horses ended up roaming with the wild mustangs of the West, was that the Russian Bashkir Curly horses, that were originally shipped with the Russian colonist who tried to settle America’s Northwest territory during the 1700’s, had set their remaining horses free after abandoning their westward expansion. Unfortunately, through further research including consultations with Russian scientists, the Moscow Zoo and the Ministry of Agriculture, it was determined that there are no curly haired horses from the Bashkir region.

Another theory is that the ancestor of the Bashkir Curly Horse might have crossed the land bridge during the last Ice Age. But there is no fossil evidence to support the existence of horses in the America's from the last Ice Age until the reintroduction of horses to this hemisphere by the Spanish.*_*

*It also mentioned that there is an art piece from 161 AD from China of a Curly horse!

Mine doesn't seem to smell funny, but like I mentioned it is really dry here. That may help with smells.


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## CLaPorte432 (Jan 3, 2012)

Curlies were crossbred with gaited horses to get an amazing trail horse. The hair must come from the Fox Trotter that he's got in his blood. It's not a seperate mutation, they were just crossbred to suit people's needs...I'm sure all Curlies go back to one specific horse, (like HYPP with Impressive) but, no one knows. Remember, there was once less then 400 Curlies alive. Now there are over 4000, probably higher because I know my Curly isn't registered. There's Warmblood Curlies, Pony Curlies, Stock bred Curlies, Arab-type Curlies, Drafts, Gaited...Those 400 made it to 4000. There was alot of crossbreeding. But if your looking for the old type curly, the Damele line, and Hammerick line is where to look. 

The history of the Curly is blank. There's nothing there, but Curlies have been recorded in North America since the early 1800's...Where'd they come from? Good question...

And YES! My Curly smells different. I often get that when people meet him. He smells, like bacon. Seriously. I'm not joking in the least tiny way. He's got a strong, distinct odor to him. I'm very glad you brought that up. And it's especially noticeable when he sweats.


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## CLaPorte432 (Jan 3, 2012)

I don't ever brush Jasper's mane out. I did it one time after I got him, he looked like a troll. He had a fro. LoL. Live and learn. It took a long time for his curls to "retract" into the ringlets.


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## Newby32 (Dec 4, 2011)

Curly pictures that I took today.  You can see that his mane is sparse. I bet he'll be the kind that loses it in the summer. 
http://www.horseforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=83554&stc=1&d=1325740735


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## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

Besides the curly fur, another thing I love about curlies is their hooded eyes.


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## draftgrl (Jan 8, 2011)

They remind me of big teddy bears!! Lol


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## MangoRoX87 (Oct 19, 2009)

If you go onto the BLM's online adoptions, a lot of times they have curlies that just kinda come out of no-where it seems.


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## Newby32 (Dec 4, 2011)

They are like big teddy bears!


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