The American Bashkir Curly

The Curly horse is one of the greatest natural mysterious in the equine world. They were first spotted running with mustangs in the central Nevada deserts, but at first they were just a curiosity. That all changed in 1932 when Nevada was hit by an extremely severe winter. Most of the domestic stock and wild horses starved or froze to death. Among the few survivors was the Curly.

The Damele family on Dry Creek Ranch took a special interest in the Curly and began breeding. They started breeding wild curlies with their existing stock and the result was a line of horses described as gentle, easy keepers who could be the best ranch horses in the state. The Damele Curlies were among the first to be domestically bred. Curlies grew in popularity until 1971 when Benny Damele and Sunny Martin began the American Bashkir Curly Registry.

In an effort to reduce inbreeding since the Curly stock was so small they decided to cross them with the following 4 breeds: Arabians, Morgans, Appaloosas, and Missouri Fox Trotters. Arabians were chosen for the same short back and endurance, Morgans for their conformation. Appaloosas were all chosen for endurance, and the Fox Trotters because Sunny felt they shared the same smooth gait as the Curly.

Research continued and it was discovered that the Curly horses were not limited to Nevada. Native Americans in the plains states had owned them for years. The Sioux winter count of 1801 depicts the Sioux stealing Curly horses from the Crow. In 1881, Chief Red Cloud was persuaded to make some drawings of the Battle of the Little Bighorn. One of those pictures depicted an Indian riding a curly coated horse. Descendants of these horses are considered the “Native American” line.

Sadly, the Sioux lost most of their horses to the US Army during the late 1800's. Just recently a group of Curly breeders donated four Curly horses to the Sioux in South Dakota. Research indicates that all four of these horses can be traced back to original Native American Curlies. The return of the Curlies created quite a stir on the reservation, especially among the Elders. Their first crop of foals will hit the ground this spring.

There are many theories regarding how the Curly Horse came to the Americas and many of these theories have been explored in the book “The Curly Horse in America - Myth and Mystery”. It was originally believed that the Russian Bashkir horse was also curly coated and was probably an ancestor of our American Curly. Hence the name, American Bashkir Curly. After the fact, it was discovered that it was not the Bashkir that had a curly coat. It was actually the Lokai. Members of the ABCR considered dropping the word Bashkir from the name but after lengthy discussions, for the sake of public recognition, they left the name as it was. Many breeders, however, have chosen to refer to their horses as simply “American Curlies”.