The most exceptional and typical of the mountain breed of horses is the Hucul. It originated in the region of Hucul in the eastern Carpathian mountains of Romania. The first record of this small, mountain breed comes down to us from year 1603. According to experts, its precursor, the Carpathian tarpan, had many features in common with the wild horse. This horse was also native to northern Slovakia, where its skeleton remains have been found At first the Hucul was bred in the modest and diffi cult conditions of Romania. Breeding started in the Romania town of Lučina in 1856. Huculs are smaller horses with strong and solid short legs and hard hooves. They weigh on average from 380 to 450 kilograms. They come in a variety of colours, most oft en brown with a dark stripe on their backs. Less oft en they can be black, roan or ever piebald. They are very good as carriage horses but are also used for riding. Thanks to their easygoing, modest and clever temperament they can manage to get through all kinds of obstacles on the ground. They can climb steep hills and have no problem travelling over mountain roads. Today Hucul is a rare breed of horse whose existence is threatened. The main eff ort to breed and preserve this horse is located in the countries of Poland, Romania and Slovakia, to a lesser extent in Hungary, Austria, Germany and the Czech Republic. The organization of Hucul breeders in Slovakia as a successor to its breeders in Lučina and dates from thr year 1921. The most famous lines are the Hroby, Goral, Gurgul and Oušor, which make up the base of the breeding in Topoľčianky. International cooperation is essential to preserve the population quality of the Hucul. This is done under the aegis of the HIF (Hucul International Federation), headquartered in Topoľčianky, Slovakia. Th e Topoľčianky Stud Farm, which is responsible for the breeding of Hucul horses in Slovakia, has been a member of HIF since 1995.
