North American Curly Horses are a rare breed of horse, with an estimated 2,000 currently living in the United States and Canada, and a small handful in Germany, France, Finland, Norway, Holland, Sweden, Austria and Australia. The Curly Horses most admired feature is their distinctly people-oriented temperament, and kind, willing nature, gentle inquisitiveness, and bold, sensible demeanor. The Hallmark of the breed is its unique Curly coat, which ranges from tight pincushion type curls to soft marcel waves, and a wide range of curl types in between. Curly horses also exhibit curled up eyelashes, long curly fetlocks, a mane that ranges from light waves, to double-split mane with long dredlocks, to no mane at all! I think the most interesting tidbit about the Curly horse is their hypoallergenic qualities. Most allergy suffers find that they are not allergic to Curly horses (although there can be a range of symptoms exhibited from individual horses), and at the very least their allergies are greatly diminished and tolerable.

Body: The Curly Horse is a durable, sturdy, horse generally 14.0 to 15.1 hh, although some taller Curlies are now being bred for Sporthorse enthusiasts. The Curly is strong, with a short back, straight strong bone, and thick, healthy hooves. The Curly Horse usually does not require shoes, but like any horse, requires regular farrier care. Curly Horses have a wide face, and wide set ears. Their faces can be long and narrow, straight in profile, or roman nosed. They may have other primitive horse traits such as smaller chestnuts or missing ergots. Curlies with thick manes are double maned (split). They are not required to be clipped when shown, to display their unique Curly Horse traits. There has been some rumor that Curly horses don't require any care. Unfortunately, that isn't true, and some horses have been neglected due to this misconception. A Curly Horse requires good, basic horsecare including regular hoof trimming, dental care, decent quality hay, clean, fresh water, and a run-in shelter from the elements. They do not, however, require pampering, i.e., shoes, blankets, stalls, etc.

Coat: The Curly Horse's winter coat is curly, and usually straight in summer, sometimes with some waves. It has a curly mane, forelock, ear hair, eyelashes and fetlocks, and sometimes a wavy tail. The body coat can range from crushed velvet waves, tight ringlets, or microcurls. Manes and forelocks look like corkscrew, ringlets or dreadlocks. Tails may have some wave or curl. The ear hair is curly, and the whiskers, eyelashes, and fetlocks curly. In summer, Curlies shed out to a smooth coat, but sometimes you can still see a slight wave. Some Curlies shed their manes and or tails during the spring and regrow them during the summer, and some shed only once every 3 years or so, possibly as nature's way of keeping those Curly manes from getting all tangled up. There are even people who spin Curly hair, and they swear it spins just like mohair! You can read more about spinning Curly hair on the Fiber page.

*Willow Creek Call Me Mr. Courtesy of Conroy's Curlies	*Cuervo Courtesy of Curly Standard Place	Grace (straight coated Curly) Courtesy of Curly Standard Place	*Shooter Courtesy of Terry Schmidt

Hypoallergenic: The curly coat is hypoallergenic, due to a different type of protein, and lesser amounts of protein in the hair. Even the Curly horse crossed with a straight horse is hypoallergenic, so long as the hair is curly, and even some straight-coated crosses have tested hypoallergenic, as well. If you are allergic to horses and looking for a Curly due to those allergies, it would be a good idea to test your reaction to any horse you are considering, and check with your doctor. Hair and saliva samples can be sent as a preliminary test. For people who are dangerously allergic to horses, we highly recommend doing any testing in the presence of your allergist, with emergency drugs immediately available.

Color: The Curly horse comes in all equine colors, including sorrel, bay, black, grey; the dilutes: palomino, buckskin, dun, grulla, roan, as well as pinto colorations, sabino, and spotted appaloosa patterns.

Sorrel Crow Country Curlies	Black Crow Country Curlies	Bay Terry Schmidt	Grey Crow Country Curlies
Palomino Michelle Ives	Buckskin Green Mountain Curlies	Red Dun Crow Country Curlies	Dun Curly Standard Place
True Roan Crow Country Curlies	Tobiano Terry Schmidt	Appaloosa Curly Standard Place	Appaloosa Michelle Ives

Temperament: The Curly horse has a very quiet and peaceful temperament. The Curly generally stops and thinks before reacting to a situation, therefore it generally does not panic or "spook" like many other breeds. The Curly is a quick learner, and very easy to train.

To summarize, the Curly Horse is easily to keep, strong, and athletic. It comes in a range of sizes, types, and colors. It is a very adaptable, peaceful animal, which is perfect for the family setting, plus it is hypoallergenic!

Where did they come from?

The Curly Horse is documented among wild horses of the North American west, since the 1700's. It has survived centuries of evolution, resulting its efficient size, strength, stamina, a short back, straight, strong boned legs, and thick walled hooves. The Damales’, a Nevada ranching family, were the first to use and breed the Curlies in the 1930s. They bred Curlies with their ranch horses, and with an Arabian stallion, Nevada Red, and a Morgan stallion, Ruby Red King. The Curly coat came through on the cross-bred foals often, coupled with other Curly characteristics - strong bone and hooves; calm, intelligent, easily trainable temperament; friendly personality; tough constitutions and stamina, etc. The Damele`s herd was reduced to three mares & a colt during a severe storm in the 1950`s. Eli Bad Warrior sold his few remaining Curlies to Slim Burndt in the 1930`s. To continue breeding these hardy horses, it was necessary to cross breed them to other breeds. Each breeder had his own idea of what other breed to cross with the Curly. Some of our Curlies pedigrees reads like a Who`s Who of Arabian (Nevada Red), Morgan (Ruby Red King), Quarter Horse (Hard Twist, Peter McQue, Oklahoma Star), Appaloosa (Chief of Fourmile), and Missouri Foxtrotter (Walker's Prince T). The Curly had a great beginning thanks to the planned outcrossing of dedicated breeders.

What can Curly Horses do?
A little bit of everything! The wonderful thing about Curlies is that there is a breeder for every discipline. From stockhorse to sporthorse, ponys, gaited, and everything in between, there is a Curly for whatever your discipline.

Western Events Conroy's Curlies	Hunt Seat Curly Standard Place	Jumping Top O'the Hill Farm	Cross Country Windy K Curlies
Dressage Greycoat Farm	Driving Allyn Babitch	Gaited Terry Schmidt	Parades Conroy's Curlies
Ranch Work Crow Country Curlies	Vaulting Allyn Babitch	Love & Attention Conroy's Curlies	Memories to Last a Lifetime Conroy's Curlies

For further information, and to find a list of Curly horse breeders, visit the International Curly Horse website, the American Bashkir Curly Registry, the Curly Horse Information site, or the Curly Horse Classifieds.