Konik

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. The Konik (Polish: konik polski) or Polish primitive horse is a small horse, a kind of semi-wild pony, originating in Poland. The Polish word konik (plural koniki) is the diminutive of ko¿, the Polish word for "horse" (sometimes confused with kuc, kucyk meaning "pony"). However, the name "konik" or "Polish konik" is used to refer to certain specific breeds. Koniks show many primitive features, for example some breeds have the dun coat and dorsal stripe. In 1936, Professor Tadeusz Vetulani of Poznä University began attempts to breed the recently extinct tarpan back to its original state. To achieve this he used horses from the Bi¿goraj area descended from wild tarpans captured in 1780 in Biäowie¿a Forest and kept until 1808 in Zamoyski zoo. These had later been given to local peasants and crossbred with domestic horses. The Polish government commandeered all the koniks that displayed tarpan-like features. The result of this selective breeding program is that semi-wild herds of koniks can be seen today in many nature reserves and parks, and can also be seen in the last refugium in Biäowie¿a Forest.