Heck horse

Heck horses in Hellabrunn

The rear horse is a crossbreeding of various European pony and horse breeds. It originated in the attempt of the brothers Heinz and Lutz Heck to breed a horse that is similar to their image of the Tarpan.

Breed history and appearance

The tail crossed during the first half of the 20th century on the one hand Dülmener horses, gray-white Gotland Ponies and Iceland ponies, Konik and Przewalski's horses. Konik were purchased during the Second World War, farmers from Poland, evacuated before the front and put the rear for breeding available.

After the war, Rear horses were increasingly Koniks crossed so many horses rear of these externally distinguish any more. As for breeding, however, different colors were used, these come in rear horse back and back to light. It is also larger and more delicate than the Konikpferd. In Wildlife Park Hardehausen in North Rhine -Westphalia rear horses were again Przewalski horses crossed to obtain an erect mane. This is based on the mistaken assumption that the European wild horse had also such a thing, however, is unlikely. A hanging mane in Europe had the advantage that the rain water is derived, in addition Pleistocene horses mummies are known which have a hanging mane. The rear horses in Hellabrunn where Heinz Heck was in the 1930 zoo director, were not crossed and therefore give information about the original breeding result of the stern brothers.

Heck horses are colored schwarzfalben, the coat color is the mouth and the leg tips go darker. A dark dorsal stripe is present. Rarely, slight leg stripes are visible. The mane and tail hair are made up of bright and dark hair.

Since the Dülmener horse was also crossed to a large extent with Konik, this is summarized together with the tail and the horse Konik sometimes in a Konik group.

Use

Heck horses are not rare in Central European zoos, almost always under the misnomer " Tarpan ". This is because the tail were (similar to the Heck cattle ) believe that their breeding experiments actually a ausgerottetes wild animal brought back, and baptized their races regardless of the scientific opinion accordingly. But since it is a robust Landrace, rear horses are often used in grazing projects for conservation reasons, as the grazing of cattle holding back the encroachment of open spaces. However, the erroneous identification with the wild horse stubbornly persists.