History
The Rodos Small Horse also belongs to the Aegean family. The Rodos Small Horse began diverging from others in the Aegean family when Rhodes came under Frankish rule in 1309 AD a process that continued through Italian rule and lasted until Rhodes’ unification with Greece in 1948. The Italians appreciated the qualities of the Rodos Small Horse and included it in local events. The horse is mentioned in many studies conducted by the Italian Ministry of Agriculture in the beginning of the 20th century. It was housed in stables near the Italian Headquarters; these stables were specially designed for its size and survive to this day. The horses were used for horse riding by the children of Italian officers and also took part in military parades.When Rhodes joined the Greek state, the Rodos Small Horse was disregarded; its population decreased and was finally banished to the barren mountaintops of the island. In 2001,“Faethon-Rodos Small Horse Association”managed to gather the last remaining horses of the breed. Now the Rodos small horse can be found at the facilities of Faethon at Archaggelos (Rhodes island), where an effort is made to increase the population and create public awareness.
Morphological Traits
The Rodos Small Horse has characteristics similar to those of the Skyros Small Horse. Its height at the withers reaches 110 cm. It has small head and ears. The body is relatively narrow, the chest flat. The mane and tail are abundant. The hooves are hard, narrow and mostly black. The Rodos horse, as a representative of the mountain type, tends to be cow-hocked. The main colours are bay, chestnut and grey. White facial markings are limited to the forehead, while white markings on the limbs are rare.
Use
All horses of the Aegean family were chiefly used for various agricultural tasks. During the Italian occupation the Rodos Small Horse was privileged to be used by children, just as the large sized horses, participating in parades, races and for children’s horse riding. Today an effort is being made to help the population recover.
Population
Today the total population of the Rodos Small Horse breed is 14 animals thus classifying the status of the breed as ‘Critical’.
