| Conservation status |
|
|---|---|
| Other names |
|
| Country of origin | South Africa |
| Standard | Nooitgedachter Perdetelers Genootskap |
| Use |
|
| Traits | |
| Weight |
Female:
340 kg[3]: 60 |
| Height |
|
| Colour | any solid colour |
The Nooitgedachter is a South African breedofriding horse.[3]: 59 It is the result of a selective breeding programme established in 1952 to preserve the Basutho PonyofLesotho. It was later decided to give it a different name; it was at first called the Nooitgedacht Pony, named for the Proefplaas Nooitgedacht, the research station near Ermelo in Eastern Transvaal (now Mpumalanga) where it was bred; it was later called the Nooitgedacht Horse until the present name was chosen.[4][5]: 490 It is a rare breed, with only about 400 purebreds in existence.[citation needed]
The Nooitgedachter was created in the mid-twentieth century by the Department of Agriculture of the Union of South Africa, which established a programme of selective breeding at the Proefplaas Nooitgedacht, a research station near Ermelo in Eastern Transvaal (now Mpumalanga). The project was initially called the Basutho Pony Project, and had two aims: to preserve the Basutho PonyofLesotho, which had been in decline since the time of the Anglo-Boer War of 1899–1902; and to create a breed of hardy riding horse for South Africa.[3]: 59 The name was later changed, first to Nooitgedacht Pony, then to Nooitgedacht Horse, and finally to Nooitgedachter.[3]: 60 [4] Although the Afrikaans word nooitgedacht means roughly "never imagined", this is not the origin of the name of the breed, which derives from that of the research station.[4][5]: 490
The Nooitgedachter was bred to be a sturdy and compact riding horse capable of carrying a heavy adult rider over difficult terrain for extended periods, with good stamina, a good temperament, and hooves so strong that it does not normally need to be shod.[3]: 60 Height at the withers ranges from 138 to 163 cm (13.2 to 16.0 hands).[6]
In the early years of the breeding programme grey – in all its shades – was the preferred coat colour.[3]: 60 Under the 2015 breed standard, the horses may be of any solid colour; patterned coats – such as spotted, skewbaldorpiebald – are disallowed, as are blue eyes and de-pigmented skin.[6]
The horses commonly have five gaits. In addition to the usual walk, trot and canter they may also have an ambling gait, known as strykstap, and a rack, which in South Africa is called "triple".[6]
The Nooitgedachter is a strong and hardy riding horse, well adapted to the environmental conditions of South Africa, and suitable for use as a working horse in the management of farm livestock.[3]: 59
