What is a Curly horse? In absolute basic terms a Curly horse is just that, a horse with a curly hair coat.
There is a LOT of different information about Curly horses so to avoid creating a novel I will gloss over some key takeaways and provide links below for further reading.
Are they Hypoallergenic and what does that mean?
Yes! They are absolutely considered a hypoallergenic type of horse but keep in note that does not mean you wont react.
I commonly see someone say “They can’t be hypoallergenic because so-in-so had a reaction”. Well, that’s not exactly how it works.
Hypoallergenic = LESS LIKELY TO CAUSE A REACTION. This does not mean that no reaction will occur.
Every animal is different so it is best to test on a case by case basis, for myself and the many other people who have animal allergies and have witnessed this bizarre phenomenon for ourselves it has truly been life changing. There are theories that being around curly horses can help develop a tolerance to regular coated horses in some people. We do not yet know the science behind why but I suspect it may have to do with the different protein make up of their hair coats which also cause the curl effect.
They do shed their coats just like any other horse should. Curls are most dramatic in the winter season and by summer they may be difficult to pick out from a herd of regular horses.
Not all Curly horses are the same! In fact they come in all shapes, sizes and colours. You can find curly coated drafts and you can find curly minis. Curly coated horses have been used in all types of breeding projects from working ranch horses to all round family mounts, sport types etc. When planning a purchase it’s important to note what sort of curly you are looking for and find a breeder who closely represents what you are looking for.
I.e. I may not be your optimal choice if you are looking for your next working cow horse as mine are not stock bred. My showy warmblood type Curlies are going to be very different than ranch bred stock Curly or someone’s purebred Curly Missouri Fox Trotter.
There are many different genetic factors that contribute to curly coats in horses, while several are known only two separate genes have been isolated for testing, the common KRT25 gene and the SP6 gene.
The KRT25 mutation that many curly horses carry can trace their ancestry back to the wild mustang herds in North America, where the gene mutation developed. This is the gene I have in my current stock.
The SP6 gene actually popped up in purebred Missouri Fox Trotters so while people have taken these unique horses and cross bred them you can also find purebred MFT strains with the SP6 curl mutation. Because of the connection with a baiting breed it is common that cross bred Curlies carrying SP6 will also carry the DMRT3 gaiting gene.
Then there are several other lines with genes that do not test positive for KRT25 or SP6, some include the Curly Jim line, Sulphur Mustangs, Tranbaikal horse of Russia and many others. Curly coats have also been known to pop up spontaneously in other purebred horses such as Arabians and Connemaras.
To add in another element of confusion, smooth coated horses born to Curly coated parent stock are also eligible to be registered as Curly horses, usually in a smooth coat division.
What is an “Extreme Curly”?
Some curly horses shed their manes and tails in the summer or hold them sparse year round. When tested these horses are often found to be homozygous (double copy) carriers of the KRT25 curl gene. It’s an unfortunate side effect of the KRT25 gene that brittle, sparse manes and tails can go along with it when a horse carries two copies. However, these horses are a breeders gold because no matter what they are paired with they will always pass along a copy of the curl gene too their offspring giving you 100% guarantee of Curly foals.
What is a “Baldie”? … another very unusual and thankfully rare phenomenon is the occurrence of body coat balding.
Nobody likes to talk about this but it’s an important thing to be aware of, I personally made the mistake early on of purchasing a baldie mare who was advertised as an extreme. I knew something was off with her as soon as I saw her and thankfully a seasoned breeder reached out to me to explain this condition too me and I didn’t end up using her in my program.
Research is still being done but it appears to be caused from the mixing of curly genes which is why it is unadvised to cross breed two different types of curly coats. Some bloodlines do appear to carry whatever causes this to pop up. One gene related to balding is being classified as the “Unknown A” gene, another feature is the appearance of a broom tail (top of the dock is shed down to skin with a broom like tuff of hair at the bottom). We cannot test for this gene yet but hopefully that day will come soon.
From a breeding perspective this is why testing and knowledge of your bloodlines is very important for making informed choices to avoid something like this happening. For obvious reasons baldies are not desirable and very difficult to sell or find appropriate placements.
Horses displaying signs of balding or carrying a balding gene should not be used in a breeding program for risky of balding being passed on to the foal.
Bashkir, what’s with that?
At some point in history there was the thought that Curly horses in North American were related to the Bashkir horse breed in Russia. This has since been disproven yet in some circles the terminology still remains.
Curly Coats are a neat topic and no two are exactly the same. Some show very tight ringlets and some have more of a wave or hardly any curl at all. Winter time is the best time to appreciate the curls when their coats are in full bloom, in the spring they shed to a coat very similar to any normal horse although some ripples may remain. It’s not unusual for the curly coat to change from year to year, especially as they age.
Common features most Curlies will show are curved eyelashes, curls in their ears and wavy/curled fetlocks.
A super cool fact about Curly coated horses is that their coat sheds can be collected as a fibre for spinning into yarn!
Check out this neat article a friend had published in Spin Off Magazine:
https://spinoffmagazine.com/curly-horse-an-exotic-fiber-from-the-equestrian-world/
Curlies are not horses plagued with cushings disease.
The curls on a Curly are caused from a genetic mutation and not a metabolic disease. This is a common identification mistake made by people who don’t know any better, or made by people trying to sell a cushings horse as something special.
For a trained eye there are some very specific characteristics that can be tell tale signs to differentiate between.
Cushings coats are usually shaggy, unhealthy looking and do not shed out properly in the spring. These horses are usually older and accompanied with additional symptoms. Poorly top lines, sunken hind ends and unhealthy hooves are other visual features of cushings.
What traits does a curly horse have?
Well, other than being Curly coated and sharing the potential for being hypoallergenic there is no straight answer here since they can come from so many different backgrounds and pedigrees. You are better off narrowing down a particular type, bloodline or specific breeders stock and finding out what they are known for.
For very in-depth information about the most recent scientific research findings please check out the ICHO Research Gazette published last Jan; https://www.ichocurlyhorses.com/gazette-research.html
Check out the curly horse registries for more general information about Curly horses and each registries mission:
- American Bashkir Curly https://abcregistry.org/
- International Curly Horse Organization https://www.ichocurlyhorses.com/
- Curly Sporthorse International https://curlysporthorse.club/
