Last Updated on August 21, 2023 by Allison Price
We all have seen the adorable and scary Chinese Crested dog, as well as the bizarre looking Sphinx cat. But where are all those hairless horses?
It turns out that equine hairlessness is less common than other species and less well documented. But hairless horses do exist and they are cool. Let’s just assume that they are cold due to their lack of hair.
The 1860s saw the first mentions of hairless horses. A merchant named Lashmar spotted what appeared to have been a hairless horse in South Africa. In Land and Water magazine, 1868, Lashmar wrote about his discovery. The mysterious horse was described as having smooth skin, which felt like India-rubber and completely lacking hair follicles.
via messybeast.com
Imagine riding on a horse. Accounts differ.
A report published in New South Wales in 1871 stated that the skin of a hairless horse was so similar to rubber that it “slips around after a very brief time”
In 1872, a famous hairless horse called Caoutchouc was published in South Australian Advertiser. It stated that Caoutchouc had competed in a steeplechase contest and “jumped well”. Evidently, not having a mane to hold onto didn’t stop him and his rider.
via messybeast.com
There is no way to know why horses are hairless or what the cause might be. It could be a recessive genetic trait passed down from the parents. Others believe it is a genetic mutation that kills foals.
There are a few benefits to owning a horse without hair. You wouldn’t have to deal with clipping. Ever. Again.
Tangled tails? Problems of other people.
Well this shouldn’t take too long… (via Helpful Horse Hints).
To keep them warm, however, they will need to be provided with littlesomething more.
