| THE HORSES OF AINOS |
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| THE HORSES OF AINOS |
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| The semi- wild ponies of Ainos live on
the S.SE slopes of the great mountain of Kefalonia, above the village of Arginia. Their
natural habitat is the area surrounding the monastery of Zoodohou Pigis (The Source of
Life). Ainos’s one and only freshwater spring is there, with a scant supply of spring
water to quench the thirst of sheep, goats, people and horses alike. They owe their existence to the ancient peasant custom of keeping herds of horses running wild in the mountains so that they would not have to look after them. Abandoned after the 2nd World War, they lived wild in small groups until up to about 10 years ago. There is only one herd left now. Their numbers have decreased so dramatically that they are considered as being under threat of extinction. The Ainos horses belong to the mountain breed of Greek horses. They are descended from the Pindos breed of horses, which the local peasants acquired from cattle fairs held in Aetoloakarnania and Arta. Isolated for decades up in the mountains, they adapted to the exceptionally adverse climatic and territorial conditions, such as the high altitude, rocky ground, lack of natural shelter to protect them from the cold and snows of winter, drought in summer, poor vegetation and scarcity of food. The way they have adapted, however, to the above conditions, combined with unchecked breeding in the wild, has meant that through the process of natural selection, the Ainos horses have evolved into a pure breed.
Compared to the Pindos horses, the Ainos horses are
smaller in size and height, but they have the same colouring. Where they differ is in
their stamina, their surefootedness when walking and trotting over rough terrain, and
their tough constitution. |
