The Basuto
Nippy, surefooted and resilient, the Basuto is made for the mountains. Stephanie Anthony finds out more
THE BASUTO OR Basotho is native to Lesotho, a mountainous, landlocked country encircled by South Africa. The Basuto is well adapted to mountain zones and altitude, making it particularly popular with recreational riders.
This little horse has a large head with a straight profile; a long, thin neck; prominent withers; straight shoulders with a long back and a thin, low-set tail. Typical coat colours include grey, bay and chestnut.
The breed has developed thickwalled hooves to safely negotiate the mountainous terrain. It can also endure extreme temperatures and survive on grazing of variable quality.
The Basuto is descended from Cape Horses (who, in turn, came from Arabian and Barb stock), and also from horses from Java who were brought to South Africa by Dutch settlers.
It has a form of amble called tripling — a two-time lateral gait, slightly faster than a trot, in which fore and hindlegs on the same side work together.
The Basuto is known to be bold, intelligent, extremely resilient, reliable and docile. Today it is mainly used for transportation and as a packhorse, but it’s also well suited to playing polo. As the Basuto is so surefooted across mountain terrain, it makes a good choice as a trekking horse and has also been known to excel in endurance races.
The breed has encountered a number of difficulties in the past, including epidemics, exportation and too much crossbreeding with other breeds. It was on the brink of extinction in the 1950s, but has since been doing fairly well.