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The Horses in Malaysia

The sight of a horse anywhere in South East Asia now will not raise any eyebrow as it has become quite common. The horse though not indigenous to the region has somehow found its way to the Malay Archipelago. It could not have existed in Malaya due to the fact that there was no open country which is the natural habitat of the horse. Because of its proximity to the equator, most of the Malay peninsular would have been covered by tropical rainforest then and the horse is an animal of the plains.

Like many of its people, the horse too, was an immigrant to Malaysia. Historically, the Chinese and Arab merchants were credited with having introduced the fourlegged animal to this part of the world, including Sabah and Sarawak, in the 14th century.

Records show that the first ponies to arrive on the shores of the Malay peninsular were the batak ponies from Deli, Sumatra. Commonly known as Deli ponies, they were shipped in the 19th century to Singapore, Malacca, Penang.

It is believed that ponies were imported some few hundred years ago to the Malay Archipelago either by Hindu invaders from the west or merchants from Pegu to the North and China to the East. It is very probable that the Shan Ponies, native to Burma and bred by its hill tribes, were imported to the highlands of Northern Sumatra where there was open country. Cross-bred with the Arab stallions brought in by the Arab merchants circa 1375, a new bred of pony, the real Deli pony emerged.

Another theory was that the Javanese went on a mission to China to procure good horses during the seventh century as other parts of the Malay Archipelago had taken to the use of horses. The Chinese horses were probably descendants of the Mongolian wild Horse as there was no form of controlled breeding.

The characteristics of the Deli pony were distinctly divided - its hardiness and stamina will attest the fact that it had inherited from its Mongol forebears the well-known qualities of endurance. Its handsome breedy head and high crested neck indicated a strong infusion of Arab blood. This breed, in most probability, is now extinct because through the centuries it would have been crossed with many other breeds.

Horses did not come into their own in Malaya until the coming of the British traders. The British opened up the Colony of the Straits Settlement that led to ponies and horses playing a major role in the transport system. In fact, for a very long time this was the general means for long-distance journeys.

One interesting fact highlighted from municipal records showed that there were far more horses than ponies licensed than carriages. This implied that a good deal of travelling was done on horseback. Back then, ownership of horses and carriages signified affluence and hence, it became a status symbol and many local families maintained large stables.

Horses were indeed used for recreation by the Malay Sultans, members of the courts as well as the British settlers. In one case, the Malay Annals speak of horses brought in by the Gujerati traders from India and how a Gujerati 'dancing horse' would perform for the Sultan of Malacca.

The Malay rulers were known to have spent fortunes on their lovely horses. Sultan Idris Shah of Perak, for example, had a cavalry of Sikh horseman as his personal bodyguards. The Pahang royalty to this day still maintain a large string of horses in Pekan while the Johor royal family have always been great supporters of polo and gymkhana events.

Where there are horses, sport of some form or another existed such as polo, amateur racing or gymkhana events. Organised racing activities began in Singapore and Penang more than 130 years ago and then spread elsewhere. Horse racing was first introduced in this country in the early 1800s by the British traders in Singapore.

In East Malaysia, Sandakan and Kuching were the centres of activity for horse sports. Polo has been played in Sandakan since the turn of the century. The Bajau horseman, famous for their colourful attire (for both rider and pony) and horsemanship, were and are still active in places such as Kudat, Kota Belud, Belud Tuaran, Keningau and Kota Kinabalu.

In present day Malaysia, nearly every state has some form of organised equine activity, such as polo, showjumping, dressage, gymkhana events, amateur and professional racing and breeding.

It is interesting to note that organised horse breeding was undertaken circa 1862 in Penang at the Glugor Estate, where Sumatra mares were crossed with Arab stallions. The progeny produced were larger and measured just under 11 hands. Attempts were also made around 1922 to 1926 to improve the standard of the local ponies in north Borneo. Stallions were imported for cross breeding and it was met with a measure of success in Sarawak.

Breeding invariably declined with the advent of motor vehicles and macadamised road. However, today in Malaysia breeding of horses and ponies has revived at several locations. In Kelantan, the Bimo Siam is bred and cross-bred with other strains on a small scale. Cross-breeding also takes place in Johor at the Institut Haiwan Kluang as well as Sabah. Presently, Arab horses are being bred by a breeder in Sabah. Together with the National Stud Farm at Tanjong Rambutan, Perak which breeds thoroughbreds for racing, these two operators are probably the only two in the country to breed pure-bred horses.

With such initiative taken in breeding, the horse is definitely here to stay in Malaysia.