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The Hucul or Carpathian is a pony or small horse breed originally from the Carpathian Mountains. It has a heavy build and possesses great endurance and hardiness. The breed is also referred to as the Carpathian pony, Huculska, Hutsul, Huțul, Huțan or Huzul. The breed gets its name from the Hutsuls, who live mostly in the Carpathians in Ukraine and in Romania, but also in an area in the East Carpathian Mountains north of the river Bistritz, officially named “Huzelei”.
In the 19th century, the Huculs were used by the Austria-Hungary Army. The Huculs are still used in the military of Romania today as with the Vânători de munte units.
In 1856, the first stud farm was established at Rădăuți, Romania. Several bloodlines were established by the foundation stallions Goral, Hroby, Oușor, Pietrousu and Prislop, and the horses were carefully bred to preserve the purity of these bloodlines. In 1922, thirty-three horses were sent to Czechoslovakia to establish a herd there which would become the Gurgul line. World War II caused a severe decline in the number of Hucul horses in Czechoslovakia. After the end of the war, only 300 Hucul horses remained there. Even though a stud-book was established in 1924 in the Huzelei after Polish cavalry officer Michal Holländer encouraged it, it was not until the early 1970s that breeders established an organization, Hucul Club, to prevent the extinction there caused by the declining number. In 1982 they established a stud book with fifty purebred animals and the goal of increasing the numbers in that region.
In 2004 Poland Horse Breeders Association was recognised by the European Union as keeper of the Studbook of Origin of the breed.
Thanks to the efforts of breeders, the world population of these horses now exceeds a few thousands. Most of them live in Western Europe. In Poland in 2019 there where 1446 mares and 167 stallions registered in the Stud-book of Origin of Hucul breed. There are also breeding studs in Slovakia, Romania, Czech Republic, and Ukraine. Many ponies in Europe also have Hucul blood. In recent years the popularity of this breed has spread as far as England.
In Vinnytsia Oblast of Ukraine, a hucul stud farm was established by Gennady Romanenko in 2016.
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