The Miniature Horses of Archangelos, Rhodes

It’s a little known fact that here on Rhodes we are privileged to have a very rare breed of miniature horse which is in danger of extinction.  The article below outlines the recent history of the breed and local efforts to save these beautiful mini equines.  You can see the horses for your self at ‘Faethon’, a purpose built area for the protection of the remaining animals.  However due to a lack of funding its not been possible to ‘man’ the area on a regular basis for visitors.  We have asked the association for their protection to confirm some opening hours for us to advertise – watch this space or take a chance and drive to Archangelos to see for yourselves!



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The Miniature Horses of Archangelos, Rhodes

It’s a familiar story, almost a Greek tragedy, as with many of the free herds of Greek horses……

Up until the 1960s, equines had a clear and dynamic role in the agricultural life of humans.  It was no different for the semi-wild herds of miniature horses living in the mountains of Koutsouti and Strongilou as well as other parts of Rhodes.  They were semi-wild as opposed to wild as they were rounded up during seasons of agricultural need and used for strenuous jobs such as ploughing and transportation.  When they were no longer needed for work they were turned out onto the mountain again to fend for themselves.

The miniature horses of Rhodes today are descendants of an ancient breed.  They grow to a height of between 80–115 cm.  They are smaller than there more well known cousin, the Syrian horses, found on the island of Skyros.  They have excellent conformation and perfect proportions which set them apart as miniature horses rather than ponies.  Their rich coat and luxuriant mane and tail are usually one colour, dark bay or bay, although sometimes liver chestnut or chestnut.  The horses have spirited characters and are extremely fast, even on uneven surfaces.  This is a result of centuries adapting to life on mountainous, impassable terrain.

As technology evolved and machinery was introduced to the working lives of farmers the horses became redundant.  Their presence was then undesirable, they were seen as pests to be controlled and this triggered the signal for their extermination.  However the horses’ intelligence made them more than capable of avoiding the traps laid for them.  This led to their persecutors ambushing the springs where they drank or waiting in the steep narrow pathways of the mountains so the horses were unable to flee.

Testimonies exist for a program of extermination by targeting the mares with the aim of wiping out the race entirely.  The result of this pogrom was a dramatic decline in their numbers and only limited space for the survivors to live in the barren, mountainous area of Archangelos.

In 1995, the biologist Paraskevi Markou-Hecht highlighted in her book entitled “The miniature horses of the municipality of Archangelos, Rhodes.” the danger of extinction;

  "From the moment when man ceases to need the miniature horses his attitude towards them changes and he forgets their existence up in the mountains of Koutsouti and Strongilou.  Some even see them as useless and harmful creatures and use their rifles for their deadly persecution.  These people are mainly stock breeders and farmers.  The reason? Their claim to the pitiful amount of clover and the even smaller amount of hay and the even scarcer amount of water for their sheep and goats.  Many of the aforementioned earned a few drachmas selling whole herds of the miniature horses for canned food.

That is the result of the human attitude towards the miniature, semi-wild horses of Archangelos.  A rare breed in the history of equus.”

Paraskevi suggested, amongst other things, that a temporary small forest be created as a ‘Base Camp’.  All local communities were to be informed and investigations carried out into other villages on Rhodes to see if any of the miniature horses were to be found.  Whilst this was evolving, the forest area would be developed so that the area would be ready to accept the remaining horses and a breeding program established to prevent the imminent extinction of the breed.

Sadly, Paraskevi’s plans were not realised.  Indifference triumphed and the population of the horses continued to decline.  Then, in 2001, six years after Paraskevi Markou-Hecht’s original declarations, somebody decided to take a step.  “Faethon”, The Association for the Protection of the miniature horses of Archangelos was founded.  Efforts were made to gather the remaining horses and contain them.  They were met with a dreadful and shocking reality – just seven miniature horses remained!  Under these difficult conditions drastic attempts were made to invert the course of history.  Blood samples from the final seven were sent for DNA testing to Cambridge University.  The results confirmed the relationship between the remaining horses so that a breeding program could be introduced, but they also confirmed that the breed is extremely rare and ancient.  Their size puts them amongst the smallest miniature horses on the world.  Their uniform colour confirms long lasting adaptation in one particular area.  During this time the stables were built including two paddock areas and a controlled reproduction program was introduced.

The prevention of the extinction of this rare breed will be by no means easy, not least because of the attitude and actions in past years.  However it appears, thankfully, that the climate in Rhodes is changing.  According to the chairman of ‘Faethon’, Mr Iakovo Leventi, many scientists, politicians and private individuals have contributed to the cause.  The effort is also supported by the local media, the municipality of Archangelos  and the prefecture.  Mostly though, it is supported by the local community.  A particularly important development is the changing face of tourism, where the next generation will not be satisfied with beautiful beaches and Greek hospitality.  They will look for something different, something unique which doesn’t exist anywhere else.  They will seek unspoilt natural surroundings in an attempt to escape and ‘forget’ the stress and strain of everyday
living.  At Faethon they will find it.