No one knows for sure how exactly the American Curly came about. There are many theories. What we do know for sure is that the Curly horse was discovered in Eureka, Nevada in the early 1900's by John Demele and his sons while checking on their cattle. While mustangs were a common sight on the rugged sagebrush covered ground, these curly coated steeds were very unusual and they were not forgotten. Years later, the Demele's managed to catch one of these curly horses. They broke the horse to ride and sold it, thus starting their relationship with this curly breed. In 1932, an unusally harsh winter hit the area, and come spring the only horses that could be found were the curlies. This was no co-incidence and spoke volumes to the Demele's and they decided they should include more of these horses in their herd. In 1951/52 the brutally harsh winters hit again, and once again the only horses to survive the winter were the curlies. It was then the Demele's started to get serious about breeding these horses. They went out and found their foundation stallion, a two year old chestnut in one of the mustang herds. They called him Copper D. The Demele's didn't care much for keeping the breed 'pure', and wanting to improve their horses, added some other blood to their herd. Among the stallions introduced were a Morgan, Ruby Red King AMHR 26101 and an Arabian, Nevada Red AHR 18125, foaled Jan 14, 1961. These two stallions created many offspring for the Demele's, and are in hundreds of Curly horse's pedigrees today. Have you always wanted a horse but have problems with allergies? Then this is the horse for you! The Curly is the only known hypoallergenic horse breed. The Curly Horse has a uniquely textured coat that lacks the protein (present in all other horse hair) believed to be the source of allergic reactions to equines. Many people with severe allergies to horses can handle Bashkir Curlies with no reaction.

The Herd ~ Sales ~ Contact ~ Home