The Hokkaido Pony (also known as 'Dosanko' and 'Hokkaido Washu') is a rare Japanese breed, which is named after Hokkaido Island where it originated. It is famous for being the largest native Japanese breed on average, as well as the most common one.

Origins:
The creation of the Hokkaido Pony probably began in the 15th or 16th century, and lasted until the 19th century. Its ancestors were probably Mongolian horses, in addition to horses of Korean and Chinese breeds, and to some now-extinct Japanese breeds such as the Nanbu.

That said, it is unclear if or when each of these breeds was added to the mix. What we do know is that the main player in the development of the Hokkaido Pony was its homeplace: Hokkaido Island.

The tough pony from Hokkaido Island:
Ponies were brought to Hokkaido Island by Japanese fishermen, who needed strong pack ponies to carry fish and equipment. Hokkaido Island is the northernmost of the main islands of Japan, and the winters there are harsh. Therefore, the fishermen left the island every autumn, and returned only in the spring.

They left their ponies behind, to fend for themselves, on the rugged and snowy island, where food is scarce and consists mainly of bamboo. Eventually, over the course of centuries, this practice shaped those ponies into the tough Hokkaido breed. Today, many farms still allow their ponies to roam freely on the island, including during the winter.

The Hokkaido Pony today:
Hokkaido Ponies have excellent endurance and impressive strength for their size, and some of them are even gaited. They are also calm and friendly in nature, and make excellent mounts for inexperienced riders. Therefore, Hokkaido Ponies are mainly used in the field of tourism, and serve as pack ponies, trekking ponies, and carriage ponies.

Their reliable nature also makes them popular mounts for 'Yabusame'. In this thrilling traditional Japanese sport of mounted archery (archery from horseback), the rider shoots an arrow at three targets, all while cantering their pony without holding the reins. The Hokkaido Pony's personality and height make it the ideal mount for this sport.

Still, despite its many merits, the Hokkaido is a rare breed in Japan, and efforts are constantly made toward its preservation.

Conformation:
The Hokkaido is a medium-sized pony of sturdy conformation. The forehead is broad and the profile is straight, the neck is short but thick with muscling, and the legs are short but powerful.

The mane can be thick and bushy or shorter and thinner, but the tail grows thick. The legs have light feathering on the fetlocks.

Performance metrics:
The following are the: range, average, (SD), and MOE of performance metrics of ordered Hokkaido Ponies in Horse Isle (not bred ones). In rare cases, horses might have metrics outside of the range. Breeders can produce horses that are beyond this range.

Speed: 14.1-15.7, 14.9 (0.3), 0.06.
Sprint: 38-49, 44 (3), 0.52.

Accel: 0.72-0.90, 0.82 (0.04), 0.01.
Decel: 0.89-1.05, 0.97 (0.03), 0.01.

Jump: 5.01-5.26, 5.15 (0.05), 0.01.
Pull: 1.81-2.50, 2.17 (0.15), 0.03.

Turning: 38.50-50.82, 44.93 (2.78), 0.55.
Reverse: 2.1-2.7, 2.4 (0.1), 0.02.

Stamina: 45.69-50.70, 48.13 (0.84), 0.17.
Reaction: 0.69-0.80, 0.75 (0.02), 0.00.

Coats & Height:
Colors: all colors except for champagne, dominant-black, dominant-white, mushroom, and pearl.

Additionals: flaxen, linebacked, mealy, rabicano, sooty, dark mane-and-tail, grey mane-and-tail. The always solid, and white markings are discouraged and are kept to a minimum.

Height: 12.1hh to 13.3hh.