The Pottok is a primitive pony breed from the Basque region of southern France. One of its subtypes -- the Mountain Pottok -- is one of the most ancient equine breeds still in existence.

The ancient Mountain Pottok:
Pottoks have lived in the Pyrenees Mountains since their ancestors arrived in the Basque region during the last Ice Age. Over thousands of years, they developed into sturdy, small ponies, with strong hooves and excellent endurance. They also developed a long upper-lip and very thick whiskers that protect their lips when eating thorny plants.

Today, these sturdy ponies, who still roam freely in the mountains, are called "Mountain Pottoks", and comprise one subtype of the Pottok pony.

The Prairie Pottok:
Mountain Pottoks were used as pack ponies and pit ponies for many years. It was only in the second half of the 20th century when they started to serve as riding ponies as well, and breeders began to breed them accordingly.

These riding ponies are usually kept in meadows which is why they are named "Prairie Pottoks". Thanks to the better feed that they receive, they grow taller and more athletic than their Mountain cousins, and are suitable for recreational dressage and show-jumping.

The Pottok today:
Today, all Pottok ponies, including those who roam freely in the mountains, have owners.

Prairie Pottoks receive training ever since they are born, to ensure they feel confident and comfortable around humans. They are all trained to serve as riding ponies for children or driving ponies for adults.

Mountain Pottoks, on the other hand, are semi-feral, and roam the mountains for at least 9 months each year. They are rounded up twice or thrice a year to receive medical treatments if necessary, but other than that they're on their own, grazing on whatever the mountains have to offer.

Breeding:
Mountain Pottoks and Prairie Pottoks have two different breeding programs.

Mountain Pottoks are bred to remain pure, and therefore crossbreeding is not allowed. Prairie Pottoks, on the other hand, are bred to be good riding horses, and are allowed to be crossed with ponies of other ponies, as long as these ponies have a similar conformation and that they'll improve the performance of the Prairie Pottok.

That said, every foal must have at least 50% Pottok blood, and therefore, in Horse Isle, Prairie Pottoks have a closed studbook, meaning that no crossbreeding is allowed. The only allowed 'crossbreeding' is crossing a Prairie Pottok with a Mountain Pottok.

Conformation:
In general, Pottok ponies have a straight or slightly-concave profile that becomes convex toward the muzzle. Their ears are small but their eyes are large. Their neck is short and connects to prominent withers. Their back is long, their croup is sloping, their legs are short, and their hooves are small.

Their mane and tails can be coarse, and while the mane grows medium in length, the tail grows long. The legs have feathering which varies from light feathering behind the fetlocks, to medium feathering along the back of the cannons.

Mountain Pottoks are shorter and more compact than their athletic Prairie cousins. They stand between 11.1hh and 13hh, while Prairie Pottoks stand between 11.3hh and 14.2hh.

Performance metrics:
The following are the: range, average, (SD), and MOE of performance metrics of ordered Pottoks 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: 13.1-14.8, 14.0 (0.4), 0.08.
Sprint: 30-45, 36 (3), 0.59.

Accel: 0.73-0.95, 0.83 (0.04), 0.01.
Decel: 0.73-0.90, 0.82 (0.04), 0.01.

Jump: 4.73-5.04, 4.88 (0.06), 0.01.
Pull: 1.20-1.89, 1.48 (0.17), 0.03.

Turning: 36.57-52.55, 44.29 (3.46), 0.68.
Reverse: 2.0-2.7, 2.3 (0.1), 0.03.

Stamina: 43.63-50.63, 46.64 (1.57), 0.31.
Reaction: 0.70-0.81, 0.76 (0.03), 0.01.

Coats & Height:
Colors: bay, brown, chestnut, or black in color.

Additionals: flaxen, sooty. The coat is either solid or tobiano.

Height: 11.1hh to 14.2hh.
* in Horse Isle, ponies must be 12hh or taller to be rideable.