Photo: Robin Müller · CC BY-SA 2.0 de horse breed · 671 on Animalso
Heck horse
- Animal
- Horse
- Type
- Feral horse
- Origin
- Germany
- Height
- 140 cm
About the Heck horse
The Heck horse is a horse breed developed in Germany by zoologist brothers Heinz Heck and Lutz Heck. They aimed to breed back the tarpan, an extinct wild equine. The attempt did not produce a genetic copy of the extinct animal, but it resulted in a breed intended to look similar. Heck horses are described as having grullo coloration and primitive markings. The breed is claimed to resemble the tarpan, rather than being identified as a genetic recreation of it. Heck horses were later exported to the United States, where a breed association was established in the 1960s. The listed origin is Germany, and the horse is classified as a feral horse. Its stated height is 140, though no unit is given.
What stands out
- Developed with the goal of resembling the tarpan.
- Grullo coloration and primitive markings are described.
- A breed association was created in the United States.
Worth knowing
- It is not a genetic copy of the tarpan.
- The height unit is not provided.
Who it suits
The Heck horse may interest readers curious about horses bred to resemble extinct wild equines.
In short
The Heck horse is a German breed developed to resemble the extinct tarpan, with its own stated coloration and markings. The description distinguishes the resemblance goal from a genetic recreation.
More horse breeds from Germany
Beberbecker Germany Height 1.63 cm Photo: Wikimedia Commons contributor · Public domain 
Black Forest Horse Germany Height 1.53 cmWeight 610 kg Photo: Xocolatl · Public domain 
Other feral horse breeds
German Classic Pony Germany Height 1.12 cm Photo: Freia Schultz-Friese · Public domain 
German Warmblood Germany Photo: Eponimm · CC BY-SA 4.0 
Photo credits17 photographs on this page
- Heck horse — Robin Müller · CC BY-SA 2.0 de · file page
- Aegidienberger — BS Thurner Hof · CC BY-SA 3.0 · file page
- Altwürttemberger — Xocolatl · CC BY-SA 4.0 · file page
- Bavarian Warmblood — Clément Bucco-Lechat · CC BY-SA 3.0 · file page
- Beberbecker — Wikimedia Commons contributor · Public domain · file page
- Black Forest Horse — Xocolatl · Public domain · file page
- Brandenburger — Florence.Skowron · CC BY-SA 4.0 · file page
- Dülmener — Dietmar Rabich · CC BY-SA 4.0 · file page
- Edelbluthaflinger — Haflingermaus · CC BY-SA 3.0 · file page
- German Classic Pony — Freia Schultz-Friese · Public domain · file page
- German Part-bred Shetland Pony — Shetta · CC BY-SA 3.0 · file page
- German Riding Pony — Sara Landvogt · CC BY-SA 3.0 · file page
- German Trotter — Hartmut Reiche · CC BY-SA 3.0 de · file page
- German Warmblood — Eponimm · CC BY-SA 4.0 · file page
- Hanoverian horse — Alain Laurioux CDDENE · CC BY-SA 3.0 · file page
- Hessisches Warmblut — Krypt · CC BY-SA 3.0 · file page
- Holsteiner horse — Wikimedia Commons contributor · CC BY-SA 3.0 · file page
Photographs come from Wikimedia Commons under the licence each one names. How Animalso credits photographs.