• This breed has it origins in Miyazaki Prefecture of Japan

• They average 12.2 to 13 hands in height

• They first appear in history in 1697 when the Akizuki family of the Takanabe Clan took animals; then grazing wild; under its protection and created a stud farm

• The system was based on giving the breeding stock full freedom and rounding them up once a year presumably to select horses for training and to check on health as well as perhaps castrate males thought unfit for breeding

• The same system is used today; once a year animals are corralled at which time inoculations are given and the animals sprayed or dipped to eliminate insect pests

• This breed has been designated a National Natural Treasure and the herd has become the focus of tourism