• The Noma originated in Noma County in Japan

• They are used for riding and light draft

• It is the smallest native pony of Japan standing at around 10.1 - 10.3 hands high

• The breed originated in the seventeenth century and belongs to the Asian group descended from Mongolian stock

• In 1988, there were only twenty-seven pure specimens living. They are used as riding horses for children and as subjects of study in local schools

•They are being preserved as part of the local cultural heritage as they are so rare