Nyalku Horse

the Nyalku is a strange beast once thought to be mythical, a piece of absolute legend. Even more mythical and strange than a unicorn, the Nyalku was first discovered by ancient Byzantians near the Bosporous Strait. They are believed to be the cross between a horse, Kudu, and Nyala. However, this has been proven scientifically impossible to achieve. There is, however, a possibility that the creature is descendant from the Quagga, much like the modern day horse. There has also been speculation that the Nyalku is direct ancestor to the Nyala and Kudu, which is possibly what links the Nyala and Kudu together genetically.

Nyalkus average between 14 hands and 18 hands high, and make excellent pack/trail-riding animals. However, they can be extremely difficult to tame unless they are handled by or in the presence of humans from the moment they are born. Every male Nyalku sports a pair of twisted horns or 'antlers' like that of the Nyala or Kudu. Female Nyalkus may or may not have horns. If the female does have horns, they are quite a bit smaller and thinner than the horns of a male, and the horn spirals usually aren't as prominent.

Nyalkus range in a wide variety of colors and patterns; Their base color may be that of any normal equine, but their markings will resemble that of the Quagga, Kudu, or Nyala. However, there are some documented sightings of 'pinto' or 'painted' markings on Nyalkus, although they are rare genes. That being said, pinto or painted markings make Nyalkus extremely valuable, making them worth 25,000 to 60,000 dollars or more individually (depending on the colors, prominence, and unique-ness of their markings), untrained or otherwise. The odds of a Nyalku carrying the pinto/painted gene is 1 in 1000, and there are only an estimated 20,000 Nyalkus in the wild, meaning 20 or less of those wild Nyalkus are pintos or carry the pinto gene. There are also an estimated 3000 Nyalkus in captivity and more Nyalkus being imported every week, but none of them thus far have been recorded to have pinto markings. Whether any of them carry the pinto gene is not known, but through breeding, Nyalku breeders could soon find themselves with award-winning one-of-a-kind animals (although, each Nyalku is one of a kind with their personalities c.

Nyalkus usually have a very docile personality unless members of their heard are threatened. They are also very protective of their owner. If their owner or herd members are threatened, they can become unpredictable; They are known to charge at threats. Nyalkus are never for certain, however. They may just try and get all herd members or their owner away from the situation safely. They are also usually hard to tame, but training is usually a breeze once they trust you. However, they are known to be 'trouble makers' and 'mischevious'.

Nyalkus may only have one true owner. Once they choose who their owner is out of a family, they will not listen to anyone else unless their true owner is present. If their owner leaves while a guest is on their back, the Nyalku will likely attempt to throw the rider off or find a way to remove the rider from their back. Once the rider is off of their back, however, the Nyalku's attitude will usually return to its normal, docile and friendly state, and will often make sure that the rider they just removed from the saddle is okay.

Nyalkus are very social animals; having them as a lone pet isn't a great idea, unless of course, you have horses or other herd animals around. Nyalkus are very playful and love horse-toys.
They also require salt in their diet, which means it is a very good and healthy idea to buy a salt lick for them. Not only that, but they are very motivated by treats and food items, so this makes training even easier.

Nyalkus have been trained in all eventing items; Dressage, Jumping, Steeplechase, Cross Country, Racing, and Hunting. They are usually best at Cross Country because of the time the breed has spent in the wild, but they are being bred to perform in all sporting events. It will take time to get them to levels of excellence, but they are learning fast.

I hope you like the breed (yes, they are mythical, I made them up myself, and as of now they are a closed breed unless enough people want some), and if you would like one, comment below with questions you might have or suggestions on customs or imports (if I make them). As of right now, no requests for Pinto Nyalkus will be accepted. Thank you.