ORIGIN:
The story of the nooitgedacht starts with the basuto pony,which developed from the cape horse in lesotho in the 18th and 19th centuries.

In the inhospitable highlands of Basutoland, these ponies were dependent on sparse grazing,and had to fend for themselves during the freezing winters and scorching summers.

only the toughest animals could survive these extreme conditions, and thus evolved a type of pony with a unique character - hardy, courageous and sure- footed. With its strong joints and tough hooves, the basuto pony could brave the roughest terrain. One of the most striking characteristics it developed, was a natural affection and affinity for people. In addition,it inherited characteristics such as spirited-ness, intelligence and stamina from its oriental ancestors - the Arab, the Barb and the Javanese Pony.

These traits made the Basuto Pony eminently suitable for use as a military horse. During the Anglo-Boer War, it loyally served Boer and Briton alike, and its valour and exceptional powers of endurance have been immortalised in many a military anecdote.Its fame spread and thousands of basuto ponies were used as mounts in wars the world over. Because of mass export, drought and neglect, the basuto pony teetred on the verge of extinction in lesotho by the 1940's

A NEW BREED:

In 1951, the South African Departmant of Agriculture purchased a nuclues group of Basuto ponies, and a year later initiated a breeding project at the Nooitgedacht Research Station near Ermelo.