Today, Huculs are bred mainly in the Bucovina region of Romania as well as Hungary, regions of the Slovak Republic and areas of the former Soviet Union. In 1982 they established a stud book with fifty purebred animals and the goal of increasing the numbers in that region. It was not until the early 1970s that concerned breeders established an organization, Hucul Club, to address the declining number of Huculs in Czechoslovakia. World War II caused a severe decline in the number of Hucul horses in Czechoslovakia. In 1922, thirty-three horses were sent to Czechoslovakia to establish a herd there which would become the Gurgul line. Several bloodlines were established by the foundation stallions - Goral, Hroby, Ousor, Pietrousu and Prislop - and the horses were carefully bred to preserve the purity of these bloodlines. In 1856 a stud farm for this breed was first established at Roaduti, Romania. Isolated from other horses, the breed developed into a resistant and robust horse. For hundreds of years Huculs have bred in the mountains under very difficult climatic conditions. Their habitat is the eastern Carpathians, called Huzulland. The natural range of this little horse covers a great distance.

Migratory tribes, like the Mongols, introduced the horse to this region. The Hucul dates to the thirteenth century and is believed to have descended from the crossing of the wild Tarpan with Mongolian horses.

Borders have changes many times throughout history along this mountain range therefore both Romania and Poland claim to be the country of origin for this breed. The Hucul or Carpathian pony originated in the Carpathian Mountain range of Eastern Europe. Ministry of Agriculture of the Slovak Republic

Romania draft horse