The Giara pony is a less known, equine breed of small stature, typical of the island of Sardinia. It draws its denomination from the highland of the Giara, where it lives in the wild.

The ponies appeared in Sardinia approximately in the VII century B. C. Recent research, carried out on haemoglobin polymorphism, underlined some analogies with the Arabic horses of North-Africa.

These ponies, have a dolyichomorphic-type constitution with long, naked and resistant legs. In the past they were used for agricultural work, however later, with the increase of mechanisation, they returned to the Giara highland where they became feral.

The Giara ponies, in the light of recent scientific research, possess not only an inestimable genetic patrimony but they also represent a large source of interest for the equestrian sport, and, above all, for children's riding therapy.

The author underlines, finally, that the principal material of this article has been outlined in a symposium held at the University of Sassari 18/11/1997, entitled: “Phenomenology of the environment: psycho-social and zoo-anthropological perspectives”.