The Konik Polski (Polish Pony) - a small Polish horse, a kind of semi-wild pony, is the only breed of primitive horse in Poland. In Poland these horses are called koniks, this word comes from the Polish diminutive for a horse, but refers to several breeds.

It is a descendant of the wild tarpan, which used to inhabit the primeval forests of Poland, Lithuania and Prussia. The last tarpans caught alive in Bia³owie¿a Forest in the second half of the 17th century, were placed in Zwierzyniec game reserve of Count Zamoyski. Early in the 19th c. the tarpans were given to the local peasants. Interbred with the domestic horse, they survived until early 20th century as a primitive breed of plough horses.

In 1936, professor Tadeusz Vetulani of Poznan University began attempts to breed the extinct tarpan back to its original state. To achieve this he used ponies from Bilgoraj area descended from wild tarpans (given to local peasants in 19th century) crossbred with domestic horses. In 1995, a Centre for Farm Breeding of the Polish Pony was established in Florianka, within the Roztoczanski National Park, where attempts are made to reproduce the genetic features of the tarpan in the Polish pony. The Polish pony is characterised by: small height (125 -135 cm), thick hair in winter, mousy coat colour with a black stripe on the back, stripes around shoulder blades and ankle joints. They are strong, considering their small body weight, resistant to diseases and mild-tempered. The breed is highly adaptable, viable and resourceful.