It is considered one of the main horse breeds native to Iran, alongside the Caspian, Turkoman, Assil (also known as Persian-Arab) and Dareshuri.

[1] The Kurdish horse has a medium height (140 to 155 cm) and a compact, muscular body with sturdy bone structure.

[3] The horse was first bred in the province of Kermanshah (also known by Kurds as Kirmaşan), and later was brought to the Kurdish regions of Iraq, Turkey, and Syria.

The horse has an ability to survive in moderately-cold climates and mountainous regions, which have made it resistant to harsh environmental conditions.

[4] During the 1991 Iraqi uprisings, the Peshmerga (when they were a rebel group rather than an official armed force) rode the Kurdish horses and used them to transport weapons thru the mountains.

[4] In December 2022, Iran announced they were developing a dossier for the horse for a possible inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage list.