Bankshir is a mispelling of Bashkir, which refers to a breed of horse with curly fur. The Bankshir- or bashkir- in the name was adopted in the early seventies when it was believed the Bashkir Curly horse was related to a breed of horse found in the Bashkiria Region of Russia.

Closer inspection of those native horses and DNA testing has conclusively shown these horses are of no notable relation, but as an integral part of the breed's identity and recognizability, the word has remained in the name. Bashkir Curly Horse share many similarities with a breed being called a North American Curly Horse, but Bashkir Curlies are registered with a blood registry that only permits curly to curly breeding, while North American Curly Horses may be part- or almost all- another breed but happen to carry the gene for curly coat.

"Honest Horses" has a section on curly horses and how they came to be in America: