The Budennovskaya breed of horses is the result of domestic selection, it was bred under the guidance of Semyon Budyonny, who wanted to get cavalry horses with endurance, unpretentiousness, agility and strength. The history of the breed began in the 20s of the last century. Its representatives combine the best qualities of their ancestors – the Don and thoroughbred riding horses.
Budennovskaya horse
A Brief History of the Budennovskaya Breed
After the Civil War, the army was in dire need of reliable horses that would serve the needs of the cavalry. Semyon Budyonny gave impetus to the beginning of breeding work to develop a new breed. Several dozen thoroughbred English stallions were brought to the stud farms of the Kuban, where the best Don mares were kept.
Reference. In the 19th century, attempts were already made to cross these breed lines, but the work was not systematized, and therefore did not lead to worthy results.
Breeders under the leadership of the generals appointed by Budyonny worked on the creation of a new breed for 25 years. During this time, 70 thoroughbred English stallions and about 650 Don mares were used. Of the crossbred offspring, 3 horses had the best signs, from which the Budyonnovskaya breed of horses was later formed. The names of these stallions are:
- Π‘ΠΈΠΌΠΏΠ°ΡΡΠ³Π°;
- Cocas;
- Inferno.
The breeding of horses at the stud farms of the Kuban was carried out in a cultural herd way. This method allowed more efficient use of stud stallions. Budyonnovskaya breed was registered in 1948.
In 1953, a thoroughbred English stallion named Krubilnik was born at the Voskhod stud farm.Β Later he became the founder of the dominant line in the Budyonnovsky breed of horses.. He was distinguished by high working capacity, but had several flaws in the exterior. In addition, the stallion made high demands on the conditions of detention and had a difficult character.
Thanks to the foresight of the breeder Lebedev, the Knife was still allowed to breed, which gave excellent results. Today, his line dominates the Budyonnovskaya breed. It was from this stallion that descendants were obtained, who later became winners of the Olympic Games.
The development of mechanization influenced the further fate of the breed. In the world, interest in equestrian sport was growing. Budyonnovsky horses had an ideal set of qualities for competitions. Today they show excellent results in horse racing, eventing, dressage and show jumping.
Description and characteristics
Budyonnovsky horses perfectly combine the best characteristics of the Don and English riding horses. The animals are harmoniously built and have a strong and beautiful exterior, and their movements are light and graceful.
Budyonnovsky horse
Exterior
The representatives of the Budennovskaya breed are characterized by the following features:
- medium-sized head with a straight profile and a fairly wide forehead;
- the neck of the horses is long and has a beautiful bend;
- the back is straight, strong, wide;
- body of medium length;
- the sacrum is dense with well-developed muscles;
- the back is massive, slightly lowered;
- the ribs are rounded, the chest is wide and deep, the girth is 1,89β1,91 m;
- strong sinewy legs are of medium length;
- the joints are wide, elastic, and the hooves are very strong;
- the suit is bay, most representatives of the breed have white spots on the forehead and bridge of the nose, as well as below the hocks.
Character and dignity
Budyonnovsky horses can hardly be called complaisant and peaceful, they are characterized by burrows and irascibility. These qualities were formed purposefully when the breed was created. The cavalrymen needed brave, stubborn, strong horses with a “rod”. Today, these character traits help horses reach heights in sports.
Budyonnovsky horses are smart. They are easy to learn and apply what they have learned. Another feature of the character is attachment to the owner. Horses are able to remain faithful and show obedience only to a person whom they respect and love.
Breeders note another quality inherent in representatives of the Budennovskaya breed – endurance, which they inherited from the Donchak. Cavalry horses had to cover huge distances daily, content with meager food. Sometimes they did not even have time to rest, and instead of sleeping, they entered into battle with enemy forces. All this hardened the horses. Today, their endurance helps them win high awards in sports.
The main advantages of the Budennov horse breed:
- strong immunity;
- resistance to temperature extremes;
- undemanding to the food base;
- unpretentiousness to conditions of detention;
- endurance.
The disadvantages of the breed include a difficult character and attachment to one person. For a sports horse, this is a minus, since a large number of people have to work with it.
Budyonnovsky horse is strongly attached to one person
Intra-breed types
During the selection work, several types of horses of the Budyonnovskaya breed were formed. They differ from each other in the exterior:
- Horses of a characteristic type have strong bones, well-developed muscles and are distinguished by high performance.
- Representatives of the eastern type are owners of an elegant exterior with rounded shapes, which they inherited from the maternal line, from the mares of the Don breed.
- Horses of the massive type are larger and have more rough forms. In terms of agility, they are inferior to their counterparts.
Attention! Representatives of the same breed, bred at different stud farms, differ from each other in body type and some characteristics, for example, in the shade of coat color, in the shape of the head.
Where is the breed used today?
Budyonnovsky horses are in demand among athletes, as over the years they have managed to establish themselves, thanks to perseverance and endurance. They participate in horse racing, triathlon, dressage. These are one of the best jumping horses – jumping is easy for them.
Constant training helps to improve the breed, contrary to the opinion that such a lifestyle negatively affects the offspring. The requirements for sports horses are getting tougher every year, so work to improve the breed continues.
Famous representatives of the breed line
Budyonnovskaya breed can boast of champions. One of the most outstanding horses is Rex, the son of a stallion Knife and a mare named Epic of Anglo-Danish origin. In 1980 he became the gold medalist of the Olympic Games. Many descendants of the Breaker have distinguished themselves by high achievements in equestrian sports:
- Robinson;
- Ruby;
- Deadline;
- Symbol.
Another famous stallion of the Budyonnovskaya breed is Zanos. In 1950, he won the daily race. Having spent only 19 hours, he managed to overcome the distance of 109 km.
The Budyonnovskaya breed of horses has absorbed all the best from its ancestors. It is highly regarded by athletes. In addition to sports, these horses are used for hunting, and the most balanced and calm individuals are suitable for equestrian tourism and hippotherapy.
