Horse breeds in Bashkiria

The Bashkir horse breed is traditional for the Southern Urals. These animals are a draft labor force, a source of meat and milk for local residents: in Bashkortostan, horse breeding is very common and does not lag behind horse breeding in the Altai Territory or Yakutia in terms of basic indicators.

Bashkir breed of horses

Short story

Bashkir horses have long lived in a small area, therefore they are a rare species, the ancestors of which were forest and steppe horses. It took several centuries to form the breed: nomadic tribes, who often moved through the territory of the Southern Urals, were riders and had huge herds. As a result, local horses assimilated with the “aliens” and formed into a separate breed in a completely natural way without special selection work on the part of man.

Today, the “Bashkirs” are bred exclusively in themselves, without selective selection and impurities of other valuable breeds. All this leads to the absence of any striking features, with the exception of enormous endurance and unpretentiousness.

Reference. In 1971, several representatives of the Bashkir breed were taken to the United States, where they were registered as the American Bashkir Curly breed. So far, it has not become widespread in America.

Exterior

The exterior of the Bashkir horses does not allow them to be used for riding. These animals are accustomed to hard physical labor, so they are often used in agriculture. The exterior of the Bashkir breed is characterized by a large bone skeleton, a strong, wide, muscular body with a slightly lowered croup. The back of the animals is even, the withers are low, the legs are powerful and short. The head is roughly proportioned, the neck is thick and short.

The hooves of the “Bashkirs” do not require horseshoes because of the very dense and strong structure. Indeed, with natural cultivation, horses often have to get their own food in difficult environmental conditions. Representatives of this breed easily tolerate a drop in temperature to -40 ° C, a large amount of snow.

The exterior of the Bashkir horses

The exterior of the Bashkir horses

The size of horses does not exceed 1,45 m for stallions and 1,42 m for mares. The chest has an average girth of 1,65-1,72 cm, and a body weight of 450-470 kg (stallions) and 400-420 kg (mares). Bashkir horses have curly hair. Color – red, bay or brown. In the warm season, the mane and tail almost completely fall out, and by the onset of cold weather they grow back.

Characteristics of character

For the Bashkir breed, a characteristic feature is a pronounced herd instinct. There is always one leader in the herd, who gathers the horses in case of danger and directs their actions.

Bashkir horses are very easy to adapt to the conditions of detention. It is easy to grow a friendly and obedient animal out of them, easy to train and manage. If necessary, horses of this breed show such qualities as courage and assertiveness.

Use of horses

Most often, the Bashkir breed of horses today is used for the production of meat and milk. The production of local national products from mare’s milk allows the population not only to feed themselves, but also to have a tangible income from the sale. Horse breeding products are actively sold for export to Asian countries. The lactation period in a mare lasts about 7-8 months. During this period, you can get up to 1600 liters of milk. The record milk production among Bashkir mares is 2700 liters of milk during the lactation period.

Bashkir horses were used in military affairs just a couple of centuries ago. Such animals were selected for cavalry. Today, in their homeland, these horses are also used for riding. In addition, they are used to work under a pack and as a draft force. Also, the “Bashkirs” are in demand in children’s equestrian sports for training teenagers who are already big enough to ride a pony, but still cannot ride tall horses.

Bashkir horse with foal

Bashkir horse with foal

Maintenance and care

Bashkir horses are very unpretentious. To keep them, it is enough to have a small pasture for grazing near the house and build a small stable. This breed, due to its resistance to frost, can be grazing all year round. Under natural conditions, no one specially prepared food for the horses for the winter, so even in the cold season they are able to get food themselves: they feed on grass, which is hidden under a large layer of snow.

Bashkir horses are very protected in their homeland. The government of the republic periodically receives requests to ban the export of horses outside the country. Due to the unpretentiousness of these animals, they are grown here everywhere in semi-wild herds. For successful breeding of horses, it is enough for a breeder to take care of feeding and building stables. With this approach, the breeding of the Bashkir breed becomes very profitable.

Author: Olga Samoilova

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Anna Evans

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