The Kustanai horse breed comes from Kazakhstan. Its history began at the end of the 19th century, when there was a need for army combat horses. The blood of the Don, Streltsy and Thoroughbred riding breeds flows in the veins of these animals. Today, Kustanai horses are used by the police to patrol the streets of cities and show good results in sports.
Kustanai horses
Origin and development of the breed
Local Kazakh horses were distinguished by endurance and were well adapted to the climate of the Turgai region, where winters are quite severe and summers are very hot. In this area, a cold wind constantly blows, and the humidity is at a high level. Kazakh horses easily endured such conditions, but in some respects they did not meet the requirements for combat horses. In this regard, it was decided to improve the breed.
In 1887, 2 state stables were opened – Turgai and Kustanai, and 3 years later – Orenburg. These stud farms have purchased stud stallions belonging to the following breeds:
- Kalmyk;
- Don;
- thoroughbred horse;
- streltsy.
Crossing Kazakh mares with factory horses did not give the expected results. The resulting crossbred descendants were unadapted to the local climate. Then, in 1898, a breeding nursery was organized, where local Kazakh horses began to be bred clean, selecting the best individuals for further breeding work. Foals from childhood were taught to herd content.
The best mares were crossed with stallions of the Streltsy and Don pedigree lines, and their descendants were infused with the blood of thoroughbred riding horses. Crossbreeds obtained in this way met the stated requirements – they had a massive body and strong limbs, and were distinguished by productive movements.
In 1920, the breeding nursery was transformed into the Kustanai stud farm, where selection work continued. The breed was registered in 1951.
Description of the Kustanai horse
The following characteristics and measurements are defined for this breed:
- growth from 1,55 to 1,6 m;
- the oblique length of the body must exceed 1,56 m;
- metacarpus in girth – 20 cm;
- chest girth – at least 1,8 m.
Breed characteristics
Attention! In addition to the main one, there are 2 more types of Kustanai horses – steppe and riding. The first one is massive. The traits of the Don ancestors predominate in the genes of these horses. Representatives of the second type are lighter and faster, they largely adopted the genetic characteristics of purebred English ancestors.
External features:
- dry physique;
- a small head of regular shape with a straight profile;
- large dark eyes;
- dry neck of medium length;
- well-defined forearms;
- the limbs are sinewy, strong;
- deep chest;
- croup oval, compact, muscled;
- the predominant colors in the breed are bay, red, roan, black.
Modern use
The main breeding points for Kustanai horses today are the stud farm in Krasnodar and in the village of Sarytorgai, which is located in the Atyrous region of Kazakhstan. The tribal book consists of 3 volumes. It contains intrabreed types of horses, and also contains detailed information about 6 families and 5 ancestral lines.
Today these horses are used by the police of Kazakhstan. Law enforcement officers patrol the busy streets of cities, moving on Kustanai horses, because they have proven themselves to be hardy and fast animals. During the races organized in 2013, representatives of this breed became winners.
Horses of the Kustanai breed line are the national pride of Kazakhstan. These are hardy, strong, unpretentious and obedient animals, adapted to the harsh local climate. Scientists are planning to infuse the breed with the blood of Arabian horses in the near future in order to improve it.
