The Bashkir or Bashkurt () is the

horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 mi ...

breed A breed is a specific group of breedable domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In literature, there exist seve ...

of the Bashkir people. It is raised mainly within

Bashkortostan Bashkortostan, officially the Republic of Bashkortostan, sometimes also called Bashkiria, is a republic of Russia between the Volga river and the Ural Mountains in Eastern Europe. The republic borders Perm Krai to the north, Sverdlovsk Oblast ...

, formerly known as Bashkiria, a republic within the

Russian Federation Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

which lies to the west of the southern Ural Mountains and extends to the

Volga River The Volga (, ) is the longest river in Europe and the longest endorheic basin river in the world. Situated in Russia, it flows through Central Russia to Southern Russia and into the Caspian Sea. The Volga has a length of , and a catchment ...

. The principal centre of breeding is the capital, Ufa.

History

The origins of the Bashkir horse are not known. In the nineteenth century its economic value was recognised, and steps were taken to increase both its working abilities and its traditional qualities as a producer of milk and meat. Breeding centres were set up in 1845. The Bashkir horse has been crossed with other breeds of the former USSR such as the Russian Heavy Draught; experimental crosses with Kazakh and Yakut horses have also been made. Bashkortostan has the third-highest horse population of the federal subjects of Russia, after the Altai Krai and the

Sakha Republic Sakha, officially the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), is a republics of Russia, republic of Russia, and the largest federal subject of Russia by area. It is located in the Russian Far East, along the Arctic Ocean, with a population of one million ...

. In 2003 the population of Bashkir horses was reported as ; by early 2011 it had risen to almost .

Characteristics

The Bashkir is a small horse, standing about at the

withers Withers are the ridge between the shoulder blades of an animal, typically a quadruped. In many species, this ridge is the tallest point of the body. In horses and dogs, it is the standard place to measure the animal's height. In contrast, catt ...

. It is wide in the body and deep-chested, with a thoracic circumference (chest girth) averaging about ; it has a large head and a short neck, low

and a flat back. The legs are short with heavy bone; cannon bone measurement may reach . The most common coat colours are bay, chestnut, mouse grey and roan; striped dun also occurs. The mane and tail are thick and the coat is also thick and often curly. A two-year study published in 1990 found it unlikely that the

American Bashkir Curly The American Bashkir Curly or North American Curly Horse is a North American breed of horse, characterized by an unusual curly coat of hair. It derives from American horses of Iberian origin, in which curly-coated individuals occasionally occu ...

, which also has a curly coat, descends from the Bashkir breed. There are two distinct types: a smaller, lighter mountain type used mainly for riding, and a somewhat heavier steppe type. The horses are remarkably hardy. Herds may be managed extensively, and remain in the open in winter in snow and blizzard conditions where temperatures may reach .

Use

The Bashkir is used for riding and for pack, harness, draught and farm work. It shows remarkable endurance; there are reports of these horses drawing troikas, three-horse sleighs, over distances of per day. Mares are abundant producers of milk. Average yield per year is 1500 or in a

lactation Lactation describes the secretion of milk from the mammary glands and the period of time that a mother lactates to feed her young. The process naturally occurs with all sexually mature female mammals, although it may predate mammals. The process ...

of 240 days, with the best mares reaching . Much of the milk is made into

kumis ''Kumis'' ( , ), alternatively spelled ''coumis'' or ''kumyz'', also known as ''airag'' ( ), is a traditional Fermented milk products, fermented dairy product made from mare milk. The drink is important to the peoples of the Central and East ...

; kumis-making is a national activity of the Bashkiri people. Hair combed from the thick winter coat can be woven into cloth. File:Лорд 0151-1.jpg, Horses at Tra-Tau Mountain in Ishimbaysky District File:Лошади на Банном.jpg, Horses in Abzelilovsky District File:Bashkort.jpg, Bashkir horseman, by Aleksander Orłowski File:Башкирский всадник.jpg, Bashkir horseman

References

Horse breeds Horse breeds originating in Russia {{bots, deny=Citation bot