The Bashkir or Bashkort ( ba, Башҡорт аты, ''Bašǩort aty'') is the
horse breed
A breed is a specific group of 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 several slig ...
of the
Bashkir people. It is raised mainly within
Bashkortostan
The Republic of Bashkortostan or Bashkortostan ( ba, Башҡортостан Республикаһы, Bashqortostan Respublikahy; russian: Республика Башкортостан, Respublika Bashkortostan),; russian: Респу́блик� ...
, formerly known as Bashkiria, a republic within the
Russian Federation which lies to the west of the southern
Ural Mountains and extends to the
Volga River. 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
Kazakh, Qazaq or Kazakhstani may refer to:
* Someone or something related to Kazakhstan
*Kazakhs, an ethnic group
*Kazakh language
*The Kazakh Khanate
* Kazakh cuisine
* Qazakh Rayon, Azerbaijan
*Qazax, Azerbaijan
*Kazakh Uyezd, administrative dis ...
and
Yakut horses have also been made.
Bashkortostan has the third-highest horse population of the federal subjects of Russia, after the
Altai Krai
Altai Krai (russian: Алта́йский край, r=Altaysky kray, p=ɐlˈtajskʲɪj kraj) is a federal subject of Russia (a krai). It borders clockwise from the west, Kazakhstan (East Kazakhstan Region and Pavlodar Region), Novosibirsk an ...
and the
Sakha Republic
Sakha, officially the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia),, is the largest republic of Russia, located in the Russian Far East, along the Arctic Ocean, with a population of roughly 1 million. Sakha comprises half of the area of its governing Far Eas ...
. In 2003 the population of Bashkir horses was reported as 94,470; by early 2011 it had risen to almost 137,000.
Characteristics
The Bashkir is a small horse, standing about at the
withers. It is wide in the body and deep-chested, with a thoracic circumference (girth) averaging about ; it has a large head and a short neck, low
withers and a flat
back. The legs are short with heavy bone;
cannon bone measurement may reach . The most common coat colours are
bay
A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a Gulf (geography), gulf, sea, sound (geography), sound, or bight (geogra ...
,
chestnut
The chestnuts are the deciduous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Castanea'', in the beech family Fagaceae. They are native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere.
The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce.
The unrelat ...
, mouse grey and
roan. 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 North American
Curly Horse
A Curly is a breed of horse. Curlies, also called Bashkir Curlies, American Bashkir Curlies, and North American Curly Horses, come in all sizes, colors, and body types but all carry a gene for a unique curly coat of hair.
Traits
The Curlie ...
, which also has a curly coat and may be called "American Bashkir Curly", 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 of 240 days, with the best mares reaching . Much of the milk is made into
kumis
''Kumis'' (also spelled ''kumiss'' or ''koumiss'' or ''kumys'', see other transliterations and cognate words below under terminology and etymology – otk, airag kk, қымыз, ''qymyz'') mn, айраг, ''ääryg'') is a fermented dairy p ...
; 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 of the Russian Federation
Horse breeds
Horse breeds originating in Russia