The Vyatka or Viatka (, vyatskaya loshad) is an endangered
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
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 ...
native to the former Vyatka region, now the
Kirov Oblast
Kirov Oblast ( rus, Кировская область, p=ˈkʲirəfskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast) located in Eastern Europe. Its administrative center is the city of Kirov. As of the 2010 census, the population ...
of 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 ...
. It is mainly found there and in the
Udmurt Republic
Udmurtia, officially the Udmurt Republic, is a republic of Russia located in Eastern Europe. It is administratively part of the Volga Federal District. Its capital is the city of Izhevsk.
It was established as the Udmurt (until 1931 — Vots ...
Udmurtia
Udmurtia, officially the Udmurt Republic, is a republics of Russia, republic of Russia located in Eastern Europe. It is administratively part of the Volga Federal District. Its capital city, capital is the types of inhabited localities in Russi ...
and western
Perm
Perm or PERM may refer to:
Places
* Perm, Russia, a city in Russia
**Permsky District, the district
**Perm Krai, a federal subject of Russia since 2005
**Perm Oblast, a former federal subject of Russia 1938–2005
** Perm Governorate, an administr ...
Klepper
Klepper is a surname of German origin, which derives from the Middle High German word kleppern, meaning "to gossip". Alternative spellings include Klepfer, Kloepfer, and Klopfer. The name may refer to:
*Christian Kloepfer (1847–1913), Canadian ...
s brought to northern Russia in the fourteenth century by
Novgorod
Veliky Novgorod ( ; , ; ), also known simply as Novgorod (), is the largest city and administrative centre of Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is one of the oldest cities in Russia, being first mentioned in the 9th century. The city lies along the V ...
colonists may have affected its conformation, as may later imports of Estonian horses for mining work in the
Ural Mountains
The Ural Mountains ( ),; , ; , or simply the Urals, are a mountain range in Eurasia that runs north–south mostly through Russia, from the coast of the Arctic Ocean to the river Ural (river), Ural and northwestern Kazakhstan.
. The Vyatka was valued for its endurance, speed and frugality. By the middle of the nineteenth century, it was considered the best horse for pulling
troika
Troika or troyka (from Russian тройка, meaning 'a set of three' or the digit '3') may refer to:
* Troika (driving), a traditional Russian harness driving combination, a cultural icon of Russia
Politics
* Triumvirate, a political regime rul ...
s; some were exported from the Vyatka region, including to
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
.
In 1917 the breed was virtually
extinct
Extinction is the termination of an organism by the death of its Endling, last member. A taxon may become Functional extinction, functionally extinct before the death of its last member if it loses the capacity to Reproduction, reproduce and ...
; some efforts at re-establishment were made after the
Russian Revolution
The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution, social change in Russian Empire, Russia, starting in 1917. This period saw Russia Dissolution of the Russian Empire, abolish its mona ...
. Numbers in the Kirov and Udmurtia were estimated at 2000 in 1980. In 2003 the known population numbered 560, and in 2007 the Vyatka was on the Endangered List of the
FAO
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; . (FAO) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger and improve nutrition ...
.
Characteristics
The average height 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 ...
of Vyatka mares is , and the average weight . The usual coat color was originally a striped
dun
Dun most commonly refers to:
*Dun gene, which produces a brownish-gray color (dun) in horses and other Equidae
* Dun (fortification), an ancient or medieval fort
Dun or DUN may also refer to:
Places
Scotland
* Dun, Angus, a civil parish in ...
with
primitive markings
Primitive markings are a group of equine coat color, hair coat markings and qualities seen in several equine species, including horses, donkey, donkeys, and asses. In horses, they are associated with primitive breeds, though not limited to such ...
– zebra stripes and a
dorsal stripe
Primitive markings are a group of hair coat markings and qualities seen in several equine species, including horses, donkeys, and asses. In horses, they are associated with primitive breeds, though not limited to such breeds. The markings are ...
; it has become more variable, and may also be roan,
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'', ''sea'', ''sound'', or ''bight''. A ''cove'' is a small, ci ...
, brown or
chestnut
The chestnuts are the deciduous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Castanea'', in the beech family Fagaceae. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce. They are native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere.
Description
...
, or occasionally
black
Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...