Content
One of the most numerous breeds in Russia, the Bashkir horse, was formed in the Southern Urals region. It was formed as a universal horse of the agricultural people. The Bashkirs, if they roamed, were not far away. But the proximity of nomadic tribes left its mark on the traditions of keeping horses.
Like the horses of nomadic peoples, Bashkir horses were kept in steppe herds, obtaining their own food in the winter. Since many Bashkirs kept herds of 400-500 heads, it is not surprising that they did not prepare hay for them. People fed only those horses that were left in the house to work in the winter.
The Bashkirs were used as a riding horse for grazing and driving livestock and as a draft force for the plow. In winter, along with the Vyatkas, the Bashkir troikas galloped along the roads of the Russian Empire.
This breed was widespread in the 17th-18th centuries. It was bred not only on the territory of modern Bashkiria, but also in the Kazan, Perm, and Samara provinces. The total number of horses of the Bashkir breed numbered 600 thousand heads.
Such a large population made it possible to form entire regiments of “wild Bashkirs” where the Bashkirs served together with their national breed. These regiments played a significant role in both Patriotic Wars: 1812 and 1941-1945.
The Bashkir breed has never experienced a crisis in its development.First of all, because these horses were never treated with reverence and they were never embarrassed to be used for food. Today, breeding for meat is the main purpose of the Bashkirs. And they are not in danger of disappearing. Although the authorities of the Bashkir Republic tried once to bring the breed to extinction.
Ideas of the authorities
It was difficult for the Bashkir people to imagine their life without a horse. Koni Tolpar and Akbuzat play a large role in the Bashkir epic.
In light of this, in 2011, the legislators of Bashkortostan had the “brilliant” idea to ban the export of purebred Bashkir horses from the region. In fact, this would be the killing of the breed, since today Bashkir horses are bought for breeding for meat and milk on farms in other Russian regions. The largest company, Snipe, has a herd of horses of the Bashkir breed in the Tver region, numbering more than 1000 heads.
Description
In the Bashkir herds bred for meat, no one particularly monitors the purity of the breed and does not select the right sires. Mating of herd horses occurs according to the principle “who is stronger, leads the school,” which means that all the mares in the school belong to the herd stallion. Therefore, the description and photo of the Bashkir horse breed give a poor idea of the real animals. The photo above is the type of Bashkir horse that people usually imagine. But there are also horses with a very “heavy” forehand, similar to Przewalski’s horse, but with an even lower neck projection. There are also horses that are difficult to distinguish from a riding horse.
Usually these are horses of a rough constitution, with a large head. They have a wide forehead with wide ganaches. The neck is short, thick, raw. Low output. The body is massive, can be either long or short. The chest is wide. This compensates for the short stature of the horses and even a tall person does not look funny sitting on a Bashkir. The back is wide and strong. The croup is moderately lowered and rounded. The legs are short and strong. The tail and mane are very thick. In winter, Bashkir horses grow very long hair with a thick undercoat, protecting them from the cold.
Height at the withers is from 138 to 145 cm. But due to the massive body, the Bashkir horse does not look like a pony.
Suits
Bashkir horses are surprisingly diverse in color. They have all variants of the main colors: red, bay, black, gray. All variants of Savras and all variants of suits with the Cremello gene. There is even a forelock color available.
Of the colors with the Cremello gene, dun and salt color are highly valued.
The nightingale horse with its golden sheen of fur is especially beautiful. Such shine clearly indicates an admixture of Bashkir horses with one of the five “brilliant” breeds:
- Karabakh;
- Akhal-Teke;
- Budennovskaya;
- Donskoy;
- Kustanayskaya.
It is difficult to understand when such mixing occurred. This could have happened during wars, when entire regiments were formed from Bashkir horses and no one monitored the purity of the breed.
Pros of the breed
These horses are distinguished by excellent health, capable of eating very rough feed, often independently obtaining their own food from under the snow. They have good, strong, well-shaped hooves that rarely require shoeing. They are very economical to maintain and hold the body well, “swelling with air.”
And this food may turn out to be neighboring ornamental plantings.
Since the breed is aboriginal, the instinct of self-preservation in these horses is fully preserved. A Bashkir always thinks how this or that action will end for him. It will not be possible to drive him into the swamp. He won't prance around romantically until he drops dead. At best, he will simply stubbornly resist. At worst, he will drop the rider off and offer to do without the horse.
There are no problems with them when grazing on a leash. Horses often cut their legs with rope after becoming tangled in a tether. Bashkir no. If everything is really bad, he will stand and wait for the person.
Bashkirs have good movement compared to other native breeds. Relatively wide free stride and canter. The lynx is very soft, comfortable for traveling long distances. And a technical jump, which is confirmed by the photo of this horse of the Bashkir breed.
Cons of the breed
Unfortunately, these horses have more disadvantages. These are horses only for a confident rider. No matter how old the rider is, he must be confident. Bashkir people live by the law of the jungle: “he who is stronger is right.” Sensing an insecure rider, the Bashkir will do everything to poison the person’s life. Even if he does not plant a newcomer, knowing that he will be punished for this, the Bashkir will invent 1000 and 1 way to let a person understand that in their tandem the horse is the leader.
Bashkirs know their rights very well, but they prefer to forget their responsibilities. Knowing very well that when they are not threatened with punishment, they immediately begin to insist on their rights. Moreover, the Bashkir will not succumb to any provocations if he knows that he will be punished.
They do not have any special respect for humans, constantly testing the strength of the rider, the stall (in case they manage to break it), and the rope in the pasture (if it breaks, they can go for a walk).
A herd aboriginal horse does not need to worry about the cleanliness of the place where it lives. After all, she has the whole steppe at her disposal. This also affected the Bashkirs. They do not know how to stand in the cramped stalls of a stable, mixing all the bedding under their feet. In nature, wild horses protect themselves from bloodsuckers by wallowing in liquid mud. Therefore, when going out to the levada after rain, the Bashkirian first of all finds a suitable puddle to wallow in.
Bashkir people are beautiful only in professional artistic photos. In reality, they give the impression of unsightly big-headed horses and do not make adults want to sit on them. People who come to rent a car are much more willing to go to Arabian horses. Although both breeds are similar in size, the Bashkir ones are much more powerful.
Application
Today, the main area of use of the Bashkir horse breed is the production of meat and kumiss. Often Bashkir horses are bought directly from the herd for personal farmsteads and equestrian clubs. Horses quickly get used to it and become tame. Previously, the Bashkir even taught children horse riding, but now this breed is considered not at all for children. This is partly true.
When using a Bashkir horse as a training or rental horse, its riders constantly change. At the same time, this breed is distinguished by its devotion to its owner and its rather harmful character. If the Bashkir gets along with the owner, he will take him out of any situation. With a constant change of riders, the Bashkir begins to look for his own benefit: who to intimidate so that he doesn’t come up again; who to drop off; who to refuse to move at all.
The Bashkirs used in clubs have one interesting feature: the horse does not forgive the slightest mistake of the rider. At the same time, if a horse makes a mistake, almost sending the rider to the next world, it simply stands up, bats its eyes naively, and on its face in large letters is written: “Just think, you made a mistake. Everyone makes mistakes."
But with proper preparation and if no mistakes were made, the Bashkir horse is capable of passing routes up to 120 cm in height without falling.
They can also work in dressage, but according to the owners themselves, due to their specific physique and character traits, it takes many times more effort and time to prepare and teach the Bashkir horse the required elements than when preparing a sports breed.
But in Crimea there is positive experience of using Bashkir horses in racing. So far the level of these competitions is low and the Bashkirs are a good match for it, which is confirmed by the photo of the Bashkir horses from the race.
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Conclusion
The Bashkir horse is perfectly adapted to survive in wild natural conditions and can be used as a universal horse in private farmsteads. It is suitable for both riding and working in harness, but requires a steady hand and ability to handle horses.