In 1931, the party assigned horse breeders the task of creating a hardy and unpretentious army horse based on the local stock of the Kazakh steppes. The unsightly and small steppe horses were not suitable for cavalry service, but they had unsurpassed qualities that allowed them to survive in the steppe in winter without food. The horse breed planned by the authorities was to adopt these abilities, but to be larger and stronger, in other words, suitable for cavalry service.
A purebred Kazakh horse, as can be seen in the photograph, was akin to the Mongolian breed and was only suitable for transport.
Thoroughbred stallions were brought to the Kazakh steppes for crossing with local mares. Before Germany attacked the USSR, they did not have time to bring out the necessary horse. In fact, they did not manage to withdraw it at all until the moment when the cavalry in the army was disbanded as unnecessary. But “every republic must have its own national breed.” And work on a new breed of horses continued until 1976, when they were finally able to register the Kushum breed of horses.
Removal methods
To increase height, improve appearance and speed, Kazakh aboriginal mares were bred with Thoroughbred riding stallions. But Purebreds do not have resistance to frost and the ability to grow. To select foals of the necessary qualities, brood herds were kept in the steppe year-round.In this case, weak foals do not survive.
Even today, traditional races on yearling foals are held in Kazakhstan. Considering the scarcity of resources on the Kazakh steppe, this attitude is more than justified: the sooner the weak die, the more food will remain for the survivors. A similar selection was practiced when selecting Kushum horses.
Later, in addition to Thoroughbred riding horses, Kazakh mares were crossed with Oryol trotters and Don stallions. The offspring, from 1950 until 1976, were used in complex reproductive crosses. During registration, the Kushum horse breed was named after the Kushum River in Western Kazakhstan, in the area of which the new national breed was bred.
Description
The Kushum horse today is one of the highest quality Kazakh breeds. These horses are of decent size compared to the native steppe stock, but lead the same lifestyle.
The height of Kushum stallions is not inferior to the size of many horses of the factory breed: the height at the withers is 160 cm with an oblique body length of 161 cm. In fact, this means that the Kushum breeding stallion has a square format. The format of steppe aboriginal horses is a reclining rectangle. The stallion's chest girth is 192 cm. Pastern girth is 21 cm. Boniness index is 13.1. The live weight of the stallion is 540 kg.
The format of Kushum mares is somewhat longer. Their height at the withers is 154 cm with a body length of 157 cm. The mares are quite powerful: chest girth is 183.5 cm with a metacarpus girth of 19.3 cm. The bone index of mares is 10.5. The live weight of the mare is 492 kg.
In connection with the abolition of the need for cavalry horses, the Kushumtsy began to be reoriented towards meat and dairy production. Today it is considered an achievement that the average weight of today's Kushum horses has increased slightly compared to the 70s of the last century. But back in the 70s, Kushum stallions brought to the USSR Exhibition of Economic Achievements weighed more than 600 kg.
Today, the average weight of a newborn foal ranges from 40 to 70 kg. Young animals weigh between 400-450 kg already at the age of 2.5 years. Mares at the peak of lactation and on good feed produce 14-22 liters of milk per day. From 100 mares, 83-84 foals are born annually.
Kushum horses have the correct proportions of factory breeds. They have a small, proportional head. The neck is of medium length. The body is short and compact. Kushum people are distinguished by their deep and wide chest. Long oblique shoulder blade. Smooth, strong back. Short loin. The croup is well developed. Healthy, strong, dry feet.
There are actually two colors in the breed: bay and red. The brown suit found in the descriptions is actually the darkest shade of the red suit.
Kushum horses are perfectly adapted to life in the steppes and in their fertility do not differ from other Kazakh breeds. They are resistant to necrobacillosis and blood parasitic diseases.
The breed today has three types: massive, basic and riding. The photo below shows the riding type of the Kushum horse.
The massive type is more suitable for producing meat products. These are the heaviest horses that gain weight well.
Today, the main work with the Kushum breed is carried out at the stud farm “TS-AGRO” LLP, located in the city of Aktob.
Today TS-AGRO is the main breeder of the Kushumskaya breed. He alone manages 347 brood mares.Breeding young animals are sold to other farms.
In addition to this breeding breeder, the Kushumskaya breed of horses is also bred in the Krasnodon and Pyatimarsky stud farms.
TS-AGRO carries out systematic breeding work under the leadership of S. Rzabaev. The work is carried out on existing highly productive lines and lays the foundation for new lines.
Character
Like all breeds with aboriginal roots, Kushum horses are not particularly flexible. This is especially true for stallions that guard their harem from various dangers all year round. Kushum residents are characterized by independent thinking, a well-developed instinct of self-preservation and their own opinion on the events taking place around them and the demands of the rider.
Application
In addition to providing the population of Kazakhstan with meat and milk, Kushum horses are capable of serving in the transportation of goods and horse-drawn cattle drives. Tests on runs have shown that Kushum residents can cover more than 200 km in one day. The travel time for 100 km was 4 hours 11 meters, that is, the average speed exceeded 20 km/h.
Kushum residents show good results in harness tests. The time required to cover a distance of 2 km at a trot with a draft force of 23 kg was 5 minutes. 54 sec. At a walk, with a draft force of 70 kg, the same distance was covered in 16 minutes. 44 sec.
Reviews
Conclusion
The Kushum horse breed today belongs to the meat and dairy category, but in fact it turned out to be universal. Depending on the type of horse, this breed can be used not only for productive horse breeding, but also for long trips during nomadic animal husbandry.
