Karabair Horse

Karabair Horse

 

a saddle and pack horse of local breed produced in Uzbekistan by crossing the ancient Middle Asian Argamak breed with Mongolian, Turkmen, and Arabian breeds.

The Karabair horse is medium-sized and rather awkwardly built. The coat is gray, bay, or chestnut (rarely, black). Three types are found in the breed: a thickset type, approaching the proportions of the draft horse; a saddle horse; and a saddle and pack animal. Horses of the first type are bred chiefly in the valleys of regions of irrigated agriculture; the latter two types are bred in the mountainous regions of Uzbekistan and Tadzhikistan. The Karabair is adapted to herd life. It can be saddled, loaded with packs, or hitched as a draft animal. Its fastest time for 1 km over smooth terrain is 1 min 14 sec; for 1, 600 m, 1 min 53 sec; and for 2, 400 m, 2 min 52 sec. The Karabair approaches the heavy draft horse in carrying capacity. The breed is raised in the Uzbek SSR, the Tadzhik SSR, and the Karakalpak ASSR, and development of the breed is carried on at the Dzhizak Stud Farm in the Uzbek SSR.

REFERENCES

Shchekin, V. A., and V. S. Vikhrev. Karabair. Tashkent, 1947.
Kniga o loshadi, vol. 1. Edited by S. M. Budennyi. Moscow, 1952.

V. A. SHCHEKIN