Bashkir Breed

a local breed of horses that evolved in Bashkiria in the remote past. The horses are small in stature, stocky, sturdily built, and well suited for the maintenance of year-round herds in steppe, forest-steppe, and forest pasturing grounds under harsh continental climate conditions. Their coats are exceedingly varied; the most typical are grayish and bay. Various types of the breed are distinguished: the draft horse—the enlarged (height to withers, 140–142 cm) lowlands horses of the northern regions of the republic; saddle draft horse; and saddle pack horse—the smallest (height to withers, 130–138 cm) steppe and mountain horses. Live mass is 370–420 kg. Mares are highly lactic, yielding 8–10 liters of milk per day (an average of 1,600–2,000 liters during lactation), which is chiefly used for the manufacture of koumiss. The plain and sturdy Bashkir horses are used for various agricultural and transportation tasks, for riding, and for carrying pack loads. Maximum hauling capacity in harness is more than three tons. Bashkir horses are also valued as meat animals—the dressed yield is 50–54 percent. Specialized breeding of the species is conducted in order to develop quality work, dairy, and meat horses.