Bitiug

a river in Voronezh Oblast, RSFSR, with the upper reaches in Tambov Oblast; left tributary of the Don. Flowing through the Oka-Don plain, it is 379 km long and drains an area of 8,840 sq km. There are more than 400 lakes in the Bitiug basin. The river valley is wide and frequently swampy. The right bank is elevated and interspersed with forests; the left bank is sloping and steppelike. The river is fed by snow. The mean annual flowrate near the city of Bobrov is 18.2 cu m/sec. The Bitiug freezes in mid-December and the ice breaks up in late March or early April.

a Russian breed of draft horse evolved in the 18th century by peasants of Voronezh Province in villages along the Bitiug River. Bitiugs were large (height at the withers of up to 178 cm) and of various colors, trotted satisfactorily, were distinguished by endurance, and were used for the hauling of loads and also in harness for heavy carriages. Because of demands for narrowly specialized draft horses and trotting horses, the bitiugs were crossbred with trotters and foreign heavy-draft horse breeds, which led to the disappearance of the bitiug.