The Swedish Bashkir Horse Association The Swedish Bashkir Horse Association was established in 1998. It is a breeding association for Bashkir horses in Sweden. The association is working for a serious breeding that preserves the Bashkir horses original type and for the spreading of knowledge about the breed. The association has extracted a description of the breed, with starting point from the Russian description and participates with breed representatives at the approvals of Bashkir breeding stallions. In 2002, the Swedish Bashkir Horse Association organized its first Breeding Trophy for mares and from 2005 it also administers the registration of Bashkir horses in Sweden.
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THE BASHKIR HORSE
The origins of the Bashkir horse The Bashkir horse originates from Bashkiria, a province in the southwestern area of Russia’s Ural Mountains. The people of Bashkiria have been breeding these horses for more than a thousand years and the horses are often held in large wild herds. The breed has changed very little in character during a large extent of time, and in looks and conformation it still resembles a wild horse more than a domestic breed. It has retained much of the wild horse’s behavior and characteristics; it is a good forager and has a well-developed herd instinct. |
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The Bashkir horse is not bred for any specific purpose, but as an animal that can be utilized for everything. The breed has a steady temperament, a good ability to work hard and to produce healthy foals. It is used for meat and milk production, and as an all purpose pack and general work horse in agriculture. It goes equally well in harness and under saddle. The Bashkir horse in Russia has always been bred first and foremost for soundness, with good health and general utility commanding the utmost priority. Conformation, temperament and gaits The Bashkir is sturdy and stocky in build, with a thick mane, tail and coat. It is a very strong horse with a broad chest, sloping croup and a tail that is set on low. The head is relatively large with a straight or convex profile, and the eyes are somewhat slanted. It has a short, fleshy neck, low withers and a wide, deep body with a broad, straight and strong back. Bashkirs have relatively short legs of substantial bone, and the feet are tremendously hard. The horses vary in height from 13.2 hh and to 15.2 hh, with 13.3–14 hh being average. The most common colors are various shades of dun, but chestnut, palomino, bay, black and grey are also quite common. Dun horses have a dorsal stripe along the back, dark ear tips, and tiger stripes around the legs. Markings the color of sweat stains may also occur on the shoulder as well as other markings commonly seen among wild horses such as dark patches on the neck, chest and loins.
Having been developed in an extremely hard climate and very poor winter grazing conditions, the Bashkir horse is hardy and an easy keeper. In Russia’s bitterly cold winters, the horses grow long winter coats that are both dense and insulating. The hair layers of the Bashkir horse are also fatty, preventing water from penetrating through to the skin. It is probably due to the breed’s fatty coat that allergy sufferers are not so affected by the dust in the air near a Bashkir horse, for the skin particles remain bound to the coat. In temperament the Bashkir horse is calm and steady. It is contact-seeking, kind, sincere and a very loyal and a willing worker. However it is a real survivor, it is highly intelligent and cunning and can therefore at times be rather stubborn. As a riding horse, the Bashkir is comfortable and responsive. It is very surefooted, capable of making its way through all kinds of terrain at all speeds. Yet it remains calm and never puts itself or its rider at any form of risk. The Bashkir horse is also known to be capable of performing up to six gaits – walk, trot, canter, tolt (rack), pace and cossack trot.
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The Bashkir horse in Sweden Bashkir horses were first imported to Sweden in 1993. In the period between 1993 and 1998, about a hundred horses were brought to Sweden from Russia, foremost for use as sensible, surefooted trail horses in trekking outfits but also as all purpose family horses. Most of these Bashkir horses were captured from herds running wild in the Urals. Today, Sweden has one of the largest Bashkir populations outside Russia. The Swedish Bashkir population today now stands at around 350 individuals. At the present time, there is no ongoing import from Russia to Sweden. Consequently the increase of numbers in the Swedish population of Bashkir horses has come exclusively from breeding the individuals already existent in Sweden. There are 15 approved Bashkir breeding stallions in Sweden and the Bashkir population produces approximately 30 foals a year. In Sweden, the hardy Bashkir horse is usually kept outside year round with access to shelter from the wind. The horses can then continue to live in the same natural way that they would in Russia, and breeders can preserve the breed’s natural character. That Bashkir horses can live outside year round also opens the possibility for allergy sufferers to keep horses. |
| For further information or questions about the Bashkir horse, e-mail info@basjkir.se |