Yesterday I met Okhonoon, an acquaintance from the Gorny ulus, at a hunting store. We started talking. The conversation, of course, turned to the upcoming spring hunting. Okhonoon says: “Today a lot of snow has fallen, but there will be impassable mud everywhere, however. Neither cars nor tractors will be able to get through to distant lakes. In March I rode a horse. This is the most reliable means of transportation.” So be it, I’ll tell you a story about a Yakut horse.
The life of the Yakuts is unthinkable without a horse, this unique, extremely unpretentious and hardy animal. She is an irreplaceable companion and faithful friend for them, giving them everything they need for life.
The Yakut horse, shaggy, squat, with a large head and strong legs, is left to its own devices even in the most severe frosts and obtains food by raking the snow with its hooves. And despite the frost, snow and poor nutrition, she gains more than 400 kg of live weight, of which meat and fat make up more than 80%. 
The Yakut horse, compared to horses of other breeds, has exceptionally high adaptive qualities, the thickest skin, thicker and longer hair, so it has perfectly adapted to the harsh climatic and poor food conditions of Yakutia. What saves her from severe cold is her ability to quickly build up and deposit a significant amount of fat in the subcutaneous tissue.
According to the ideas of the Sakha people, the horse is a sacred animal of heavenly origin. “Dzhesegey ogoto” or “child of Dzhesegei,” the patron god of horses and brave men, is what the Yakuts call the horse. He has long been worshiped and revered; the annual folk holiday Ysyakh was mainly dedicated to Dzhesegei and was accompanied by the traditional praise of the horse and treating everyone to kumis.
In front of their houses and on Ysyakh, the Yakuts place hitching posts-serge with carved images of horses, endowed, in their opinion, with magical properties to bring them benefit and protect them.
The Yakut horse, although small in stature, is very broad-bodied and massive in build, with a well-developed chest, on short, bony legs. Her hair is very thick, the winter coat reaches 7-8 cm, and there is an undercoat. The colors of the Yakut horse are predominantly light: gray, dun, savrasaya, roan, mousey. Horses are very cold-resistant, get fat well on summer-autumn pastures, and sniff at you in winter.
Here is what V. Seroshevsky wrote: The Yakuts passionately love horses; deprived of horses, they yearn for them, which is noticeable in the songs and legends of the distant northerners; their eyes always dwell with pleasure on their favorite forms, and their tongue eagerly glorifies them enthusiastically. I didn’t see a Yakut hitting or scolding a horse “Horses are smart, like people: you can’t insult them. Just look at how they walk through the meadows, they never trample in vain, like cows, they don’t ruin haystacks, they protect human labor. ..” - the Bayagantai Yakut explained to me the behavior of the herds, carefully walking around the ready-made heaps in the meadows, while the cattle, out of prank, constantly trampled and scattered them with their horns. "The horse is a tender-minded animal; it is capable of appreciating good and evil!" (Bayagan st., 1886). “If you’re already talking, won’t I listen to you?” says the hero to his horse. Like the Arabs, the population retains the names and origins of horses that have become famous for something for a long time in their memory and embellishes them with fantastic inventions. And now the Nam Yakuts will willingly tell legends about the pacer Kökya, who belonged to the ancestor Chorbokh, a contemporary of the Russian advent; about the runner Siryagyas, the cause of the bloody feud between two Nam clans; about Kusagannelsky Kutungai Boron, on which no one could sit, as “it was thrown by the wind of flight.” The Vilyui Yakuts will tell you about the famous horse Malyar. 
Yakut horses are widely used in winter in convoys for the delivery of various goods to gold mines and sites of development of other minerals, and in the summer under pack. Being small in stature, they carry a pack weighing 80-100 kg and walk up to 100 km per day; in winter, they carry 300-350 kg of cargo on sleighs, making 50 or more kilometers a day.
Yakuts ride horses to hunt. To do this, the horse is taken from the herd and “kept” for one or two days (that is, practically starved), tied briefly to a special pole, so that the horse cannot bend over. This is done because the horse in the herd is very fat and unaccustomed to hard work. If you immediately start running around the forest on it, it can get sick and even die. And if she fasts for two or three days, she will survive the long race just fine. This method of “aging” has been used by the Yakuts for many centuries. 
The unpretentious, unpretentious-looking Yakut horse also contributed greatly to the development of the north of Siberia. The Cossacks used them to overcome the inaccessible peaks of numerous ridges, and with their help they made their way through impassable swamps. “Yes, she’s short, but... strong, strong, her steps are measured and confident. What would travelers do on badarans - swampy swamps stretching for tens of kilometers - without Yakut horses? “What is Dzhugdzhur, what is a rocky road,” wrote Goncharov, the author of “Pallada,” “in comparison with the swamps!... Meanwhile, the horse feels that it is getting stuck deep: so it begins to make desperate efforts and impulsively lifts up its sacrum, then its back , then head, It’s good for the rider at this time! Finally, after beating, she lies down on her side; lie down quickly, too: it’s safer. That's what I did once." 
Yes, the roads in Yakutia were not easy, and in the year of the horse, all participants in the great northern expeditions would remember the Yakut horse with a kind word. Commander Vitus Bering, leading the first expedition, having arrived in Yakutsk, first of all demanded 600 horses.
The horses had to work hard. In the summer with packs, in the winter they dragged sleighs with loads along frozen rivers. Despite enormous distances and impassable conditions, horse transport nevertheless provided regular communication between remote Siberian villages and cities. “It may seem incredible,” marveled the explorer of the North A.F. Middendorf, “that Kolyma merchants annually, in the last days of October, send their goods in pack on the same horses to Sredne-Kolymsk, a distance of 2450 miles, and that these horses reach there in mid-January, walking about 1,500 miles through deserted places on pasture. Having stayed in Sredne-Kolymsk from January to May 20 and feeding partly on pasture, partly on hay, the horses return in mid-July to Yakutsk, on spring grass. , crossing many rivers and even rivers under a pack.”
It was with such an assistant that Okhonoon got ready to go hunting today. Well, with such an “all-terrain vehicle” he will have a successful hunt! 
Horses are amazing and very beautiful animals. This selection includes the most fantastic, in our opinion, horse breeds of indescribable beauty!
The Friesian is a breed of horse that originated in the northern province of the Netherlands, Friesland. It was bred in the 16th and 17th centuries by crossing horses of Spanish breeds with a local breed of horse - a heavy “cold-blooded” one, when the Netherlands was occupied by Spain.
“Black Pearls” - this name for these horses was assigned to them in the West, because friesian breed is one of the most unusual and beautiful draft breeds in the world.
The Friesian horse breed was on the verge of extinction twice, but horse breeders from the Netherlands made every effort and saved it.
Friesians are heavy-duty breeds. These are hairy-legged horses with beautiful friezes hanging from their legs. They look very graceful and harmonious, and it is very mesmerizing.
This breed creates a feeling of majesty and splendor for those who see them for the first time, it is very breathtaking. Even the smallest frieze behaves majestically and looks down on the world around him.
Friezes are tall, slender and very impressive, at the same time, these proud black giants are very kind, and are in no hurry to ruin the life of the rider with excessive temper, and they are also very comfortable to ride.
They have such long mane and a tail, that it seems that this only happens in children's fairy tales and in pictures, but no, to everyone's joy, here it is - in reality.
The Akhal-Teke is a riding horse breed bred in the territory of modern Turkmenistan (Ahal-Teke) approximately 5,000 years ago. This is the oldest of the cultivated breeds, which had a huge influence on many other breeds, and most often on the Arabian, thoroughbred horse (or English racing horse), etc.
The Akhal-Teke, together with the purebred riding horse and the Arabian, belongs to the purebred breeds, since it is the standard riding horse, and has not been crossed with other breeds for 5000 years.
It is perfectly adapted to hot, dry climates, and acclimatizes well to other conditions.
Representatives of this breed cannot be visually confused with other horses. Thanks to these unique standard forms, Akhal-Teke dogs are compared to greyhounds or cheetahs. Long lines dominate the entire image.
The Akhal-Teke is a horse with a very fine mental organization. He is smart, proud, and does not show off his feelings, at the same time, he can be loyal and often becomes attached to his owner.
Athletes who are accustomed to calmer and trouble-free half-breed horses believe that Akhal-Teke horses are difficult to work with. Like true desert horses, Akhal-Teke horses are very resistant to thirst.
This ancient breed of riding horses was bred in the period of the 4th-7th centuries AD. e. on the Arabian Peninsula.
Distinctive features of the Arabian horse from other breeds are the concave head and large eyes, as well as the so-called “cock” tail, which the horse lifts up during any type of fast gait.
The Arabian horse is the longest-living domestic horse breed. Very often horses of this breed live up to 30 years. Mares are highly fertile and retain the ability to reproduce until an advanced age.
The Arabian horse is renowned for its excellent endurance, especially over distances of more than 100 miles, which is why it is very popular throughout the world.
Arabian horses perform well mainly in racing and horse racing, and are also used for amateur horseback riding and amateur equestrian sports.
Many horse breeds are still improved by crossing with the Arabian breed. Pedigree breeders today direct maximum efforts to preserve and develop the best qualities of the Arabian breed, as well as some increase in growth.
The Oryol Trotter is a legendary Russian breed of light draft horse with a hereditary ability to trot quickly. It was bred in Russia, in the second half of the 18th - early 19th centuries, through complex reproductive crossing with Danish, Mecklenburg, Arabian, Dutch, and other breeds, at the Khrenovsky stud farm (Voronezh province), under the leadership of its owner, Count A.G. Orlov.
In 2006, this breed turned 230 years old. It gained wide popularity when it began to be used in Russian troikas as root players. Oryol breeds are very popular at international horse auctions. Oryol trotters are also used under saddle as pleasure and sport horses.
Thanks to the ability to beautifully bend their necks and hold their heads, Oryol dogs look great in harnesses and are widely used in driving.
These are gracefully built, harmonious, moderately temperamental and good-natured horses. They have a proud posture, graceful, elegant high movements, a lush mane and tail. Oryol residents inspired the creativity of such writers as L.N. Tolstoy, A.I. Kuprin and others. An example of a literary work is the book by Pyotr Shiryaev “Taglioni’s Grandson” about the Oryol trotter Flattery.
Oryol trotters have left their mark on many works of fine art. Russian artist Nikolai Sverchkov especially often turned to Oryol trotters in his work. The following films are also known: “Strong” and “The Trotter”.
Horses of this breed are famous tall(165-185 cm at the withers, and sometimes up to 219).
The Shire is considered the tallest horse in the world. They descend from combat knight's horses, which are descendants of the horses of the Roman Conquerors and is one of the most ancient heavy breeds.
The name comes from the English “shire”, and is translated as county. The Shire Gorse or Cart Gorse breed, which originated from Dutch stallions and local mares, became very famous and widespread. Despite its ancient origin, it is not entirely homogeneous in mass. Its type is very diverse - from a horse of extraordinary size and weight, suitable only for riding at a walk, to large and folding ones, suitable for both a plow and a cart.
The color is very diverse; She is very characterized by a bald spot on her head and white stockings, most often only hind legs. All parts of the body have proportional development; A very important characteristic feature is a wide chest, back and the same sacrum. They feed well and hold their bodies firmly.
Some of the breed's shortcomings can be considered - dampness, strong friziness and not always sufficient stockiness; it is quite possible that this breed will soon disappear, because individuals with these shortcomings are valued much lower. In England, it is often practiced to cross Shires with mares of blood breeds, this makes it possible to obtain suitable breeding draft horses.
This interesting animal represents one of the oldest breeds of horses on Earth. The Yakut horse, the remains of which archaeologists discovered during excavations, appeared on our planet many thousands of years ago.
Their habitat is Chukotka and Yakutia. These are areas with a pronounced continental climate. In these areas, the air temperature in summer rises to +35 degrees, and in winter drops to -50.
From the history of the breed
According to researchers, the Yakut breed of horses originated from wild tundra white horses and miraculously survived to this day.
The Yakuts have been engaged in horse breeding since ancient times. This was first mentioned at the beginning of the 17th century, when the first Russian travelers appeared on the banks of the Lena River. Agriculture in these areas arose at the end of the 19th century.
The Yakuts always occupied territories that were convenient for cattle breeding - along the banks of rivers, valleys with meadow vegetation. To understand how important horse breeding was for this people, it is necessary to become familiar with its customs. For example, after the death of a person, his horse was slaughtered, and the meat was distributed to everyone who came to the funeral. Not a single wedding meal was complete without kumis and horse meat, and the best cuts were offered to the guests of honor.
Yakut horse: structure, characteristics
These animals are well adapted to the harsh climate of the north. They feel great only in the region where they live in their natural environment. Many farmers from other regions have tried to have a Yakut horse on their farm, but they are unable to realize their dream and breed these animals. At the same time, their special endurance and performance invariably attract the attention of specialists. Let's look at just some of the characteristics that representatives of this breed have. Thus, this animal is capable of carrying a load of more than one hundred kilograms, it easily covers a distance of more than one hundred kilometers without visible signs of fatigue.
The Yakut breed of horses has a short stride. These animals gallop along a heavy snow-covered road 3,200 meters long in 5 minutes. Yakut horses are considered late-maturing, but long-lived - they reach full development only by six years. They are used for breeding until they are 25-27 years old.
Physiological features
The Yakut horse has adapted perfectly to the harsh conditions of the north. Amazing horses have their own biological features. First of all, this is a reduction in energy consumption that supports the vital functions of the animal’s body in winter. This is achieved thanks to the following structural features:
- significant thickening of the skin;
- formation of a layer of subcutaneous fat;
- thickening and lengthening of the coat.
In 1943, a breeding nursery was organized in the Verkhoyansk region. The purpose of its creation was to improve the Yakut horse. Repeated attempts have been made to crossbreed these animals with other breeds. The results of these experiments had no effect on the breed. This breed is protected by the harsh nature of Yakutia - other horses simply cannot survive here. The numbers also speak to this: in a livestock of 150,000 animals, crossbreeds make up only 2%.
External differences
A description of the exterior of the Yakut horse breed can be seen in all veterinary reference books. These animals have a rough, massive head, characteristic only of this breed, set on a thick and short neck.
In addition, they are distinguished by a very small height at the withers (no more than 136 cm), a straight and long back, a lowered croup, a deep and wide chest, and a thick mane.
By winter, the Yakut horse is covered with thicker and longer hair. But it’s not the only thing that protects the animal from frost. It performs the same function with a layer of fat. In winter, the fur grows up to 10 cm in length, the tail of the animal becomes thick and fluffy, usually it hangs down to the ground, and the mane covers the neck and shoulders of the animal.
Shaggy Yakut horses have somewhat short front legs. Their position is correct, the hind limbs are often X-shaped. The hooves are well shaped and strong.
Suit
The most common colors are savrasaya, gray or mouse. There are animals with agouti coloring. In this case, only pigmented top part hair In the north of Yakutia, gray horses are most often found. They turn gray early and by the age of four they become almost white.
Usage
The Yakut horse is widely used in the north of our country. The Yakut breed of horses provides humans with meat and kumis (milk), and their fur is used to make very wearable and warm clothes. These small but hardy horses are used for transporting goods and also for riding. The Yakuts ride them for hunting. To do this, the animal is taken from the herd and “kept” for two days. In fact, the horse is starved. She is tied to the post quite short, so that she cannot bend over. This is done so that a fairly well-fed horse from the herd, unaccustomed to hard work, acquires the desired shape. After two or three, she will easily endure a long race. The Yakuts have been using this unique method for many centuries.
The Yakut horse as a racer is not entirely familiar even to an experienced rider. After all, it moves in very small steps, which is explained by living conditions in places without large spaces where it would be possible to develop high speed. Therefore, the Yakut horse is used as a riding horse only in its homeland.
Meat and dairy is a priority in breeding these animals. Their meat is considered a delicacy. It has a marble color and a special taste. In addition, it contains a lot of unsaturated fatty acids, which help remove harmful cholesterol and significantly alleviate the condition of patients with anemia, tuberculosis and sclerosis.
The Yakuts also find use for the skins of these horses, making household items from them, from shoes to various mats. The wool of Yakut horses replaces that of sheep; felt boots are made from it, and threads are made from which very warm things are knitted.
Not only specialists, but also ordinary citizens are interested in the Yakut breed of horses. Horses and ponies (animals with a height at the withers of less than 113 cm, which are born through natural selection without human intervention) are in great demand in zoos and circuses in our country. Unfortunately, in middle lane and southern regions they take root extremely rarely.
Even in harsh winter conditions, the Yakut horse lives on outdoors. In summer, animals graze at temperatures up to +30 °C, and in winter up to -50 °C.
They look for food on their own and even in severe frosts they are able to feed on grass, which they get from under the snow. In Yakutia the snow is not too deep. Therefore, the horses rake it with their hooves and get to the grass. This pasture is called "tebenevka". With the onset of spring, horses are transferred to the southern slopes of the hills, where the climate is milder and the snow melts faster. Closer to summer, the animals are moved to open areas. Only most often geldings, in winter period They receive hay as feeding. They are usually kept in pens.
We have already said that these animals are not distinguished by their outstanding performance, but they also participate in competitions in agility and strength, where they show quite serious results. Thus, the Yakuts, harnessed to a sleigh with a load of 350 kg along a snow-covered road, covered a distance of 650 km in 16 days. More short distance(1630 m) under a light rider in winter they cover it in 2 minutes and 56 seconds. To be fair, it must be said that the participants in these competitions received oats in addition to hay.
Insect protection
In the summer, Yakut horses lose a lot of weight, since countless mosquitoes and midges prevent them from grazing normally. To protect animals, local residents burn special smokers in villages, which repel flies and mosquitoes with smoke.
Yakut horse: price
Many people dream of buying a Yakut horse. These are hardy and smart animals that are excellent at navigating rough terrain. Plus, these furry horses are simply adorable. Today, for many, this dream can come true, since the head of Yakutia has allowed amazing animals to travel to other regions in order to improve the breed. Sales are not carried out everywhere, but only at special breeding plants. For example, you can buy a horse at the State Unitary Enterprise "Bashplemservice", located in the Republic of Bashkortostan.
Surely the question of cost is of interest to everyone who wants to purchase such an animal. We will provide you with indicative prices as they are currently subject to change. For example, a 6-7 year old stallion costs 80 thousand rubles. An 8-year-old mare will cost the same amount, a two-year-old foal costs 60 thousand rubles, and a one-year-old foal costs 40 thousand rubles.
Development of the breed
Today in Yakutia three types of Yakut horses have formed:
- northern (Verkhoyansk and Middle Kolyma horses);
- southern - smaller animals that have not been crossed with other horse breeds;
- southern large type.
In 2011, a new variety of Yakut horses, the Megezhek variety, was officially introduced at the stud farm named after. S. Vasilyeva.
Appearance
The Yakut breed of horses, the most frost-resistant, has an undercoat and wool 8-15 cm long. Even in winter, it can feed on grass from under the snow, raking it with its hooves - getting dark. In Yakutia, horses live outdoors all year round(at temperatures in summer up to +30°C and in winter up to −50°C) and search for food on their own. Each leader keeps his own school: from 18 to 24 mares and foals; the animals graze in such a family. In 1988, a herd of Yakut horses was released on an area of 160 km² of tundra, which successfully took root; it is used to test the theory about the possibility of partial restoration of the ecosystem of the “mammoth tundra steppes” of the Pleistocene.
Compared to similar Mongolian horses, the Yakut horse is taller and more massive. Yakut horses are usually brown, bay and gray, less often savras and mousey.
Yakut horses are stocky, with relatively short legs and a big head.
Currently, three types of Yakut horses have been formed in the Republic of Yakutia: the northern original type of Yakut horses (Middle Kolyma, Verkhoyansk horse), the southern, smaller type, which has not been crossed with factory breeds; southern large type, deviating towards factory breeds used to improve the local Yakut horse. In 2011, the presentation of a new breed of Yakut horse, the “Megezhek” breed, was officially announced at the stud farm named after Stepan Vasilyev (Nyurbinsky district of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)).
Size of the Middle Kolyma stallions (cm): height at the withers 139, oblique length of the body 148, chest girth 173, metacarpus girth 19.7, in mares - 137-145-171 - 18.1. The weight of six-month-old foals reaches 105 kg, at 2.5 years of age - 165 kg, in adult horses - 228 kg. The hooves are very stable. Yakut horses have a short stride. They gallop along a heavy snow track for 3200 meters in just over 5 minutes; they cover 1600 meters in about 3 minutes. Yakut horses are late maturing, but long-lived: reaching full development only by five to six years, they are often used for breeding and work until the age of 25-27.
The bulk of Yakut horses are concentrated in the valleys of the middle reaches of the Lena River, as well as further north, in the Yana, Kolyma and Indigirka basins.
Yakut horses are hardy and smart, and are good at running over rough terrain.
Application
- Horse. Despite their short stature and stockiness, Yakut horses are often used as riding horses. Not a single Ysyakh holiday is complete without equestrian competitions, and riding horses are never used for other purposes.
- Meat and dairy direction. The most widespread. The mare's milk is used to make the traditional national drink kumys, and the meat of Yakut horses is considered a national dish and is considered a delicacy. A distinctive feature of Yakut horse meat is the so-called marbling of the meat, that is, inclusions of fat in the meat, due to which the meat acquires a special taste and softness, extremely valued by gourmets.
Undoubtedly, the unique taste of Yakut horse meat is facilitated by the fact that only horses that have never seen a saddle or stirrups are used for this. The meat of the Yakut horse is very fatty and high-calorie; its production has now been put into production. In general, this is not surprising, since in northern conditions this is one of the few species of domestic animals adapted for breeding.
see also
Notes
Links
Wikimedia Foundation.
- 2010.
- Yakut cow
Yakut City Cossack Foot Regiment
See what a “Yakut horse” is in other dictionaries: Yakut horse - see also HORSES This is the only breed adapted to the extreme environmental conditions of the Far North. She easily tolerates frosts. In winter it smells good to you. Of all the forest species, only the Yakut is bred and kept in herds all year round... ...
Breeds of farm animals. Directory- local horse-drawn pack and harness dog, bred and bred for a long time in the territory of Yakutia. The animals are short, long-lived, hardy, unpretentious, and are adapted to year-round herd keeping and herding. Also used for... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary
Horses of this breed do not even know what a warm stable is, since they spend almost their entire lives in the tundra. They faithfully serve people both in frost, when the temperature reaches -60 °C, and in 40-degree heat.
For centuries, a small, lean, shaggy Yakut horse has helped people survive in the forest-tundra, in the Far North, beyond the Arctic Circle.
At one time, there were many attempts to cross the Yakut horse with high-breed factory horses, but the experiments were not successful - no other breed could withstand the harsh conditions of the north.
Description of the breed
Wild white tundra horses were the ancestors of the Yakut aboriginal horse and, judging by the fact that they did not become extinct, one can judge their vitality and endurance. Of course, it cannot compare in grace and beauty with the Oryol or English horse, but it will give a head start to any other breed of horse in surviving in harsh winter conditions beyond the Arctic Circle, in the fight against gadflies and mosquitoes.
An amazing animal - the Yakut horse - living side by side with a person for many centuries, sharing all the hardships with him northern life and to this day remain almost free from the owner. Even severe frosts cannot drive her under the roof of the stall. At this time of year, the herd, led by a leader, goes into the thicket of the taiga, where it hides from snowstorms and blizzards. The fat accumulated over the summer and thick wool with undercoat keep horses warm. They feed on the remaining tufts of grass that they find under the snow.
Despite the frost, half a meter of snow and poor nutrition, the animal manages to gain a live weight of more than 400 kg, 80% of which is pure meat and fat.
Each family consists of an average of 20-25 adult horses and foals. In autumn, artiodactyls mate.
If a herd of Yakut horses comes across another herd, the leaders will fight until they bleed until one of them leaves “in disgrace,” and the other takes the mares left without a leader or drives them away along with the defeated leader. The only animal that the leaders of the herd are afraid of is the bear; when they meet it, they begin to tremble, but, as true defenders of their home, they go to certain death, but do not let the beast near the herd.
Varieties of horses of the Yakut breed
The general appearance that Yakut horses have is very different from other horse breeds. This is a short type, strong, with wide rear edges of the lower jaw (ganache), low withers and a short neck.
The straight back and wide croup are well “attached” to stable, squat legs, which can cover quite long distances both in search of food and in carrying heavy loads for humans.
Strong hooves with frequent brushes help to get moss out from under the snow. The body is covered with thick and long hair with undercoat, the mane is lush and looks like a hat with earflaps. In winter, the Yakut horse looks like a fur ball that rolls from place to place.
Horses can be of different colors:
- redheads;
- Savrasye;
- roans;
- bay;
- brown;
- gray;
- rarely dappled.
In summer, Yakut horses appear somewhat darker than in winter, but it is believed that their true natural color is gray.
Yakut horses are divided into two types:
- Large southern species. These are horses with a relatively long body and high withers, crossed with other breeds, more intended for harnessing;
- Northern view.
It is considered the most original and ancient type, more intended for transporting pack loads.
It is not in vain that the northern inhabitants adapted these animals for transporting goods; thanks to their short but fast strides, they can run more than 3000 meters in five minutes, and due to the rhythm of movement, they warm up. They are also warmed by the fat gained in the autumn-winter period, and are distinguished from other breeds of horses by their breathing, which changes according to the time of year: in the summer their respiratory movements are twice as frequent as in the winter, which allows the horses to better adapt to the cold.
The life expectancy of Yakut horses makes it possible to classify them as long-livers; their “childhood” period lasts quite a long time, they reach maturity by six years, but they can be used for more than a quarter of a century.
If you look at the Yakut horse from the side, you can see a small, dwarf, stocky horse that looks like a pony, but when you sit astride it, everything changes radically - it is already a frisky horse, standing firmly on its feet and confidently holding the rider in the saddle.
Horse racing is highly revered among the peoples of the north; the main competition of the year reveals the best horses of the republic. Hunters explain this by saying that if you start riding a horse right away, after it has been grazing for a long time and has become fat, it may die. And the peculiar diet makes it possible to further use the horse both for hunting and for transporting goods.
Application of horses
In mid-autumn, herders drive the herds to the splits, where their parameters are measured and the horses are distributed:
- some animals are left for work;
- some horses are selected for racing;
- the rest are sent to slaughter.
Yakut horses are proud and spirited; in order to milk a mare, you must keep the foal nearby, otherwise she will not let you approach her.
They milk it all day, every two hours, and excellent kumiss is made from the milk. Milk is poured into a leather bag, the starter is poured, everything is mixed well and hung from the ceiling, no matter how many times the owners pass by, or whoever comes into the yurt, they will definitely spin the bag.
This produces a fermenting and invigorating drink that contains ascorbic acid, calcium, and iodine. Mares' milk does not cause allergies, even to people prone to allergic reactions.
In addition, the horse produces valuable marbled meat, thanks to which northern people can survive the harsh winter. Horse meat is a national delicacy with a special taste and high calorie content. The rare taste of meat can only be had by that Yakut horse that was initially selected “for meat” and never carried a rider, otherwise its meat would consist more of sinews.
Herders keep an eye on the foal fillies, and as soon as the foal is born, it is taken outside the perimeter of the fenced area and warmed, and the young mothers are fed hay.
Veal meat and fat have high nutrients and have medicinal properties, as they contain:
However, the exploitation of a horse is not limited only to the fact that it is eaten or used in hunting and for transporting goods, although this is no longer small. The Yakut horse can travel vast distances without food; it is practically independent of water, as it is able to quench its thirst with snow.
Among other things, horse hair is used to make hats, souvenirs, insoles, and fans (daybiir) that drive away mosquitoes. It is also believed that items made from horsehair ward off evil spirits.
Horse skin is also used: it is used to make shoes that are not only warm, but also medicinal.
The Yakuts consider the horse not just an advantageous and convenient animal, they sincerely love it, respect it and consider it more of a comrade in “northern” life. It is not for nothing that there is a custom: to serve kumis and horse meat dishes at a wedding, and after the death of the owner, to slaughter the horse and distribute the meat to everyone who came to the funeral.
Yakuts often place a serge (hitting post) in front of their house - a carved image of a horse. According to their belief, this image protects the house and brings them prosperity.
Unfortunately, the Yakut horse has retained its pristine purity in only one place - this is Oymyakon, the northernmost point, where in the seventy-degree frost, other horse breeds, even hybrid ones, simply cannot withstand the conditions and die.
