Bashkir Pony
The Bashkir is an ancient breed that has lived in the inhospitable regions of the Ural mountains of Russia for thousands of years. They are probably related to the steppe horses of Western Asia and may contain other blood of Turkish origin. They have developed to become a quite remarkable pony breed, highly adapted to their harsh environment and a central part of the local steppe people's lives. They are incredibly enduring, living and flourishing in the type of extreme cold where many other breeds perish. Possessing great stamina and speed for their size, they are frequently used for pulling the traditional troikas. Bashkirs are kept outside in herds, often in subzero temperatures, and are able to fend for themselves and find food in deep snow. They live out at pasture in large herds, all year round, and are employed for draft, farm work, riding, and mild and meat production. Among the hardiest breeds, it can work hard without supplementary feed. A pair of Bashkirs is reputed to be able to pull a sleigh 75 to 85 miles (120-140 km) in 24 hours, without being fed. Bashkir mares are commonly milked for eight months a year and are renowned for their extraordinarily high milk production. It is now uncommon for a mare to produce upward of 350 gallons of milk during the lactation period. The milk is subjected to a fermentation process to produce the highly prized koumiss, which forms a staple part of the local people's diet. Foals were once tethered away from their mothers for most of the day, only being allowed to feed at night, to allow most of the mare's milk to be siphoned off. The quality of the foals rapidly deteriorated, which, in turn, began to effect the entire stick. This has since been rectified.
There are two distinct types of Bashkir: the mountain type, which is smaller, lighter and more of a riding pony, and the steppe type, which is larger, heavier and more often used for pulling the troikas. That said, both types of pony are suitable for riding and light draft work. They are typically strong and hardy, with a quiet and docile temperament. There are about 1,000 Bashkirs (called "Bashkir Curly;" because of the curly coat) in the United States. They are reputed to have been popular with the native Americans of the north western states.
The Bashkir is being improved by pure breeding and by crossing with the Russian Heavy Draft. Experimentally, the Bashkir was crossed with Kazakh and Yakut horses. The Bashkir stock is mainly concentrated at Ufa stud, the leading center for the breed.
They have a heavy head with a straight profile, lively eyes, a full forelock, and small alert ears. They have short, strong necks, are deep chested with sloping shoulders, low withers, and a long, sometimes dipping back, with a low-set tail. Their legs are short and strong, and they have very hard hooves. They are usually bay, chestnut, or palomino in color, and have a prolific mane and tail. Heights vary between 13 hh and 14 hh.