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Budyonny (horse)
Encyclopedia
The Budyonny is a breed of horse
from Russia
. They were developed for use as a military horse following the Russian Revolution and are currently used as an all-purpose competition horse and for driving.
with a golden sheen, although they may also be bay, gray
or black
. They have a well-proportioned head with a straight profile, a long neck, pronounced withers, sloping shoulders, a wide, deep chest, a long, straight back, and a slightly sloping croup. Their legs are long and strong with good joints and well-formed hooves. The modern horse has a strong build, good bone, and are quite similar to the Thoroughbred
. Conformation problems include occasional offset cannon bones in the forelegs and overly straight hind legs.
Later, demand for competition horses led to the creation of a single type with a larger proportion of Thoroughbred blood. This breed is of interest because it is the result of the complex state-sponsored cross-breeding programs that were implemented after the Russian Revolution and are still in place today. The Budyonny is bred today in the Ukraine
and in the Kazakh and Kirghiz republics in the southern part of the former USSR.
, a Bolshevik
cavalry commander who became famous during the Russian Revolution. The breed was created by Budyonny, a well-known horse breeder himself, in the early 1920s in the Rostov
region of Russia with the intent of producing cavalry horses to replace those lost during and after World War I
. The resulting horses were used in Russian cavalry divisions during World War II and after.
Budyonnys were bred from a cross of local Don
and Chernomor mares and Thoroughbred stallions. The Chernomor (also known as the Tchernomor or the Cherkassky) is a type of Cossack horse similar to the Don, although smaller. They are descendents of the horses raised by Zaporozhian Cossacks, and were first bred around Krasnodar, north of the Caucasus Mountains
. During the first round of breeding for the Budyonny horse, blood from Kirghiz and Kazakh horses was also used, but the progeny was found to be not as hardy or conformationally sound, and later the Budyonny was used to improve these two breeds.
The first Budyonny horses were known as Anglo-Dons, and the best were inter-bred, with the foundation stock for the Budyonny selected from their offspring. The foundation stock consisted of 657 mares of Anglo-Don, Anglo-Chernomor, and Anglo-Don/Chernomor crosses. These mares were crossed with Anglo-Don and Thoroughbred stallions. The broodmares were given the best of care with feed and management. The young stock, when between two and four years old, were tested for performance on the racecourse and in cavalry equitation courses. In 1949 the breed was officially recognized.
In the 1950s an experiment was performed to gauge the ability of the Budyonny breed to adapt to harsh conditions without human help. A number of horses were turned loose on a large island in Manych Lake in the Rostov district. The horses have since survived and thrived, proving that they are capable of living in the wild for extended periods without human assistance.
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
from Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. They were developed for use as a military horse following the Russian Revolution and are currently used as an all-purpose competition horse and for driving.
Conformation
The Budonny breed generally stands between 16 and 16.3hh, and is generally chestnutChestnut (coat)
Chestnut is a hair coat color of horses consisting of a reddish-to-brown coat with a mane and tail the same or lighter in color than the coat. Genetically and visually, chestnut is characterized by the absolute absence of true black hairs...
with a golden sheen, although they may also be bay, gray
Gray (horse)
Gray or grey is a coat color of horses characterized by progressive silvering of the colored hairs of the coat. Most gray horses have black skin and dark eyes; unlike many depigmentation genes, gray does not affect skin or eye color Their adult hair coat is white, dappled, or white intermingled...
or black
Black (horse)
Black is a hair coat color of horses in which the entire hair coat is black. Black is a relatively uncommon coat color, and novices frequently mistake dark chestnuts or bays for black. However, some breeds of horses, such as the Friesian horse, Murgese and Ariegeois are almost exclusively black...
. They have a well-proportioned head with a straight profile, a long neck, pronounced withers, sloping shoulders, a wide, deep chest, a long, straight back, and a slightly sloping croup. Their legs are long and strong with good joints and well-formed hooves. The modern horse has a strong build, good bone, and are quite similar to the Thoroughbred
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
. Conformation problems include occasional offset cannon bones in the forelegs and overly straight hind legs.
Sub-categories
In the beginning, “Massive,” “Eastern,” and “Middle” types of the breed were recognized.- The Massive type was large and somewhat rough. They were sturdy, with a well-developed bone structure, and those with an oriental typiness were especially prized. Their robust constitution made them specially suitable for herd keeping. They were used mainly for carriage driving.
- The Oriental type was lighter and more elegant. Generally chestnut with a gold sheen or bay, they were more demanding in the feed and management conditions they required.
- The Medium type was fairly large and well-muscled, but also rangy and athletic. They were faster than the other two types, and looked more like the Thoroughbred type.
Later, demand for competition horses led to the creation of a single type with a larger proportion of Thoroughbred blood. This breed is of interest because it is the result of the complex state-sponsored cross-breeding programs that were implemented after the Russian Revolution and are still in place today. The Budyonny is bred today in the Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
and in the Kazakh and Kirghiz republics in the southern part of the former USSR.
History
The Budyonny was named after Marshall Semyon BudyonnySemyon Budyonny
Semyon Mikhailovich Budyonny , sometimes transliterated as Budennyj, Budyonnyy, Budennii, Budenny, Budyoni, Budyenny, or Budenny, was a Soviet cavalryman, military commander, politician and a close ally of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin.-Early life:...
, a Bolshevik
Bolshevik
The Bolsheviks, originally also Bolshevists , derived from bol'shinstvo, "majority") were a faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party which split apart from the Menshevik faction at the Second Party Congress in 1903....
cavalry commander who became famous during the Russian Revolution. The breed was created by Budyonny, a well-known horse breeder himself, in the early 1920s in the Rostov
Rostov
Rostov is a town in Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia, one of the oldest in the country and a tourist center of the Golden Ring. It is located on the shores of Lake Nero, northeast of Moscow. Population:...
region of Russia with the intent of producing cavalry horses to replace those lost during and after World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. The resulting horses were used in Russian cavalry divisions during World War II and after.
Budyonnys were bred from a cross of local Don
Russian Don
The Russian Don is a breed of horse developed in and named after the steppes region of Russia where the Don River flows. Utilized originally as cavalry horses for the Cossacks, they are currently used for under-saddle work and driving.-Characteristics:...
and Chernomor mares and Thoroughbred stallions. The Chernomor (also known as the Tchernomor or the Cherkassky) is a type of Cossack horse similar to the Don, although smaller. They are descendents of the horses raised by Zaporozhian Cossacks, and were first bred around Krasnodar, north of the Caucasus Mountains
Caucasus Mountains
The Caucasus Mountains is a mountain system in Eurasia between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea in the Caucasus region .The Caucasus Mountains includes:* the Greater Caucasus Mountain Range and* the Lesser Caucasus Mountains....
. During the first round of breeding for the Budyonny horse, blood from Kirghiz and Kazakh horses was also used, but the progeny was found to be not as hardy or conformationally sound, and later the Budyonny was used to improve these two breeds.
The first Budyonny horses were known as Anglo-Dons, and the best were inter-bred, with the foundation stock for the Budyonny selected from their offspring. The foundation stock consisted of 657 mares of Anglo-Don, Anglo-Chernomor, and Anglo-Don/Chernomor crosses. These mares were crossed with Anglo-Don and Thoroughbred stallions. The broodmares were given the best of care with feed and management. The young stock, when between two and four years old, were tested for performance on the racecourse and in cavalry equitation courses. In 1949 the breed was officially recognized.
In the 1950s an experiment was performed to gauge the ability of the Budyonny breed to adapt to harsh conditions without human help. A number of horses were turned loose on a large island in Manych Lake in the Rostov district. The horses have since survived and thrived, proving that they are capable of living in the wild for extended periods without human assistance.