Russian Don
Encyclopedia
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 Cossack
s, they are currently used for under-saddle work and driving.
, gray
or chestnut
. They have a clean head with a straight or dished profile, well set onto a well-formed neck, high withers, and a wide, deep chest. Their shoulders can be straight, limiting the length of their stride, but are often well-formed. The back is long and straight, flowing into a croup that is long and sloping. The legs are long, well-muscled, and clean with broad joints, strong tendons, and tough hooves.
The first type of Don horse, generally called the "Old Don," evolved from semi-feral Russian steppe horses and Oriental horse
breeds such as the Karabakh horse, Turkmenian
, and Arabian
that were brought to Russia as a product of Cossack raids. The Old Don was a medium-sized, agile horse with immense endurance; a result of the survival-of-the-fittest selection methods that guided the development of many Russian breeds. This hardy horse was used as the foundation for the current Russian Don, and was also used to improve the Orlov, Orlov-Rostopchin, and Thoroughbred
breeds. Cossack cavalry mounted on the Old Don horses were instrumental in the destruction of Napoleon's Russian campaign, and the horses were important in proving the supremacy of Cossack cavalry over their European counterparts.
During the early 19th century, the breed was improved into the newer type through the addition of Orlov Trotter
, Arabian, Thoroughbred, and Karabakh blood. During the second half of the 19th century, the Don breed was in high demand as cavalry horses. Private breeders began to focus on the Dons, and bred for conformation, endurance, height, and the characteristic color of chestnut with a gold sheen. Dons were also gaining popularity outside of Russia, and many were exported. During the 1920s, after much of the Don stock had been wiped out in World War I and the Russian Revolution, the remaining horses were reassembled at several military studs, as well as within the Cossack population, and with concentrated breeding the stock was fairly quickly restored.
, where four horses are hitched side-by-side.
The Don played an important role in the development of many other USSR-developed breeds, including the Budyonny
.
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...
developed in and named after the steppes region of Russia where the Don River flows. Utilized originally as cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
horses for the Cossack
Cossack
Cossacks are a group of predominantly East Slavic people who originally were members of democratic, semi-military communities in what is today Ukraine and Southern Russia inhabiting sparsely populated areas and islands in the lower Dnieper and Don basins and who played an important role in the...
s, they are currently used for under-saddle work and driving.
Characteristics
The Don usually stands , and may be bay, blackBlack (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...
, 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 chestnut
Chestnut (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...
. They have a clean head with a straight or dished profile, well set onto a well-formed neck, high withers, and a wide, deep chest. Their shoulders can be straight, limiting the length of their stride, but are often well-formed. The back is long and straight, flowing into a croup that is long and sloping. The legs are long, well-muscled, and clean with broad joints, strong tendons, and tough hooves.
History
Oriental horse
The term oriental horse refers to the ancient breeds of horses developed in the Middle East, such as the Arabian, Akhal-Teke, Barb, and the now-extinct Turkoman horse. They tend to be thin-skinned, long-legged, slim in build and more physically refined than other types, but with great endurance...
breeds such as the Karabakh horse, Turkmenian
Turkoman Horse
The Turkoman horse, or Turkmene, was an Oriental horse breed from the steppes of Central Asia, now extinct. Modern descendants include the Akhal-Teke and the Yamud horse breeds. Horses bred in Turkmenistan are still referred to as Turkoman, and have similar characteristics...
, and Arabian
Arabian horse
The Arabian or Arab horse is a breed of horse that originated on the Arabian Peninsula. With a distinctive head shape and high tail carriage, the Arabian is one of the most easily recognizable horse breeds in the world. It is also one of the oldest breeds, with archaeological evidence of horses...
that were brought to Russia as a product of Cossack raids. The Old Don was a medium-sized, agile horse with immense endurance; a result of the survival-of-the-fittest selection methods that guided the development of many Russian breeds. This hardy horse was used as the foundation for the current Russian Don, and was also used to improve the Orlov, Orlov-Rostopchin, and 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...
breeds. Cossack cavalry mounted on the Old Don horses were instrumental in the destruction of Napoleon's Russian campaign, and the horses were important in proving the supremacy of Cossack cavalry over their European counterparts.
During the early 19th century, the breed was improved into the newer type through the addition of Orlov Trotter
Orlov Trotter
The Orlov Trotter is a horse breed with a hereditary fast trot, noted for its outstanding speed and stamina. It is the most famous Russian horse. The breed was developed in Russia in the late 18th century by Count Alexei Orlov at his Khrenovskoy Stud farm near the town of Bobrov...
, Arabian, Thoroughbred, and Karabakh blood. During the second half of the 19th century, the Don breed was in high demand as cavalry horses. Private breeders began to focus on the Dons, and bred for conformation, endurance, height, and the characteristic color of chestnut with a gold sheen. Dons were also gaining popularity outside of Russia, and many were exported. During the 1920s, after much of the Don stock had been wiped out in World War I and the Russian Revolution, the remaining horses were reassembled at several military studs, as well as within the Cossack population, and with concentrated breeding the stock was fairly quickly restored.
Uses
The main use of the Russian Don breed in past times was as the mount of the Cossack cavalry. Known for their endurance and stamina, these horses could cover long distances in short amounts of time, with reserves of energy left for battle. Today, the Don is widely used as a saddle horse, and is also used in harness, often in the traditional Russian tachankaTachanka
The tachanka was a horse-drawn machine gun platform, usually a cart or an open wagon with a heavy machine gun installed in the back. A tachanka could be pulled by two to four horses and required a crew of two or three...
, where four horses are hitched side-by-side.
The Don played an important role in the development of many other USSR-developed breeds, including the Budyonny
Budyonny (horse)
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.-Conformation:...
.