Frisky Donchak. Gold of the Don steppes

11.05.202027.05.2017

Igor Nikolaev

Reading time: 4 minutes

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The Don breed of horses is one of the oldest Russian breeds. It was developed at the turn of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries by the Don Cossacks, who lived in the territory where the modern Rostov region is now located. These horses belonged to both riding and draft horses. The Donchak were distinguished by their very large size, were very unpretentious in maintenance and nutrition, and were distinguished by a high level of endurance.

Despite the fact that Don's horses are much slower than purebred horses that participate in speed racing competitions, they perform very well over long distances. Just imagine - a Don horse can cover a distance of up to three hundred kilometers within 24 hours!

Horses Don breed- mostly red with a golden tint. There are also bay, dark bay, black and gray horses of the Don. As mentioned earlier, Don Chaks are quite large animals. Their height at the withers ranges from 160 to 165 centimeters.

The appearance of this breed is characterized by a wide and massive, slightly elongated body, a medium-sized head with a short and narrow nape, a long neck, good well-developed back, broad chest, long and muscular limbs with well-developed hooves.

Don horses are widely used in various disciplines of equestrian sports (jumping, eventing, racing). long distances), as well as when teaching horse riding to children and adults, equestrian tourism and for harness work (transportation of passengers and cargo, agricultural work).

External signs

The Don breed of horses has a solid constitution. The coat color is predominantly golden-red. There are often white markings on the head and legs. The medium-sized head is decorated with wide nostrils, large, widely spaced eyes and very mobile, pointed ears.

Despite the narrow and short back of the head, the connection between the head and neck is wide, which slightly limits the movement of the animal. The shape of the long neck is slightly curved, arched. The withers are prominent and wide. The line from the back to the loin is straight and long, the croup is wide, sloping and slightly elongated.

The back itself is strong and convex. The chest is wide open. The legs of these animals are long and muscular, with wide and dense metacarpal joints and strong, well-developed forearms. The so-called femoral-tibial angle is greatly opened. Long pasterns are slightly curved. The hock joints can be either straight or sloping, but they are always strong. The hooves are wide, with a beautiful and strong horny layer.

Character of the Don breed of horses

These animals are distinguished by their calm and easy-going disposition, which allows them to be used in teaching horse riding even to children. They are easy to train, obedient both under saddle and in harness.

However, like any other horses, they require respectful and kind treatment.

The Don breed of horses has an inextricable connection with the history of the Don Cossacks. The first stud farms appeared on the Don back in the eighteenth century. The very first Donetsk dogs were immediately distinguished by their dexterity and flexibility, which allowed them to easily overcome natural obstacles, perform the sharpest turns, while showing high level endurance.

Since, despite all these qualities, they were still very unpretentious in feed and care, and with the proper level of maintenance they could easily live up to twenty years, it was very difficult to come up with the best combat horses for that time.

Beginning in the nineteenth century, the Don Cossack atamans Platov, Ilovaisky and Martynov began to work closely on improving the Don breed. It was from their herds that a new round of development of these wonderful horses began.

The first stud farm on the Don was built back in the 70s of the eighteenth century through the efforts of Ataman Platov. This is where horse breeding started on the Don.

This Don chieftain brought the best representatives of Arabian and Persian horses to his factory, using selection and selection methods in breeding.

Then stud farms began to appear everywhere on the Don. In 1776, the Yanov stud farm opened, two years later - the Ilovaisky (A.V.) and Serikov stud farms, and in 1790 the Kuznetsov and N.V. stud farms appeared. Ilovaisky.

The unpretentiousness and endurance of the Donetsk people is evidenced by the following fact: during the Anglo-Boer War, which lasted from 1898 to 1902, all the horses of the English cavalry fell, and two hundred Don horses, which were in the detachment of General French, continued to bravely carry service and endure all the hardships and hardships of wartime.

To further improve this Russian product, the best representatives of purebred riding and Arabian breeds were actively used.

For the first time, improved Donchak tanks were presented to the general public at an all-Russian exhibition held in Rostov-on-Don in 1910.

A group of beautiful golden-red riding horses was put on display for the judgment of picky experts. The judges immediately appreciated these wonderful animals and considered them a national treasure of the country. Since that time, Don horses have received official recognition and popular love. They began to be actively used for breeding work to improve the local livestock, and were also actively recruited for army service.

Enormous, almost irreparable damage to this breed was caused during the Civil War. Of the many thousands of livestock, literally only a few survived. It seemed that the Don horse breeding had come to an end. However, starting in 1920, work on the revival of this domestic breed began.

Under the control of the Soviet Horse Breeding Administration on the Don, retired cavalry officers and Don horse breeders carried out active breeding work, which yielded positive results fifteen years later.

In 1935, it was officially announced that the Don breed of horses had been completely restored.

Several facts that testify to the extraordinary endurance of the Donetsk people:

1946 The Don Cossacks traveled from Salsk to Rostov-on-Don (distance - 200 kilometers) in 18 hours and 25 minutes. And this is at an ambient temperature of 40 degrees;
a Don mare named Bukvarka's Daughter ran one thousand seven hundred seventy-seven kilometers in fifteen days, without ever stopping for a day;
a whole group of Don breed stallions covered a distance of 305 kilometers, spending 20 hours on it;
the record for the distance traveled in one day belongs to a stallion named Skid - 300 kilometers in nineteen hours;
1951 To determine the maximum degree of endurance of these horses, the Marshal Budyonny stud farm organized a race, the essence of which was to run 120 kilometers every day for as long as possible. Two weeks later the race was stopped. The horses felt great and there was no point in continuing the test.

According to the classification, the Don breed of horses (Donchak) belongs to the riding-draft (or combined) breeds, which, in turn, belong to the class of riding breeds.

The Don Horse is one of the oldest Russian factory breeds. For horse breeding, it is not inferior in importance to the Oryol trotter. But if Oryol trotter was bred in a fairly short time and on the basis of almost exclusively imported material, then the Don breed has deep Russian roots, and it has been improved over the centuries! Not immediately did the Donchak turn from an ordinary steppe horse into a serious handsome man, a real decoration of the Russian cavalry.

History of the breed

The Don breed of horses is one of the oldest domestic breeds, bred in the 18th-19th centuries by the Don Cossacks on the territory of modern Rostov region. The basis was the horses of the southern Russian steppes, which the Don Cossacks initially obtained from nomads, and later bred in the village herds. Herds were often replenished with trophy horses of Karabakh, Persian, and Turkmen breeds. Later, Arabian, Orlov-Rostopchinsky, Streltsy and purebred riding stallions were used for mating with Don mares.

Initially, a small, dry, very agile and hardy horse was bred on the Don, which was called the Starodonskaya. Horses of this type were used in the Russian cavalry, especially during the Suvorov campaigns and Patriotic War 1812. Many Don horses were in the shock units of the First Cavalry Army.

The Civil War caused irreparable damage to the Don breed of horses. Only a few remain from the herds of many thousands. Zadonsk horse breeding has sunk into oblivion, like the legendary Atlantis. At that time, it seemed that the breed could no longer be restored.

But in 1920, work began on the revival of the Don breed of horses. Former cavalry officers and horse breeders actively engaged in breeding work in the Department of Horse Breeding and Horse Breeding on the Don, established in the same 1920. Already in 1935, the restoration of the Don breed was announced.
In 1946, Don Cossacks covered 200 kilometers on horseback between the cities of Salsk and Rostov-on-Don in 40-degree heat in 18 hours and 25 minutes. A mare named Bukvarka's Daughter covered 1,777 kilometers in 15 days without rest. A group of Don stallions covered 305 kilometers in 20 hours. The record for a daily trek belongs to Zanos - 300 kilometers in 19 hours.
In 1951, to determine the maximum endurance of Don breed horses at the stud farm named after. Budyonny held a race in which horses walked 120 kilometers every day for two weeks. There was no point in continuing the race longer, since the horses felt great and were ready to continue to cover such a distance.

Currently, the Don breed of horses is in danger of extinction. The number of Don horses is decreasing every year. Thus, in 2012, in the largest farm in the Rostov region, breeding Don horses, only 20 purebred representatives of the Don breed were bred.
In recent years, a number of stud farms have been declared bankrupt and transformed into various JSCs, LLCs, etc. The fate of the most valuable stock of horses has ended up in the hands of people who are absolutely not interested in the development of the breed and who have an amateur attitude towards horse breeding. The leaders of the Federal Agency for Agriculture are doing nothing to solve the problems of horse breeding. The farms that exist today are maintained mainly due to the enthusiasm of local specialists.

But right now the main thing has been determined for the Don breed of horses: it has found its place in equestrian sports, amateur horse riding.

Features of the horse.

Don breed horses have a calm, quiet character. Great for kids. Don horses are often used for horse riding training.

Modern Don horses are distinguished by a strong constitution and excellent health. These are large, strong, hardy, well adapted to harsh conditions, unpretentious animals. Many individuals in the breed have an elegant exterior and are good at jumping over obstacles. The color of horses is predominantly red, brown, often with a golden tint.

Large Don draft horses are very hardy and unpretentious in keeping and feeding. They are significantly inferior in speed to representatives of riding breeds bred specifically for racing, but can cover long distances. A Don horse can travel up to 300 kilometers in a day.

In terms of agility shown at hippodromes, Don horses are inferior to horses of specialized riding breeds. The best representatives of the breed at 3 years of age cover a distance of 2400 m in 2 minutes 43 s, and a distance of 3200 m in 3 minutes 37 s.

It should be noted that a significant qualitative improvement in Don horses occurred under herd conditions. Strict selection for the strength of the constitution and the working qualities required for the Cossack combat horse made the Don breed one of the best cavalry horse breeds. During the Soviet period, horses of the Don breed were significantly enlarged, and their agility in racing increased.

Like most other Russian horse breeds, the Don breed is traditionally kept in herds dispersed across the endless steppes. Therefore, this breed is quite hardened and able to survive with minimal human intervention. It ideally met the original tasks of a cavalry horse, and today it is used as a regular riding horse.

During the selection process of the Don horse, four intrabreed types were identified.

Persian type(later called eastern). This type was formed in the Don breed under the influence of Karabakh, Persian and Turkish horses (that is, horses of southern and southeastern origin). It was thanks to these crossings that the Don breed acquired a golden hue to its coat. The eastern type of Donchak has a height of about 163 cm at the withers, or even higher. The chest is well developed, the head has an elongated shape with narrow snoring and thin nostrils; the eyes are large and expressive. This type of Don breed has a particularly prized light golden color that is not repeated in any other breed. The skin is thin, the fur is soft and silky. The mane and tail are wavy, with little hair.
East Karabakh type. The height of horses of this type is slightly lower than that of the eastern one - from 159 cm. An expressive external feature is the black mane and tail.
Eastern massive type. This type of Don breed combines the qualities of the eastern type with size and massiveness. The horse of the eastern massive type is quite tall: 165 -170 cm at the withers. Chest circumference - from 197 cm.
Horse type. Horses of this type have a light head, a long poll, long neck, well-defined withers, relatively long and obliquely set shoulder blade. The golden coat color of this type is less common than the others.
The color of horses of the Don breed is most often red, with a golden tint, and less often - brown.

AND The history of the Budennovsky and, in particular, the Don breed is inextricably linked with the history of our state. Each event that had one or another impact on our country was, in turn, projected onto the history of the breeds. And the last century was, oh, so rich in fateful historical turns!

DON BREED

Donskaya- one of the oldest domestic factory breeds. In terms of its originality and significance for Russian horse breeding, it stands on a par with the Oryol trotter. But if the Oryol trotter was created in a relatively short period of time and based almost exclusively on imported material, then the Don breed has deep Russian roots, and it has been improved for centuries. It was not long before the Donchak turned from a simple steppe aborigine into a large and elegant cavalry horse.

Horses of our grandfathers

AND drains of the Don rock - in the south and southeast of Russia. Since ancient times, waves of nomadic tribes and peoples, and with them herds of horses and herds of cattle, have rolled across the southern Russian steppes, stretching from the Dnieper to the Volga and further to the east. From the 11th to the 15th centuries, the Polovtsians, or Kipchaks, immigrants from Central Asia, roamed these steppes. In the 13th century, the hordes of Genghis Khan invaded the Kipchak steppes. Subsequently, the Tatars mixed with the Polovtsians and practically became one people; After the name of their ruler Khan Nogai, they began to be called Nogais. The horses of the Nogai Tatars of Mongolian origin mixed with the Polovtsians, and then experienced the influence of eastern blood. Nogai horses were well known in the Moscow state: they even ended up in the royal stables. The Nogai horse became the ancestor of the Cossack horse of the distant past.

AND The history of the Don breed is closely connected with the history of the Don Cossacks. The first mentions of the Cossacks date back to the 15th century. Three hundred years later, tens of thousands of Cossacks were already fighting in the Russian army. Long military campaigns, constant skirmishes with nomads riding fast steppe horses - such was their hectic life, in which the Cossack was accompanied everywhere by a good horse, a loyal, “wind-footed”, tireless friend.

D The Ona breed has been influenced by many breeds throughout its history. Eastern blood is clearly visible in Donchak: the Cossacks brought Persian, Turkish, and Karabakh horses from their campaigns. Eastern breeds put their “golden stamp” on the Don horse - a bright golden hue of color - and gave its exterior originality and elegance. Since the middle of the 19th century, horses of domestic riding breeds began to arrive on the Don: Oryol riding breed, Oryol-Rostopchinsky, Streletskaya. During this period, the old Don horse, which still gravitated towards its steppe ancestors, increasingly turned into a breed of factory quality. In the 19th and 20th centuries, purebred horses left a deep mark on the Don breed. However, rather harsh conditions of detention and strict requirements for the Cossack, and later for the repair horse, contributed to the formation of exceptional uniformity in the breed.

IN In the villages along the right bank of the Don, a unique form of horse breeding developed. Its basis was horse herds, in which mares and young animals belonging to individual Cossacks were brought together for joint maintenance and reproduction. For the mating period, stallions from among those who especially distinguished themselves were assigned to the herds. military service or valuable trophies.

WITH In the second half of the 18th century, the development of the rich left-bank steppe expanses - Zadonye - began. These places had to be conquered from the nomads. The first stud farm in Zadonye was founded in the 70s by Ataman Platov, then the stud farms of Ilovaisky, Serikov, Kuteynikov, Yanov and many others appeared. The growth of their number and livestock was facilitated by the provision on the free and unlimited use of the Trans-Don steppes belonging to the Don Army for horse breeding. However, the forms of keeping horses were extremely primitive, and the most severe natural selection was at work.

IN In 1835, the “Military Regulations” changed the rules for the provision of land plots. For 500 heads of herd, a plot of 1.5 versts along the river and 5 versts deep into the steppe was provided. The rent for one horse was set at 15 silver kopecks per year. Now horse breeding has become profitable mainly for large horse breeders who had large funds, but this situation contributed to the qualitative improvement of the Don horse.

IN published in 1878 in the “List of Private Horse Breeding Plants,” the Don Army region occupied a special place: about half of the horse breeding plants of the Russian Empire were located on its territory. She was the main supplier of riding horses to Russian market. The most large factories were located in Zadonye, the total number of queens in them reached 20 thousand heads. The main owners of stud farms at that time were officers of the Don Army. Simple Cossacks kept their horses in fruit herds, which numbered 14.5 thousand mares at that time.

N New rules on Don private horse breeding, which appeared in 1877, contributed to the influx of commercial capital to the Don. Factories of the Cossack nobility begin to pass to new owners, former repairmen, horse and livestock traders. The factories of Korolkov, Pishvanov, Podkopaev, and Bukreev appeared. The horse population is rapidly growing. In 1910, the number of queens in the Transdon region was 32 thousand heads.
Zadonsk horse breeders successfully demonstrated the valuable qualities of their horses at the All-Russian Horse Exhibition in Moscow in 1910. The Don breed was recognized as the same national treasure as the Oryol trotter. Before the First World War, the Zadonsk horse breeding was the main supplier of horses for the regular cavalry: Donetsk horsemen made up about 40% of its horse force.

Restored again

IN Wars and revolutions completely destroyed both the Trans-Don and stanitsa horse breeding. From herds of many thousands, only a few hundred semi-feral horses remained. The restoration of the Don horse breeding began at the end of 1920, but only four years later it was possible to assemble the mother stock for military stud farms. Of course, no tribal records have survived. The origin of the horses was determined by interviewing the brands of former horse breeders, based on the severity of the breed type. After sorting and typing the livestock in 1926, 6 large stud farms were formed. The number of Don horses was concentrated in the stud farm named after. Budyonny. A small group of queens spent some time at the stud farm named after. First Cavalry Army. As of January 1, 1929, there were only 209 queens of the Don breed!

P There were very few breeding stallions left; we had to work with what we had. However, the thoughtful use of existing sires made it possible to establish lines that exist in the breed to this day. Thus, the modern line of Bolivar goes back to the golden-brown Buyan, born in 1916 at the stud farm of S. Voevodina, the founder of another line, Periwinkle, is a descendant of the golden-brown Bordeaux born in 1918. Most of the stallions that continue the lines were born at the stud farm named after. Budyonny. But the successors to the lines of Zabavnik I and Cheln were the horse breeder P.L. Lopatkin, who, during the period of Stolypin’s reforms, left the Don for Kyrgyzstan along with all his property. During nationalization, he transferred the entire breeding stock of horses and sheep to the state. Lopatka horses became the basis of the Naryn stud farm, and then were transferred to the Issyk-Kul stud farm.

AND However, at first the Don breed was terribly unlucky. Among cavalrymen, and there were many of them in military stud farms, English thoroughbred and half-bred horses were very popular. Don horses began to be considered only as raw materials for producing half-breeds. The best Don mares were reared by purebred stallions; Don stallions were used on outbred replacement mares. Fortunately, this process was stopped in time. Since 1930, attitudes towards the Don breed have changed dramatically: purebred breeding has become a priority in working with it.

ABOUT However, the pendulum swung in the opposite direction: purebredness began to be elevated to an absolute. For the Don breed, this, like any extreme, could turn out to be no less of a disaster. A valuable gene pool was cut off: after all, many of the best Don mares left almost all their offspring from purebred or half-blooded stallions. This gene pool had to be returned to the Don breed by backcrossing with Don stallions. Horses with 1/4 blood of a purebred riding breed were initially classified as the Budennovsky breed. After some hesitation, horses with 1/8 English blood were finally allowed into the Don breed, and the experience of subsequent work confirmed the correctness of this decision.

P The first volume of the State Stud Book of Don Breed Horses, compiled by A.F. Basov, was published in 1934. In 1939, L.V. Kashtanov’s book “The Don Horse” was published: in it, the then head of the stud farm named after. Budyonny outlines in detail the history of the emergence and development of Don horse breeding, characterizes the state of the Don breed at that time and outlines ways for its further development.

U in the pre-war years it began quite rapid growth the population of the breed, first in the Rostov region, and then in the adjacent southern and southeastern regions of the European part of Russia, in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. By the end of the 40s and the beginning of the 50s, Don horses were bred in 32 stud farms. Donchak people showed an amazing ability to acclimatize in various conditions, from the southern Russian steppes to the foothills of the Tien Shan and Altai, and became the main improvers of riding working horses throughout the territory Soviet Union. The Don breed was used in the development of the Kustanai, Novokyrgyz and Kushum horse breeds.

M The large-scale reduction of the entire horse population, which occurred in the mid-50s, also affected the Don breed: most stud farms were transformed into diversified state farms. Some of them have retained horse farms, but the level of breeding work and horse keeping technology have deteriorated sharply. And this despite the fact that the Donetsk horses found wide demand as improvers of riding working and herd horses. By the end of the 50s - beginning of the 60s, the Don breed ranked second in number after trotters: its total population numbered in the hundreds of thousands. However, the number of horses whose origin was confirmed by entries in the state stud books was incomparably smaller. In fact, work with the breed was confined to four stud farms: them. Budyonny and Zimovnikovsky in the Rostov region, Issyk-Kul in Kyrgyzstan, Lugovsky in Kazakhstan, as well as several breeding horse farms in the Rostov region.

"Blood" question

P The first five stallions of the English purebred breed appeared on the Don in 1813, at the stud of Ataman Platov. Throughout the 19th century, the number of English manufacturers was small, and therefore their influence was small. However, since the beginning of the 20th century, the situation began to change. The fact is that with the development of the Zadonsk commercial horse breeding, the level of performance of Don horses began to gradually but steadily decline. Horse breeders, while paying tribute to the typicality, breed and elegance of the Don horses, noted serious exterior flaws in them. The reason is simple: neither stallions, nor, especially, mares, were assessed in any way for their working qualities. This was a serious difference from the breeding system in Cossack fruit herds, when stallions that had performed well in military service were used for reproduction.

A The army now needed a horse that was more playful and had good movements. It was possible to quickly obtain such a horse by crossing with English thoroughbred horses. Their influx to the Don increased sharply. According to the “Directory of Private Stud Farms” for 1904, all stud farms in the western part of Zadonye had, if not a purebred, then certainly a half-breed department. There were also purebred riding stallions at the Provalsky military stud farm, created to serve the Cossack horse breeding with stud stallions. The influence of English blood on the Don breed was limited only by the primitive conditions of raising young animals.

IN At the beginning of the 20th century, racing societies appeared in Rostov, Novocherkassk, Velikoknyazheskaya (now the city of Proletarsk), but tests for Don horses were not systematic. When horse racing at the hippodrome in Rostov-on-Don was resumed in 1924, the purpose of its holding was clearly formulated: the breeding stock should include sires and dams that were not only selected for their exterior, but also tested for their internal qualities.

WITH Over time, Don horses began to be tested not only at Rostov, but also at Alma-Ata, Frunzensky, Salsk and Cholpon-Ata hippodromes. This method of identifying the performance of Don horses constantly caused controversy; it had both its staunch supporters and irreconcilable opponents. However, many years of experience have shown that horse racing is practically the only real way to determine the performance of horses of domestic riding breeds. As an alternative, other training and testing systems have been developed and have given good results in practice, but they have not stood the test of time. And not because they were bad and did not meet the goals: it’s just that the hippodrome testing system is spectacular, has economic advantages and long-standing traditions in horse breeding areas. Thanks to selection based on information about racing performance, it was possible to significantly improve not only the quality of the movements of Don horses, but also the structure of the limbs.

Donchak today

N However, by the early 60s, the condition of the breed made it possible to plan its use in the future, primarily in mass equestrian sports, rentals, and tourism. Purposeful breeding work has borne fruit. The consequences of mass crossing with purebred riding breeds were overcome. Don horses, raised in stud farms, were distinguished by their typicality, elegance, and at the same time unpretentiousness and good health. They could satisfy the demand for a very large horse up to 170 cm at the withers, and for a horse of average height up to 159 cm at the withers. Now all the prerequisites have been created for solving the next very important task- improving the quality of movements at all gaits. Since 1962, all four stud farms began working in this direction and by the beginning of the 70s they had already achieved a positive effect.

ABOUT however, the very idea of using Don horses in mass equestrian sport was not received with enthusiasm by everyone. At that time, there was a skeptical attitude towards the use of not only Donetsk players, but also Budyonnovsk players in sports. Many, mainly horse breeding officials, saw the Donetsk horses only as improvers of working and herd meat horses in the eastern regions of the USSR. First, contrary to the opinion of specialists from stud farms, hippodromes and the All-Russian Research Institute of Horse Breeding, a ban on introductory crossbreeding was imposed in 1977, then attacks began on testing Don horses in smooth racing. At the end of 1983, the USSR Ministry of Agriculture issued an order to stop testing Don horses at the country's hippodromes. Don horses left the hippodromes, and at the same time, from the sight of the entire horse breeding community.

P After the collapse of the USSR, the breeding core of the breed was reduced by almost half. The Lugovskoy and Issyk-Kul stud farms were located outside Russia. The entire eastern market also disappeared. For the first time in many years, stud farms began to experience difficulties in selling horses, which resulted in a reduction in the Don stock on breeding horse farms. Thus, the short-sightedness of officials in the past has resulted in big problems today.

WITH The modern Don horse has qualities that allow it to be widely used today. An inexpensive, multi-purpose horse has not yet entered into widespread use in our lives, but the first shoots of this phenomenon are quite noticeable. Beautiful, strong, responsive to kind treatment, unpretentious in maintenance and feeding, with a strong constitution and excellent health - such a horse can easily find a place in a children's equestrian school, and in a peasant farm; it is perfect for horseback riding and hippotherapy.

Don breed- this is our pride, our history. It’s a shame that today it, like many other domestic breeds, finds itself in a difficult situation: the Don horse cannot be found anywhere except directly in stud farms. The breed holds on and progresses only thanks to the enthusiasm of the people involved in its destiny, their keen sense of responsibility, and a clear understanding that time will put everything in its place.

Information taken from the article by M.I. Kibort, c.s.-kh. n,
Senior Researcher at VNIIKonevodstvo
for the magazine "Horse World" No. 4, 2001

You can get complete information about the Don breed from the book “Don Breed of Horses”. You can find out more about the book and how to buy it on our forum

BUDENNOVSKAYA BREED

B The Udennovsky breed, bred in the military stud farms of the Rostov region, is usually classified as young: it was approved by Resolution of the Council of Ministers of the USSR No. 4210 of November 15, 1948. However, the use of English thoroughbred stallions on Don queens in itself was not something new or unusual.

Budennovskaya breed- the product of crossing two valuable breeds - a thoroughbred horse and a Don horse.

D The Onskaya breed not only became material for the more or less successful use of purebred producers, it introduced a whole range of valuable qualities into the Budennovskaya breed.

AND For a long time, the Don horse, along with the Eastern (Persian, Turkish, Karabakh), was also improved by English blood, the influence of which especially increased in the late 19th - early 20th centuries. At that time, many private horse breeders no longer had individual English producers, but entire departments of purebred and half-bred horses. The need to use purebred sires was dictated by the demand for a fast, strong and hardy horse for the army. It was half-bred horses that best met the requirements for cavalry - they were paid at the “highest price.” For artillery, a half-bred horse was also needed, only of a thicker type.

P After the first imperialist and civil wars, only a few hundred semi-feral horses remained of the many thousands of horses on the Don and the North Caucasus, the origin of which could be restored with great difficulty. Zadonsk horse breeding suffered colossal damage, its entire structure was destroyed, and qualified personnel were lost. But it would be a big mistake to think that work in the newly created military stud farms started from scratch. To collect stallions and mares, to determine their owners by brand, where from memory, where from the remains of documents, former horse breeders also helped to restore their origin. This fact was hushed up; they even wrote about the dangers of hiring old specialists. But these people, whose names we don’t even know today, forgot about their grievances, trying to restore and preserve what they rightly considered a national treasure.

B Former horse breeders and cavalry officers also worked in the Department of Horse Breeding and Horse Breeding on the Don, established on November 20, 1920. And the breeding work was directly carried out by knowledgeable, qualified specialists. At the stud farm. For several years, former horse breeder and “white officer” Ya. A. Lisitsky worked for Budyonny. He knew very well the value of the Don breed and courageously defended it during the craze for crossbreeding.

Breed named after Budyonny

P After the return of the First Horse from Crimea, the legendary army commander Semyon Mikhailovich Budyonny took up the organization of stud farms, in whose honor the breed later received its name. Budyonny’s great merit is that he was able to create a favorable environment in factories for effective creative work. Stud farms were headed, as a rule, by former commanders of the First Cavalry Army, generals. One of them, M.I. Chumakov, who headed the stud farm named after. Budyonny since 1925, served as the prototype for V.I. Chapaev for actor Nikolai Babochkin.

N In the first stage, horses were recruited into stud farms without following any plan in terms of breed or type. At first it was assumed that military stud farms would have one purely practical goal - the production of horses for the army. However, the need to create a reliable breeding base, capable of providing improved horse breeding stallions not only in the south, but throughout the country, became clear quite quickly.

TO Somehow they did not immediately remember the experience of horse breeders of the pre-revolutionary period, who learned well that without changing the primitive technology of horse keeping adopted on the Don, it was impossible to raise a good half-bred horse. But already from the first young animals obtained at stud farms, it became clear that simply accumulating English blood in crossbreeds would not give the desired results. Then it was decided to limit the use of purebred riding stallions in favor of Anglo-Don sires. In total, from 1926 to 1940, more than seventy purebred English stallions were involved in crossing. And only three of them - Pretty, Kokas and Inferno - became the fathers of the ancestors of the Budennovsky breed.

R Work was slowed down by the war. Stud farms were evacuated beyond the Volga, to the Kazakh steppes. Not all horses returned home to the Don...

IN stud farm named after. From the 50s to the 70s, G.A. Lebedev worked as the head of Budyonny. It is to him that we owe the appearance of the purebred Rubilnik line in the Budennovsky breed. Now that this line dominates the breed, few people know how difficult it was to work with the Knife. He was a stallion of very high performance, but difficult to work with. He “broke” the type; his offspring often had poor bones, long legs, and increased demands on living conditions. Through painstaking analytical work, the breeder managed to overcome the shortcomings and strengthen the advantages, obtaining outstanding stallions.

N horse farmer at the stud farm named after. The first Cavalry Army in the late 60s was V.I. Muravyov. Then this plant was in many ways inferior to the stud farm named after. Budyonny. Muravyov organized the successful use of such valuable sires as Rubidium, Bedouin, Egoist, purebred Nabat, and introduced into the practice of the plant the selection of fillies into cultural groups, not stallions, as was usually the case. At first glance, nothing revolutionary, but in practice this technique contributed to the formation of the strongest breeding stock, selected not only by origin, type and exterior, but also by results in racing. Modern unconditional leadership of the stud farm named after. The First Cavalry Army owes a lot to this technological technique.

WITH Today the breeding core of the Budennovsky breed is concentrated in two stud farms in the Rostov region: them. Budyonny, named after First Cavalry Army. There are also valuable breeding horses on horse farms in the Rostov region, Kalmykia, Krasnodar and Stavropol territories. All breeding stock is covered by centralized breeding records.

The road to big sport

WITH At the beginning of the 60s, a new countdown began for the Budennovsky breed. As V.K. Osipov, who was at the origins of the creation of the Budennovsky breed, said, “in the era of powerful development of technology, the horse, losing its position in agriculture, transport and the army, is gaining more and more space in equestrian sport.”

D The peculiarities of the technology of their cultivation made it difficult for Budyonnovsk residents to get into sports. True, they turned out to be advantages in comparison with Western European half-breed breeds: Budennovsky breeds are still favorably distinguished by their strong constitution, unpretentiousness in feeding and maintenance, good health and lower cost of cultivation, and therefore lower cost. On the other hand, many of the qualities necessary for a cavalry horse, which were consistently cultivated in the Budennovsky breed, are also in demand in sports. So the set of traits for which selection was carried out did not undergo major changes.

WITH Today the Budyonnovets is, first of all, a high-class horse for all types of equestrian sports. Their large stature, power, strong constitution, and endurance allow Budyonnovsk athletes to achieve success in show jumping and eventing; oriental beauty, elegant colors, and elastic movements allow some of them to compete in dressage competitions.

G Speaking about the use of horses of the Budennovsky breed in sports, it is impossible not to mention such a unique, but, alas, now forgotten form of competition as cart races. Four horses in a row are harnessed to the cart, and during the competition they all gallop. Horses must be well groomed, matched according to color, and impeccably managed. The spectacle of such competitions is extraordinary - there is so much breathtaking beauty and power in the golden-red horses, as if flying in the wind.

A word about horse racing

AND So, the Budyonnovets is, first of all, a sports horse. At the same time, the Budennovskaya is one of those few half-bred breeds whose representatives regularly participate in smooth racing. The Budyonnovsk race trials have always had many opponents. Many of them believed that the pursuit of agility could lead to shredding, pampering, “overblooding,” and loss of type. These fears were not justified. Budennovsky horses constantly progressed in height, broadness, bone structure, they retained good adaptability to herd keeping.

B The athletes' claims should be considered more fair. They reasonably believe that tests in smooth racing do not reveal such important qualities for a sports horse as the ability to jump, natural coordination, free, productive movements at different gaits.

AND Nevertheless, the influence of testing in smooth races on the formation of the Budennovsky breed is difficult to overestimate. On the hippodrome tracks there was a constant rivalry between the pets of two leading stud farms: them. Budyonny and them. First Cavalry Army. At first these were the children and grandchildren of the purebred Simpatyagi, Svetsa, Inferno and Kokas, the future founders of the breed, then Braslet, Bezh, Codex and Chimkent, the founders of the leading lines. Under the strong influence of hippodrome tests, the most widespread line in the breed today was the Kubilnik-Rubin line. Popularity of horses at the stud farm named after. The First Cavalry Army was greatly promoted by the hippodrome successes of the descendants of the purebred Nabat and the high-blooded Egoist, the son of Effect.

Horse racing- this is truly a “test of strength” for the entire horse’s body, and besides, they allow certain adjustments to be made in selection after the first year of testing. After all, the performance of a horse is important for any type of use. In addition, Budennovsk horses are tested in horse racing in almost the same way as thoroughbred horses. The difference in working with purebred riding and Budennovsky breeds lies in the principles of selecting young animals for racing and using test results in selection. If in the purebred riding breed the entire rate goes through racing training and testing, then in the Budennovskaya breed only the best part of it, usually 25-30%, is carried out.

IN Recently, the number of manufacturers who have proven themselves in equestrian sports has increased. At the stud farm. Budyonny was successfully used for several seasons by the champion of the 1980 Olympics, Reis, and is currently being replaced by his son Radius. Among the current sires of the plant are the best show jumping horses in Russia: Derzkiy, Izyum, son of Izyum Idealist, “triathlete” Rakitnik. At the stud farm. The First Cavalry Army uses Bekren, Gulden, Fantastichesky, Embargo, and in Yulovsky - Belobok.

N and at first glance, it would be logical to carry out selection for performance on the basis of information about sports career horses. But in reality this is not so easy to do. The problem of selection for sports performance is relevant for horse breeding all over the world. In sports, even under the most favorable conditions, a horse will show what it is capable of only at 7-8 years old, and the offspring of a particular sire can be assessed only towards the end of its breeding use or after its death. In addition, Russia has not yet developed a reliable and efficient system for collecting information on the results of horse performances at competitions.

M Perhaps not everything in our horse breeding is smooth and harmonious and as we would like. But there are facts that cannot be ignored. The history of the Budyonnovsky breed includes Olympic gold and European victories. Today the Budennovtsy are ready to compete on equal terms with Traken and thoroughbred horses for the right to be called the best sporting breed in Russia. Budennovsky horses sold abroad reach great heights at international level. So we can say with confidence: the Budennovsky breed has a great sporting future.

Information taken from the article by K.S.-kh. n. M.I. Kibort and
k.s.-kh. n. A.A. Nikolaeva
for the magazine "Horse World" No. 4, 2002

The history of the Donchak is as old as the history of the Cossacks and even the Don itself. Stud farms and descriptions of bred breeds in the Cossack steppes appeared in the 18th century. Their pets, in terms of their qualities, fully met the requirements of the Cossacks - farmers and warriors. The horses grew up undemanding to feed and hardy. In addition, the animals were distinguished by longevity. On average, representatives of the breed lived to be 20 years or more. The Cossacks did not have a goal to obtain horses as a result of selection. The breeders were interested in the draft and riding qualities of the horses.

A little history

Residents of the present Rostov region Platov and Ilovaisky were the first to start breeding and selecting the Cossack steppe breed.

Pay attention! The ancestors of modern Donchak are steppe horses (pre-Mongolian), crossed with people from the east. Turkish, Karabakh, Persian and representatives of many other breeds were taken out at one time from the fields of the Turkish wars.

It was a multi-year process that resulted in the modern Don horse.

The Don breed of horses successfully performs in sports competitions, especially in terms of harness racing. They are also good at learning to ride; representatives of the breed get along well with children. Horses are used in therapeutic rehabilitation for many diseases.

Don horse

Development of the breed

IN early XIX For centuries, two types of Don horses existed in parallel. The first ones were almost identical to the base breed. Ugly, with a hunchbacked head, short (no more than 150 cm at the withers), but extremely hardy and agile. The colors of the steppe animals were different, but mostly dark.

As a result of crossings, in each subsequent generation, an improved copy of the local breed was obtained. And, in the end, she turned out to be stately, tall (up to 165 cm tall at the withers) and beautiful, oriental type, horse. It is worth noting one of the resulting colors - a golden tint with a dark bronze mane and tail.

With a radical change in exterior, she retained all the positive qualities of her steppe ancestor. It is also hardy and undemanding to care, and is a long-liver.

Attention! The Donetsk people proved their cavalry qualities on the battlefields during the Anglo-Boer War. Two hundred steppe inhabitants successfully continued their service, while the opponents lost all their horsemen.

Already at the beginning of the 20th century, at the All-Russian exhibition in Rostov-on-Don, Don horses of a wonderful golden color won the title “National Treasure of Russia”.

Characteristics of the Don breed of horses

The steppe expanses made this breed very hardy. The need to travel long distances without rest, in any weather conditions, requires animals to move energy-savingly. Their developed muscles strong legs and strong hooves allow them to overcome strong winds and hopeless snowstorms. Helps to obtain food on the way.

Don breed of horses at the races

Representatives of the steppe breed have remarkable vision. Moreover, the location of the large eyes themselves allows them to increase visibility.

To describe the breed characteristics more accurately, the Don horse looks like this:

Suit. Orange-gold, pure red. It is rare to see black and mouse species. Sometimes redheads may have light spots on their legs and head.
The average height of the animal is 165 cm at the withers.
Body structure. Long body (approx. 1.65 m), wide chest(girth 1.95 m) and sloping croup, broad back, high, strong legs, stable and strong hooves. The head is dry, graceful, slightly humpbacked. Despite the massiveness of the body, the horse's legs look graceful and easy to move.

Horse appearance

First of all, Donetsk people are beautiful. Then you can list the advantages in parts. They are large, red and brown in color. Sometimes the wool shimmers with gold. At the same time, the tail and mane are darker. There are representatives marked with white spots on the forehead and pasterns.

Beautiful, broad-browed head, eyes widely spaced, expressively large. The ears are sharp, voluminous and movable nostrils. The neck is arched, with a crest-shaped withers. Wide and sloping body. The back is long and wide, strong, open rib cage, strong, long and hardy legs.

The Don horse is one of the most beautiful breeds

Character and disposition of the breed

Domesticated horses generally have a calm character. The same applies to the Don breed. Small changes in behavior may be caused by the conditions in which the animal is kept. When kept in a herd, there is some love of freedom, restiveness, and timidity. But the Donchak’s character cannot be called bad.

Peculiarity of the breed: when kept at home, the horse becomes affectionately attached to the owner or to all family members and serves faithfully.

This explains the use of representatives of the breed in equestrian schools for teaching horse riding (including for children).

Donchak care

A thoroughbred Don horse requires special care. Three times a day you should tidy up your hair, wipe your eyes and nostrils with a damp sponge, and clean your hooves.

hard brush;
soft brush;
plastic comb;
hoof cleaning hook;
woven napkins;
hair clipper.

Brushing begins on one side of the head towards the croup. Then the same must be repeated on the other side.

Important! First, it is advised to go through with a hard brush, and then with a soft one. The tail and mane are combed with a comb. In order to protect against sprains, you can wrap the headstocks elastic bandages before training or performance.

Feet require special care. After each walk, you need to carefully examine each one for wounds and other damage. All hooves are cleaned with a hook, washed and wiped with a napkin.

Ideal cleanliness is also needed in the stall. Once a day, during the absence of the guest, serious wet cleaning is required. The horse is put into the stall after airing and laying new bedding (straw, for example).

Feeding and diet

Horses are herbivorous mammals. The main diet is hay/grass. On average, herbal consumption by one horse reaches 15 kg per day. The second most important is oats. It is even hung from the horse's muzzle when resting, because the horse does not have long breaks between feedings. This is due to work gastrointestinal tract animal. There should always be some amount of food in the intestines.

Feeding

In the stable / levada, the presence of salt - lizun - is necessary. These briquettes are produced specifically for animals. There are variations with the addition of minerals and trace elements. Animals must have free access to them at all times.

In addition to the above, the diet is expanded with available seasonal vegetables, root vegetables and fruits.

Much attention is paid to watering horses. Free access to clean water is also required. The exception is the moments immediately after heavy loads. Don horses fall into this category. In this case, the animal should catch its breath and rest for about an hour. Only then can you give him something to drink. Otherwise, there is a high risk of drinking more liquid than necessary and harming your health. And in a calm state, horses have complete control over the amount of water they drink. Ice water should be avoided.

Don horse racing

Despite their outstanding endurance, Don horses are inferior to racehorses in speed and to draft horses in strength. Also, their exterior and body weight do not allow them to be classified as meat. Although historical nomadic peoples have a high demand for horse breeding products. It even increases every year. But breeding such beauty as the Donchak for slaughter is, to say the least, inhumane.

Meanwhile, there is a huge area of them practical use. These are areas such as:

tourism industry;
mounted police;
equestrian schools;
rehabilitation of patients with musculoskeletal disorders (for example, cerebral palsy).

With proper planning for the use of Don horses, there is hope for restoring the non-critical population of the breed.

19.04.2013

Height - from 146 to 155 cm - the old version, from 160 to 167 cm - the new one.

The suits depend on the variant- the first is characterized by karak, brown and less commonly found bay, black and gray, while the second is golden-red.

Brief description of the breed

During the period of its development, the Don horse changed and went through different stages improvement. Over time, one breed began to include two subspecies, this was largely influenced by the environment. The horse, which was closer to its ancestors, stands out with a dark shade, a small height of no more than 1.5 meters to the level of the withers. Despite its lean body constitution, the horse had long limbs and an elegant neck. And although this horse was not famous for any colorful features in its exterior, it demonstrated stamina, endurance and agility in the trot and gallop.

The second subspecies of the Don horse, obtained by crossing steppe individuals with, spread rapidly, gaining popularity. The Don horse was stately, distinguished not only by its physique, but also by special characteristics. The horse was distinguished by its tall stature, alluring deep gaze, and golden tint of color. Horse breeders attribute all the charms of the Don horse to the eastern blood that participated in the creation of the Don horse.

History of the breed

In the southern steppes near the Volga and Dnieper rivers, steppe horses were initially seen, which were in fact the now indigenous Don horses. As time passes, history shows many nomadic tribes and peoples passing through Russian lands, conquerors and vagabonds. As indicated in the historical notes of horse breeders of ancient times, the steppe horse more than once merged with other eastern breeds of horses, and after a while it formed new breed- Nogai. The Nogai horse became the ancestor of subsequent Cossack and Don horses. She was transported to the noble Moscow stables, where she learned cavalry riding and other riding skills.

History says that military actions and battles in which the Cossacks won brought weapons and equipment of the defeated side to the Russian people. Then horses from the cavalry of defeated enemies were taken as trophies; these were noble Persian and Turkish horses. They were purposefully crossed with the Steppe horse, due to this, the modern Don breed of horses now exists. The steppe horse was always taken as the basis for the Don Horse, and new noble blood from the strongest breeds was mixed in.

Alexander Fedorovich Grushetsky contributed to the development of the breed, who in every possible way protected his Trans-Don horse breeding, breeding horses for the Russian army. Grushetsky was a historian and kept notes where he said that the tribes in that area were divided into two parts - Mohammedans and Buddhists. This division of nationalities also affected animals, which changed due to different conditions content and concepts. The steppe horse became smaller in stature and acquired a more muscular, lush mane while living on the left bank of the Volga. The second subspecies - a tall horse with an aristocratic exterior, inhabited the right bank of the river.

Both subspecies of horses were successfully used in wars and battles for Russian lands; they became famous for their speed, unbridled temperament, endurance and agility. Wars were won and the conquered cavalry in every possible way improved the blood and abilities of the Don Horse. And, despite the fact that after a while the battles stopped, and the eastern horses stopped improving the Russian horse, the domestic horse breeding took control of the development and improvement of the breed. The supply of Turkmen strong horse breeds continued to make a valuable contribution to the Russian glorious Don Horse breed. In the period of the late 19th - mid-20th centuries, instead of Turkmen horse breeding, the horse breeding industry began to improve domestic horses with Karabakh horses.

Significantly transformed the color of the modern Don horse. The stallions were born with a unique golden coat, replacing the usual bay, red, gray and brown colors. At the end of the 19th century, Russian soldiers needed the strongest horses, so the Don Horse was crossed with thoroughbred riding horses. The horses acquired impressive appearance and powerful skills and abilities.

In the 20th century, the breed was disproportionately influenced by English horses. After this, horse breeding established certain norms and standards for breeding pure breeds in order to form horses of the same type with a single pedigree. After the fighting, the breed was on the verge of extinction. And only in 1920 the breed began to be intensively restored; the first stud book of Don horses was created in 1934.

Lifestyle in nature

In order to get to know the Don breed of horses better, you need to know the features of their maintenance, animal care, feeding and its characteristic features.

Few people immediately realize how important the conditions of keeping a horse are in the development of its character and disposition. If a horse spends most of its time in a herd, they stand out for their independence and love of freedom. If the animal spends time in the stable from birth, in close contact with humans, the horse will become loyal and reliable. The Don horse recognizes only one owner. A stranger can make her irritated and even angry.

Care

In order for a horse to be friendly with its owner, he needs to regularly take measures to care for the animal. The horse is bathed twice a week in the warm season. The mane and tail should be washed with shampoo and conditioner, combed with a quality brush and braided. After riding, hooves should be checked for integrity and cleaned of dust and dirt. After walking, be sure to wipe your nostrils so that the humid environment does not contribute to the occurrence of infections. At least twice a year, the animal must be examined by a veterinarian and undergo routine vaccinations.

Nutrition

To raise a breeding sport horse, it needs complete, varied and plentiful nutrition. Need to buy food high quality, without chemical additives, with a pleasant color and smell. Mares, foals and young animals feed on pasture in the warm season; Don horses love ryegrass, clover, meadow grass and timothy grass most of all. Concentrated feed is given in 2-4 kg doses to mares, and 4-5 kg to young animals. At the moment the animals merge, they are given milk, sugar and eggs. Horses eat about 5 kg of hay per day. So that the horse does not run out of energy and strength, it needs grain feed. Vegetable crops will be useful. A riding horse needs minerals, vitamins and salt.

Character and habits

The horse is highly trainable and displays amazing discipline. At stallion age and older, the horse's character is approximately the same type. If a horse grows up without the presence of a person, it will be obstinate and even evil. This is because the horse was originally used for military purposes, where no one could do without anger and aggression.

If there is a person next to the animal, the horse will realize that he is feeding and watering it, so it will behave diligently. A horse raised in a stable will love its owner endlessly. If an animal grows up in a herd, it will be unbridled and without contact with humans.

Application of Donchak

Due to its structure and character, the Don Horse is recognized as universal, which affected its popularity. The horse’s worthy character traits help it to learn easily, which is why such horses are used in household work, sports and entertainment.

In order to predetermine the areas of application of Don horses, we can identify those areas of life in which they demonstrate success:

Sports: A calm and disciplined horse will perform well in show jumping, eventing, running and hobby classes.
Riding: A horse's hindquarters are wider than its front, so the rider may experience some discomfort. But this helps the rider to train endurance in the saddle.
Light harness: Although the horse will not be able to handle heavy loads, light harnesses are a suitable activity for him.
Rider training: due to the unique obedience and discipline of Don horses, they are often used in equestrian clubs to train new riders.

Donskaya modern horse It is distinguished by its colorful exterior and Russian grandeur, due to which it is often used for exhibitions. In addition, farming does not lose its popularity; the main rule of breeding the Don breed is not to cross a horse with other breeds.

The Don Cossacks brought fame and popularity to the Don horse, who drove out Napoleon's armies with their own strength and with the help of these horses. In addition, the Cossacks were known to the world for horse riding; they rode in shortened stirrups.
The French enemy armies were amazed at the speed of movement of the Cossacks. The records of Napoleon's soldiers said that the Cossacks could gallop without a run, immediately making a lightning stop. The horses merged their bodies with the rider so much, as if feeling his courage and bravery.
During the battles, Don horses were distinguished by excellent skills in reconnaissance and raid special operations of the Cossacks.
The war with the French in 1812 ended, after which the Don stud farms were recognized as the best and Don horses began to be supplied en masse to the Russian army.
Currently, the Donskaya horse is considered an animal on the verge of extinction. Russian stud farms have a minimum number of horses.

Photo gallery

Don horse - face

How much does a Don horse cost?

Setting the price for a Donskaya horse depends on its health, age, documents confirming pedigree and breeding ties, as well as on the breeding area. But as practice shows, a decent horse of the Donskaya breed will cost the buyer about 5 million rubles. Such a colossal amount is easily explained - in current time The horse breed is on the verge of extinction, the number is gradually declining.

Buy Donchak in at a young age It will be much cheaper, and besides, it is easier to tame a young animal and gain her love and respect. An adult horse may not recognize the new owner, showing aggression. But a horse raised by one person will love its owner endlessly, trying to fulfill all the requirements and wishes.

Donchak today

The Don horses are currently in an emergency situation, at risk of disappearing altogether. As statistics show, the Red Book should already include the Don Horse in its arsenal, the number of which has not shown growth for a long time. As of 2010, only 20 pure breed individuals were counted. At the dawn of farming, each owner owned a dozen or even a hundred of these horses.

Such disappointing statistics are due to the fact that many horse breeding enterprises and farms went bankrupt, selling off horses. The territories of former factories were bought by entrepreneurs who did not care about horses. But, despite such a difficult fate, such majestic and historical important horses Nevertheless, they find their field, they are used in equestrian sports and horse riding training. Small entrepreneurs, albeit slightly, still breed these horses. Today the Donchak people are recognized historically important elements formation of Russia.