Tuva horse
Country of origin | Tuva |
---|---|
Use | Saddle horse |
Traits | |
Height |
|
Color | Bay, black, chestnut, and gray |
The Tuva (Russian: Тувинская, Touvinskaïa) is a breed of small
The Tuva horse has an elongated body and thick manes, and most often wears classic coats such as bay and chestnut. Particularly robust and hardy, they are bred for saddle, meat and mare milk. It is practically unknown outside its native region.
History
The breed owes its name to its breeding region: Tuva.[1] The presence of domestic horses in this region is attested as early as the 6th century BC, thanks to the discovery of over two hundred horses buried in the Scythian necropolis of Arjan.[2] The animals found in ancient times were quite small and similar to the Mongolian horse.[3] The breed is therefore probably of Mongolian origin, as this country borders Scythe.[4] A comparative genetic analysis of Russian horse breeds suggests that the Tuva has long lived in great isolation, more so than other horses of Eastern Europe and Asia.[5]
In the 19th and 20th centuries
Until the 19th century, Tuva's inhabitants were essentially nomads, relying on livestock breeding and hunting. Around 1860, migrants from Altai and Minusinsk brought with them Kuznet draft horses and heavy-model trotters.[3] Ore mining in Tuva required powerful horses. At the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the next, this led to the creation of farms with up to several thousand horses in a herd.[3] These work horses are still used in the region in the 20th century for a variety of tasks.[3] During World War II, Tuva's inhabitants contributed to the Russian war effort, supplying around 50 000 horses to the army.[6]
From 1980 to 1990, a Soviet intervention program made it possible to study the remaining animals with the aim of preserving the most interesting genetic heritage,[3] to select horses useful for agricultural work.[7]
Tuva carriage horse and Upper Yenisei horse
With the re-establishment of agriculture in Tuva in 1944, the various outdoor horses were mixed together. The animal that emerged from these crossbreeds was called the "Tuva carriage horse" (Russian: Tuvinskaya upryajnava), and was granted a standard and
Description
The FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) classifies the Tuva horse as a Siberian pony,[11] but it turns out to be much closer to the Mongolian horse.[1][4] According to studies by Bonnie Lou Hendricks (University of Oklahoma) and CAB International, its average height ranges from 1.30 m to 1.37 m.[1][12] The Guide Delachaux cites a much smaller size, from 1.27 m to 1.29 m.[4] The Upper Yenisei horse is larger, around 1.57 m according to Hendricks,[3] 1.45 m to 1.52 m according to the Guide Delachaux,[8] and has a more massive trotter-trait pattern.
The Tuva horse's body is elongated, and its manes are very dense.[4] This small horse can cope with an extremely harsh biotope and wide temperature ranges,[3] giving it stamina and robustness.[4]
The most common colors are bay in all its shades, black, chestnut and gray,[4] but many other colors are also represented.[1]
Usage
Horses are mainly ridden, as the Tuvan people are
The spread of breeding
The Tuva is almost unknown outside its native region, the Republic of Tuva,[4] and is considered rare,[12] although by the end of the 20th century, the region had 30 000 horses, and breeding was common in all 12 districts.[3] In 1995, the breed was listed as "rare" by the FAO, but no count was available.[15] The one published in 2003 counted a population of just 1 560 head.[11] The number of horses free from crossbreeding with the Russian Don and the Budyonny horses is undoubtedly low,[4] but there are still uncrossed Tuva horses in certain areas with particularly harsh biotopes, due to the lack of adaptation of the crossbred horses.[1]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f Porter et al. (2016, p. 510)
- .
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Hendricks (2007, p. 428)
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Rousseau (2016, p. 277)
- ISBN 9076998795.
- .
- ^ Hendricks (2007, p. 429)
- ^ a b c d Rousseau (2016, p. 303)
- ^ "Tuvinskaya upryazhnaya / Russian Federation (Horse)". DAD-IS. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
- ^ "Verkhne-Eniseiskaya / Russian Federation (Horse)". DAD-IS. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
- ^ a b "Tuvinskaya / Russian Federation (Horse)". Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (DAD-IS).
- ^ a b c Hendricks (2007, p. 427)
- JSTOR 3032697. Retrieved 14 August 2017.
- ISSN 2210-5018. Retrieved 14 August 2017.
- ^ Scherf, Beate (1995). World Watch List for Domestic Animal Diversity. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. p. 350.
Bibliography
- Hendricks, Bonnie Lou (2007). International Encyclopedia of Horse Breeds (2nd ed.). Norman: University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 978-0-8061-3884-8.
- Porter, Valerie; Alderson, Lawrence; Hall, J. G.; Sponenberg, Dan Phillip (2016). Mason's World Encyclopedia of Livestock Breeds and Breeding (6th ed.). CAB International. ISBN 978-1-84593-466-8.
- Rousseau, Élise (2016). Guide des chevaux d'Europe (in French). Delachaux et Niestlé. ISBN 978-2-603-02437-9.