Yakutian horse
FAO (2007): not at risk[1]: 99 | |
Other names | Yakut |
---|---|
Country of origin | Yakutia (Russia) |
Distribution | Yakutia |
Traits | |
Weight |
|
Height |
|
The Yakutian (Yakut: Саха ата, Sakha ata) or Yakut is a native horse breed from the Siberian Sakha Republic (or Yakutia) region. It is large compared to the otherwise similar Mongolian horse and Przewalski's horse.[2]: 340 It is noted for its adaptation to the extreme cold climate of Yakutia, including the ability to locate and graze on vegetation that is under deep snow cover,[3] and to survive without shelter in temperatures that reach −70 °C (−94 °F).[4]
The horses appear to have evolved from domesticated horses brought with the Yakuts when they migrated to the area beginning in the 13th century, and are not descended from wild horses known to inhabit the area in Neolithic times.[4]
Varieties and characteristics
The breed averages 140 centimetres (13.3 hands) in stallions and 136 cm (13.2 h) in mares,[5][2]: 340 and shares certain outward characteristics with other northern breeds like the Shetland pony, Fjord horse and Icelandic horse, including sturdy stature, thick mane and heavy hair coat,[4] their coat ranging from 8 to 15 centimeters.[6]
There are several subtypes of the Yakutian horse.
Adaptation to the Siberian environment
In Siberia, annual temperatures fluctuate between +38 and −70 °C (+100 and −94 °F) and winter may last for 8 months.[7] Yakutian horses are kept unstabled year-round, and in the roughly 800 years that they have been present in Siberia, they have evolved a range of remarkable morphologic, metabolic and physiologic adaptations to this harsh environment.
- While smaller than modern highly derived horse breeds, they are larger than other primitive horse breeds (Bergmann's rule);[2]: 340 at the same time they have a compact build with a stouter trunk and legs that are relatively short in proportion to the horse's size (Allen's rule).[4]
- Their winter coat is extremely dense[4] and reaches a hair length of 8 cm (3.1 in).[2]: 340
- Their metabolism adjusts to seasonal needs. In fall they accumulate large fat reserves, in winter the metabolic rate is lowered, and in spring they show an increased carbohydrate metabolism, making use of the freshly sprouting grass.[4]
- They show an increased production of antifreezing compounds.[4]
- They may further avoid frostbite by reducing the volume of circulating blood during times of extreme cold, as indicated by an increased responsiveness of their genetic networks involved in blood coagulation.[4]
Genetically they show indications of convergent evolution with other inhabitants of the Far North like mammoths regarding their adaptation to the extreme cold.[4]
Uses
The Yakutian horse is used primarily for its meat, which is considered a delicacy by locals due to a plentiful fat layer. Their milk is also used, mostly for making Kumis. Despite their small stature, the Yakut is valued for its riding capabilities.[6]
See also
References
- ISBN 9789251057629. Accessed October 2014.
- ^ ISBN 9251025827. Archived 13 November 2009. Also available here, archived 29 September 2017.
- ISBN 0-299-14894-7, retrieved 20 April 2009,
... The Yakut horse has the ability to uncover grass that is under as much as 50 centimeters of snow (and the snow cover lasts in the country for seven to eight months a year) ...
- ^ PMID 26598656.
contemporary Yakutian horses do not descend from the native horses that populated the region until the mid-Holocene, but were most likely introduced following the migration of the Yakut people a few centuries ago. Thus, they represent one of the fastest cases of adaptation to the extreme temperatures of the Arctic.
- "Adapting to -70 degrees in Siberia: a tale of Yakutian horses". University of Copenhagen (Press release). 23 November 2015.
- ^ Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations / Domestic Animal Diversity Information System (DAD-IS): "Yakutskaya/Russian Federation". Retrieved 11 November 2017.
- ^ a b "Якутская лошадь: хозяйственная и вкусная". Сахапарламент.ру - Все о законах, парламентаризме, законодательных инициативах, народных депутатах и действующем законодательстве (in Russian). 27 August 2021. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
- ^ a b Alexeev, N.D., N.P. Stepanov [n.d.] Yakut Horse: Breed Types, Economical and Biological Features". NGO Sakha – World XXI Century, w/o date. Archived from the original on 13 May 2008. Retrieved 11 November 2017.
External links
- Media related to Yakut Horse at Wikimedia Commons