Kyrgyz Horse

Kyrgyz Horse
	A mare being milked in Suusamyr, Kyrgyzstan
Conservation status	FAO (2007): not at risk
Other names	Kirgiz; Kirgizskaya;
Country of origin	Kyrgyz Republic
Distribution	nation-wide
Use	riding horse; harness horse; meat; milk;
Traits
Height	130–142 cm;
Colour	dark colours; grey
Breed standards
	Fondation Kyrgyz Ate;
	Equus ferus caballus;

The Kyrgyz Horse or Kirgiz Horse is a traditional breed of small horse from the Kyrgyz Republic (Kyrgyzstan).^[2] Kyrgyz people associate it with their nomadic past.^[4]^: 12 During the Soviet era of Kyrgyz history, the Kyrgyz Horse was cross-bred with imported foreign breeds, including Don and Thoroughbred strains, to create a new and larger breed, the Novokirgiz or New Kirgiz.^[3]^: 489

History

In the late nineteenth century there were some two million Kyrgyz horses in the area that is now Kyrgyzstan.^[5] During the Soviet era, the traditional Kyrgyz horse was cross-bred with larger but weaker imported foreign breeds, including Don and Thoroughbred strains, to create a new breed, the Novokirgiz or New Kirgiz.^[3]^: 489^[5] Numbers of the traditional native breed were greatly reduced,^[5] but have since shown some recovery.^[6] The population of the Kyrgyz breed was last reported to DAD-IS in 2002, when the total population was 78 300 head.^[2] In 2007 its conservation status was recorded by the FAO as "not at risk".^[1]^: 74

An association for the protection of the Kyrgyz Horse, the Fondation Kyrgyz Ate, was set up in Bishkek in the early twenty-first century. A breed standard was drawn up, based partly on a description found in archives in Saint Petersburg, and was approved by the national ministry of agriculture.^[4]^: 14

Characteristics

The Kyrgyz Horse is a small mountain horse. It is sure-footed and agile, with the necessary stamina and endurance for the mountain environment.^[4]^: 14^[7] The coat may be dark or grey.^[3]^: 480

Use

The Kyrgyz Horse is used as a riding horse, for horse-racing, and as a light harness horse. It is important for production of meat and milk.^[3]^: 480 Horsemeat production in Kyrgyzstan in 2002 was 24 800 tonnes, about one eighth of the total meat produced in that year.^[8]^: 14 The mare's milk is often fermented to make kumis.^[4]^: 14

With traditional mounted games such as kok-boru (also known in Kyrgyzstan as ulak-tartysh), oodarysh (mounted wrestling) and kyz-kuumai (meaning roughly "chase the girl"), the Kyrgyz Horse may be perceived as a symbol of the pre-Soviet nomadic past of Kyrgyz people, and thus as an element of post-Soviet Kyrgyz culture and national identity.^[4]^: 14^[5]^[6]