Horses of the Yakut breed faithfully serve man. Thanks to its small growth and long coat, the animal helps people survive in the forest tundra, in the Far North, beyond the Arctic Circle. After reading this article, you will get acquainted with the characteristics of this species, character traits, care requirements, learn about the goals and objectives of breeding the Yakut horse.
Origin of breed
This breed is considered one of the oldest. — such horses lived another 30 thousand years BC. e. Their ancestors are supposed — the oldest tundra horses. Due to their resistance to frost, they survived to our time and began to be used by people. But a more likely theory about their origin — folk selection.
Breed description
The Yakut horse, or, as they call it in Yakutia, saha ata has distinctive features of appearance and character. Due to its uniqueness, it is used by people in those areas and under such conditions in which other species could not stand it.
Appearance characteristic
Saha ata — short, strong, with a wide back and a short neck. The straight back and wide back are well “attached” to the stable legs, so that they cover long distances. The body is covered with a thick layer of fat (5–9 cm), the mane is thick.
You can familiarize yourself with the appearance of the Yakut horse in the table below:
Height at the withers | 143 cm |
Torso length | 156 cm |
Chest circumference | 187 cm |
Suit | Brown, bay, gray, mousy, Savras, red, Chubara |
Head | Medium, straight profile |
The ears | Short |
Eyes | Medium sized, widely spaced |
Neck | Short, fat |
Mane | Thick |
Withers | Low but wide |
Croup | Wide |
Tail | Thick and long |
Back | Strong and wide |
Chest | Deep and wide |
Legs | Short and strong, small step |
Hooves | No crack |
Scope and productive qualities
They grow horses of the Yakut breed for work (shipping), horseback riding and slaughter.
They are bred due to the following features:
- stocky build makes the animal strong and hardy;
- a thick fat layer can withstand strong cold;
- animal meat is considered a delicacy due to its marbling;
- hide and fur are valuable materials.
Did you know? Horse hoof — not only the most sensitive part of the animal’s body, but also responsible for the circulation of blood. The force of gravity applied to it causes the blood to move up the vessels.
Temperament Features
This type of horse is known for its sharp mind and quick wits. Easy to train. Not aggressive towards humans. Friendly and affectionate with trusted people.
Features of care and maintenance
Like other breeds, the Yakutsk breed needs proper care and maintenance. It is important to remember about disease prevention and vaccination.
Room requirements
In order for stallions and mares to be healthy and satisfied, their stables must be properly equipped. Important to remember that horses — those animals whose maintenance requires a lot of effort, money and time.
- The height of the stable should be about 3 m. At a height of two meters from the floor they place windows. The size of the doors in the stalls is also important. Their height should be equal to 2.4 m, and the width — 1.2 m. The partitions between the boxes should be the same height as the doors. Below they are made solid, and above 1.4 m with gaps (can be made from gratings, nets). To avoid injury to the horse, these gaps are made with a width of not more than six centimeters. All gates in the room must open outwards.
- It is necessary to provide access to fresh air, but drafts in the stable must not be allowed. For this, during construction, you can leave a small gap between the walls and the roof.
Recommended Reading
- This type of horse is resistant to cold, but in winter it is better not to let the temperature drop by more than –21 ° С. To do this, you can use heaters or conduct full heating.
- Humidity level from 65 to 70%.
- Lighting should be moderate, similar to daylight. In the room, the light should burn for about 16 hours, the remaining 8 animals should remain in complete darkness.
- In the box there should be a feeder and a drinking bowl.
Important! The parameters of the stall area for an adult should be at least 9 square meters. m
Feeding
Yakut horses are unpretentious in food, often they get it themselves, even from under the snow. But in order to maintain health and strengthen immunity, it is recommended to monitor their diet and supplement it with vitamins and minerals. You can’t feed your horse fresh bread, vegetables (except carrots and beets), fruits (except apples and watermelon), cookies, chips, breadcrumbs. The ingestion of these food products into the body of the animal causes fermentation in the stomach, digestive problems. It is undesirable to include wheat, corn, and barley in the feed.
You can and should give hay, oat straw, stale bread, oats, grass (although horses often get it on their own), bran, carrots, sugar, beets, apples and watermelon. If necessary, use mineral and vitamin top dressing. Biotin, calciferol, B vitamins, vitamin C, Vikasol, retinol, tocopherol are considered vitamins necessary for the body; minerals — iodine, iron, chlorine, manganese, zinc, copper and selenium. Often the above products are enough to provide good nutrition.
Up to six months, newborn individuals feed on mother’s milk, but from two months old they are already fed with barley, oats, sunflower cake. At the age of three months, hay and root crops, and even grass in summer, can be included in the diet. For the full development of foals, it is necessary to include minerals (salt, disodium phosphate, chalk) and vitamin supplements in their diet.Important! It is forbidden to feed dried fruit to the Yakut horse — it is dangerous to the health of the animal.
Care and hygiene
You need to brush your horses daily. It is also necessary to monitor the condition of their hooves, to check whether they are cracked. You need to clean the boxes and the stable itself every day. It is advisable to change the litter every time you clean the box. It is necessary to monitor the condition of the feeders and drinkers, carefully wash them.
Disease prevention
To maintain animal health and disease prevention, these actions are necessary:
- ensuring the availability of an individual drinking bowl and feeder for each individual;
- proper diet and a balanced amount of vitamins in it;
- timely cleaning of premises and equipment;
- periodic disinfection of the stable.
Did you know? Horses considered wild today are actually only feral. The only kind of horse that has never been tamed by humans is the Asian wild.
Prospects and benefits of breeding the Yakut horse
Breeding of the Yakut breed of horses is a promising activity. Its representatives are distinguished by their strength, are considered long-livers. They are used for different purposes, they are unpretentious and can survive in extreme climatic conditions. Yakut horses are unique, because they live only in a small territory of Russia.Yakut breed of horse is unique. Undemanding in nutrition, hardy in cold weather, friendly to people. With proper care, breeding of this breed is simple, promising and profitable.