Hirzai
Encyclopedia
The Hirzai is a rare breed of riding horse
originating from Pakistan
.
chief named Shol, by an Arabian stallion
belonging to a European military officer who accompanied the contingent of Shah Shujah al-Mulk
through Shoran in the first Anglo-Afghan War
of 1839. Representative animals are still owned by His highness Suleman Dawood Khan of Kalat.
. The head is handsome with a broad forehead; the neck is medium in length, muscular, and arched; the body is compact with a short back and well-muscled loins; the croup
is level; the shoulders are well sloped and powerful; the forearms are strong, but the legs lack bone. This is a horse of strength, good conformation, and stamina and it can used for hard and fast work. It usually stands around 15 hands high.
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
originating from Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
.
History
According to Pakistan's Agricultural Department, the original stock of the Hirzai breed is said to have been derived from a mare owned by the RindRind (tribe)
Rind are a Baloch tribe settled in the Balochistan province of Iran, and the Balochistan Province of Pakistan, Sindh and Punjab provinces of Pakistan....
chief named Shol, by an Arabian stallion
Arabian horse
The Arabian or Arab horse is a breed of horse that originated on the Arabian Peninsula. With a distinctive head shape and high tail carriage, the Arabian is one of the most easily recognizable horse breeds in the world. It is also one of the oldest breeds, with archaeological evidence of horses...
belonging to a European military officer who accompanied the contingent of Shah Shujah al-Mulk
Shuja Shah Durrani
Shuja Shah Durrani was ruler of the Durrani Empire from 1803 to 1809. He then ruled from 1839 until his death in 1842. Shuja Shah was of the Sadozai line of the Abdali group of Pashtuns...
through Shoran in the first Anglo-Afghan War
First Anglo-Afghan War
The First Anglo-Afghan War was fought between British India and Afghanistan from 1839 to 1842. It was one of the first major conflicts during the Great Game, the 19th century competition for power and influence in Central Asia between the United Kingdom and Russia, and also marked one of the worst...
of 1839. Representative animals are still owned by His highness Suleman Dawood Khan of Kalat.
Characteristics
The predominant colour of the Hirzai is grayGray (horse)
Gray or grey is a coat color of horses characterized by progressive silvering of the colored hairs of the coat. Most gray horses have black skin and dark eyes; unlike many depigmentation genes, gray does not affect skin or eye color Their adult hair coat is white, dappled, or white intermingled...
. The head is handsome with a broad forehead; the neck is medium in length, muscular, and arched; the body is compact with a short back and well-muscled loins; the croup
Croup
Croup is a respiratory condition that is usually triggered by an acute viral infection of the upper airway. The infection leads to swelling inside the throat, which interferes with normal breathing and produces the classical symptoms of a "barking" cough, stridor, and hoarseness...
is level; the shoulders are well sloped and powerful; the forearms are strong, but the legs lack bone. This is a horse of strength, good conformation, and stamina and it can used for hard and fast work. It usually stands around 15 hands high.