Karabakh
Encyclopedia
The Karabakh horse also known as Karabakh, is a mountain-steppe racing and riding horse
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...

. It is named after the geographic region where the horse was originally developed, Karabakh
Karabakh
The Karabakh horse , also known as Karabakh, is a mountain-steppe racing and riding horse. It is named after the geographic region where the horse was originally developed, Karabakh in the Southern Caucasus, an area that is de jure part of Azerbaijan but the highland part of which is currently...

 in the Southern Caucasus
South Caucasus
The South Caucasus is a geopolitical region located on the border of Eastern Europe and Southwest Asia also referred to as Transcaucasia, or The Trans-Caucasus...

, an area that is de jure
De jure
De jure is an expression that means "concerning law", as contrasted with de facto, which means "concerning fact".De jure = 'Legally', De facto = 'In fact'....

part of Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...

 but the highland part of which is currently under the control of Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...

. The breed is noted for its good temper and speed. For example, in 2004 a Karabakh horse named Kishmish from the Agdam stud in Azerbaijan set a speed record by running 1000 metres in 1 minute 9 seconds, and 1600 metres in 1 minute, 52 seconds.

The breed is thought to be a cross-breeding of Akhal-Teke
Akhal-Teke
The Akhal-Teke is a horse breed from Turkmenistan, where they are a national emblem. They are noted for their speed and for endurance on long marches. These "golden-horses" are adapted to severe climatic conditions and are thought to be one of the oldest surviving horse breeds...

, Persian, Kabarda, Turkoman
Turkoman Horse
The Turkoman horse, or Turkmene, was an Oriental horse breed from the steppes of Central Asia, now extinct. Modern descendants include the Akhal-Teke and the Yamud horse breeds. Horses bred in Turkmenistan are still referred to as Turkoman, and have similar characteristics...

, and Arabian horse
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...

. It also influenced the development of the Russian Don
Russian Don
The Russian Don is a breed of horse developed in and named after the steppes region of Russia where the Don River flows. Utilized originally as cavalry horses for the Cossacks, they are currently used for under-saddle work and driving.-Characteristics:...

 horse in the 19th century. At present, the Karabakh is bred mainly in Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...

's Shaki region. Currently the breed numbers are below 1,000 and it is threatened with extinction.

Breed characteristics

The breed is hardy, strong, tough, and sure-footed.

The horse is not large: 14-15 hands high or 145-150 cm. They have small, clean-cut heads, a straight profile with broad foreheads, and nostrils very capable of dilation. The neck is set high, average in length, muscular and elegant. They have compact bodies with well defined and developed muscles. The shoulders are often quite upright. The horses have a deep chest, a sloping croup, and long, fine, but very strong legs, although the joints are small. The horses are narrow, not very deep through the girth, due to the Akhal-Teke influence.

Their skin is thin and soft with gleaming hair. The main colors of the breed are chestnut and bay, with characteristic golden tint of the breed. They can also be gray. White markings are allowed.

As well as being fast and agile, the Karabakh horse is reputed to have a good endurance and loyalty to master.

Breed history

The Karabakh has close links to the Akhal-Teke
Akhal-Teke
The Akhal-Teke is a horse breed from Turkmenistan, where they are a national emblem. They are noted for their speed and for endurance on long marches. These "golden-horses" are adapted to severe climatic conditions and are thought to be one of the oldest surviving horse breeds...

, which is bred in Turkmenistan, Central Asia, and the Turkoman horse
Turkoman Horse
The Turkoman horse, or Turkmene, was an Oriental horse breed from the steppes of Central Asia, now extinct. Modern descendants include the Akhal-Teke and the Yamud horse breeds. Horses bred in Turkmenistan are still referred to as Turkoman, and have similar characteristics...

, which is bred in Iran. Some historians believe that in ancient times these horses were of the same strain and had significant influence on the development of the Arabian breed
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...

. Some historical sources mention that during the Arab invasions of Arran in the 8th-9th centuries tens of thousands of horses with golden-chestnut coloring, characteristic for Karabakhs, were taken by the conquerors.

The breed attained its current shape and characteristics during the 18th and 19th centuries. There is some evidence that Ibrahim-Khalil (1763-1806), khan of the Karabakh khanate
Karabakh khanate
The Karabakh khanate was a semi-independent khanate on the territories of modern Azerbaijan and Armenia established in about 1750 under Persian suzerainty in Karabakh and adjacent areas. The Karabakh khanate existed until 1805, when the Russian Empire gained control over it from Persia...

, possessed a horse herd numbering 3,000-4,000, mostly of the Karabakh breed. From the 19th century onwards this horse breed became increasingly popular in Europe. Thus, in one of the first big sales in 1823, an English company purchased 60 pure Karabakh mares from Mehdi-Kulu Khan, the last ruler of the Karabakh khanate. Karabakh numbers were initially hurt in 1826 during the Russo-Iranian war, but the breed remained intact. After Mehdi-Kulu Khan, his daughter Khurshidbanu Natavan took care of the breed. In a series of successes her Karabakh stallions received the highest awards in various exhibitions during the 19th century. As a result, the Karabakh horse Khan received a silver medal at an international show in Paris in 1867. At the second All-Russian exhibition in 1869, the Karabakh horse Meymun also won a silver medal, another stallion, Tokmak, won bronze. A third, Alyetmez (pictured), received a certificate and was made a stud-horse in the Russian Imperial stud.

The Karabakh played an important role in the formation of the Russian Don
Russian Don
The Russian Don is a breed of horse developed in and named after the steppes region of Russia where the Don River flows. Utilized originally as cavalry horses for the Cossacks, they are currently used for under-saddle work and driving.-Characteristics:...

 horse breed. In 1836 the heir of the Russian general Madatov
Valerian Madatov
Prince Valerian Grigoryevich Madatov was an Armenian prince and a lieutenant-general of the Russian Empire.-Early life:...

 sold all his horses, including 200 Karabakh mares, to a horse-breeder in the Don region. These Karabakhs were used for improving the Russian Dons' characteristics into the 20th century.

In the early 20th century the Karabakhs sharply decreased in numbers again, mostly because of civil and ethnic wars in the Caucasus in general and in the Karabakh region in particular. The horse breeding enterprise established by the Karabakh khans and developed by their heirs was destroyed in 1905. The offspring of many pure-blood Karabakhs became a mix of Karabakh and other, non-pure, horses, resulting in changes to some characteristics, such a reduction in size.

In 1949 the breed was revived at the Agdam stud in Azerbaijan, which brought together the most characteristic Karabakhs. In 1956 a Karabakh stallion named Zaman, along with an Akhal-Teke named Mele-Kush was presented by the Soviet government to the Queen of Britain, Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...

.

The Karabakh horse breed suffered another setback during the Nagorno-Karabakh war
Nagorno-Karabakh War
The Nagorno-Karabakh War was an armed conflict that took place from February 1988 to May 1994, in the small enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh in southwestern Azerbaijan, between the majority ethnic Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh backed by the Republic of Armenia, and the Republic of Azerbaijan...

. In the days before the capture of Agdam by the Armenian forces in 1993 most of the Karabakh horses were moved from the Agdam stud. These horses are currently bred in winter pastures in the lowland Karabakh plains between Barda
Barda
Barda may refer to:*Barda Rayon, a district in Azerbaijan*Barda, Azerbaijan, a town in Azerbaijan* Bârda, a village in Malovăţ Commune, Mehedinţi County, Romania*Barda, Russia, a rural locality in Perm Krai, Russia*Jean-Pierre Barda*Olaf Barda...

 and Agjabadi
Agjabadi
Aghjabadi is a rayon in central Azerbaijan with an administrative center in the town of Aghjabadi.-History of the rayon:Aghjabadi rayon was established in 1930. In 1963 it was abolished and connected to Agdam Rayon. Soon after, in 1965, it was reestablished as an independent rayon.Aghjabadi is one...

 provinces.

In popular culture

The Karabakh horse is the national animal of Azerbaijan and the official symbol of Agdam
Agdam
Agdam or Ağdam or Aghdam may refer to:*Agdam city, Azerbaijan*Agdam Rayon, Azerbaijan*Ağdam, Khojavend, Azerbaijan*Ağdam, Tovuz, Azerbaijan...

 and Shaki region. The horse is of great cultural importance to the people of Azerbaijan and they are featured from literature to postage stamps.
  • It is also featured in FK Qarabağ's coat of arms.

See also

  • Nature of Azerbaijan
    Nature of Azerbaijan
    The environment of Azerbaijan includes a wide diversity of climates, animals, plants, and habitats.-National protection:Due to the tapping of oil reserves in the early 20th century, Azerbaijan has had sufficient resources to develop an industrial sector, which in turn led to a significant increase...

  • Fauna of Azerbaijan
    Fauna of Azerbaijan
    Fauna of Azerbaijan or Animal Kingdom of Azerbaijan refers to the diversity of various types of animals, which inhabit and populate a defined ground or water area in Azerbaijan....

  • National Parks of Azerbaijan
    National Parks of Azerbaijan
    National Parks of Azerbaijan refers to the situation and the listing of national parks in the Republic of Azerbaijan. The national parks of Azerbaijan are run by the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources. The first national park that was established in Azerbaijan, is the Zangezur National Park...

  • State Reserves of Azerbaijan
    State Reserves of Azerbaijan
    State Reserves of Azerbaijan refers to the state reserves in Azerbaijan, which preserve the fauna, flora and their ecosystems.State Reserves bear the status of governmental establishments aimed at environmental protection and scientific researches. They are particularly designed for the protection...

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