The Budyonnovskaya horse is the only exception in the world of horse breeds: it is the only one still closely connected with the Donskaya, and if the latter disappears, it will also soon cease to exist.
As a result of the global reorganization of society that befell the Empire at the beginning of the XNUMXth century and armed disputes on this issue among different sectors of society, the thoroughbred horse stock in Our Country was almost completely exterminated. From the not very numerous breeds, used for the most part under the officer’s saddle, there are only a few dozen left. From the Arabized Sagittarius breed, two stallions were hardly found. There are only a few dozen Orlovo-Rostopchinsky horses left. It was no longer possible to restore these breeds.
There is also almost nothing left of the more massive breeds that the regiments were previously equipped with. All horse breeding in Our Country had to be restored anew. The fate of the almost completely knocked-out breed befell the well-known Don horse in those years. There are less than 1000 heads left of the breed. Moreover, it was one of the best preserved cavalry horses.
Since at that time there was a belief that there was no breed better than the English race, Donskoy began to actively bleed this breed during the restoration. At the same time, high-quality horses for command personnel were also required. It was believed that the influx of Thoroughbreds would raise the quality of the Don horse to the level of factory cultivated breeds.
Reality was harsh. It is impossible to grow a factory horse with a year-round content in the steppe forage. Only aboriginal breeds can live like this. And the “party line” changed to the exact opposite. The Don horse was no longer crossed with the English one, and horses with an English race blood percentage above 25% were taken out of the breeding stock of the Don breed and collected at two stud farms for the production of “commander” horses. From that moment on, the history of the Budennovskaya breed began.
History
After the division of the revived Don breed into “purebred” and “crossbred” Anglo-Don horses were transferred to two newly organized stud farms: them. CM. Budyonny (colloquially “Budennovsky”) and them. First Cavalry Army (also reduced to “First Cavalry”).
But not all pedigrees of modern horses of the Budennovskaya breed can be traced back to Kokas, Sympathyaga and Inferno. Later, Anglo-Don crosses from other stallions were also recorded in the Budennovskaya breed.
The Great Patriotic War stopped work on the breed. Factories were evacuated across the Volga and not all horses were able to return after the war.
After returning to their homeland, the plants went a little different ways in improving the breed. At Budyonnovsky Nachkon G.A. Lebedev introduced the Thoroughbred stallion Krubilnik into the breeding stock, whose line is still dominant in the breed. Although the Knife was “unstable” in its offspring, but through competent and painstaking selection, this drawback was eliminated, leaving the dignity of the founder of the line.
Photo of the founder of the line in the Budennovskaya breed of horses, the thoroughbred stallion Krubilnik.
In the factory of the First Horse Nachkon V.I. Ants made a bet on the selection of cultural groups not of stallions, but of fillies. Muravyov took over the plant, which was significantly inferior to Budennovsky, left it with the strongest breeding stock, selected not only by exterior and origin, but also by working qualities.
In the 60s of the last century, Budyonnovsky horses reached a new level. The need for cavalry had already disappeared, but equestrianism was still “militarized”. The requirements for horses in equestrian sports were very similar to those that were previously imposed on cavalry horses. At the top of equestrian sports were Thoroughbred riding horses and horses with a high degree of bloodlines according to the CHKV. One of such high-blooded breeds turned out to be Budennovskaya.
In the USSR, almost all factory breeds were tested in smooth races. Budennovskaya was no exception. Race trials developed speed and endurance in horses, but selection in this case followed the path of fixing flat movements and a low neck extension.
The performance characteristics of the Budennovskaya breed of horses allowed them to succeed in Olympic sports:
- triathlon;
- competition;
- higher riding school.
Budyonnovsky horses were in special demand in triathlon.
Restructuring
The “transition to a new way of managing” and the ensuing economic disruption crippled the country’s horse breeding and especially hit the small Soviet breeds: Budyonnovskaya and Terskaya. Tersky had a much worse time, today it is almost a non-existent breed. But Budennovskaya is a little easier.
In the 90s, the best representatives of the Budennovskaya breed were sold abroad at a price much lower than horses of the same quality in Europe. Purchased horses reached the level of the Olympic teams in Western countries.
Pictured is US Olympic Team member Nona Garson. Under her saddle is a horse from the Budennovsky stud farm named Rhythmic. Father of Rhythmic Flight.
It came to jokes when people went for an expensive European horse to the Netherlands. They bought a horse there for a lot of money and brought it to Our Country. Of course, they boasted about the acquisition of experienced people in equestrian business. And experienced people found the stamp of the First Horse factory on the horse.
After 2000, the requirements for horses have changed a lot. The flat movements of a cavalry horse for long-distance transitions have ceased to be valued in dressage. There, it became necessary to “move up the hill”, that is, the vector during movement should create the feeling that the horse is not just going forward, but slightly lifting the rider at each pace. In demand in dressage were horses of Dutch breeding with altered proportions of the limbs and a high neck extension.
Show jumping began to require not so much speed as accuracy and agility. In triathlon, the main trump card of high-speed breeds was removed, where they could win points: long sections without obstacles, on which you only had to jump at maximum speed.
To remain on the lists of Olympic sports, equestrian sport had to put spectacle at the forefront. And all the wonderful qualities of a war horse suddenly turned out to be useless to anyone. In dressage, Budyonnovsky horses are no longer in demand due to flat movements. In show jumping, they are able to compete with European breeds at the highest level, but for some reason strictly abroad.
One of the descendants of Reiss in Germany is licensed to sires and used on Westphalian, Holstein and Hanoverian mares. But in the WBFSH ranking you can not find the nickname Raut from Reis and Axiom. There he is listed as Bison’s Golden Joy J.
Considering that without the Don breed there will be no Budyonnovskaya breed, and they don’t know where to apply the Don breed already now, these two breeds are threatened with complete extinction without changing the direction of selection.
Exterior
Modern Budyonnovtsy have a pronounced exterior of a riding horse. They have a light and dry head with a good profile and a long nape. The ganache should be wide and “empty so as not to obstruct breathing. The neck exit is high. Ideally, the neck should be long, but this is not always possible. The withers of the “characteristic” type, more similar to the Thoroughbred than others, are long, well developed. The Budyonnovskys have a long oblique shoulder blade. The thoracic region should be long and deep. The ribs may be flat. The chest is wide. The back is strong and straight. A soft back is a fault and individuals with such a back are not allowed to be bred. The loin is straight, short, with well-developed muscles. The croup is long with a normal slope and well developed thigh muscles. Legs and forearms are muscular. The carpal and hock joints are large and well developed. Good pastern circumference. The tendons are clearly defined, dry, well developed. Privilny angle of inclination of attendants. The hooves are small and strong.
The growth of modern Budennovsky horses is large. The height of the uterus ranges from 160 to 178 cm at the withers. Many stallions can exceed 170 cm in height. Since horses do not have strict growth criteria, both small specimens and very large specimens can come across.
Like the Don, Budyonny horses are divided into intrabreed types, and the description of a particular type of Budyonny horse breed can be very different from the general exterior.
Intra-breed types
Types can mix, resulting in “subtypes”. There are three main types: oriental, massive and characteristic. In Budyonnovsky horse breeding, it is customary to designate types by the first letters: B, M, X. With a pronounced type, they put a capital letter, with a weakly expressed one, capital letters: v, m, x. With a mixed type, the designation of the most pronounced type is put in the first place. For example, an oriental type horse that has some character traits would be labeled Bx.
The characteristic type is the most suitable for use in sports disciplines. It optimally combines the qualities of the Don and Thoroughbred riding breeds:
- good leverage;
- developed muscles;
- large growth;
- high efficiency.
Budyonnovsky stallion Ranking characteristic type.
In the eastern type, the influence of the Don breed is very strongly felt. These are horses of smooth lines with rounded shapes. In the presence of the suit characteristic of the Don horses, Budyonnovets of this type are almost impossible to distinguish from their “relatives”.
Budyonnovsky stallion Eastern type duelist.
Horses of a massive type are characterized by roughness of forms, large growth, deep and round chest.
Budyonnovsky stallion The instigator of a characteristic oriental type.
Fat
The Budennovskaya horse inherited from the Donskoy a characteristic red color, often with a golden tint. But since Budyonnovets is an “Anglo-Donchak”, then in the Budennovskaya breed there are all colors characteristic of the ChKV, except for piebald and gray. Piebalds in the USSR were culled according to tradition, and gray English racers were not bred. It is not known why. Perhaps, at one time, gray Thoroughbred horses simply did not get into the Empire.
Even if all the documents are in order, but the father of a gray suit is not indicated in the breeding certificate, the horse is not Budyonnovets.
Application
Although in dressage today Budyonnovsky horses really cannot compete with half-bred European breeds, with proper work they are able to win prizes in show jumping competitions at a fairly high level. But keep in mind that horses are not machines from the conveyor, and usually there are at least 1 mediocrities for 10 talented one. And this law of nature has not yet been circumvented anywhere, including Western countries.
The bottom photo shows why it is not advisable to use the Budyonnovsky horse in dressage and it is better to find a use for it in show jumping.
At the same time, even in dressage, the Budennovskaya horse can be a good teacher for a beginner. If you need a horse for walking through forests and fields, then Budyonnovets and Donchak are the best choice. In conditions of field walks, the main conditions are a good sense of balance and calmness. Both breeds possess these qualities in full measure.
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Conclusion
Of the domestic breeds, the Budennovskaya horse is today the best choice for show jumping. It is also suitable for keeping as a companion. This is one of the few cultivated breeds that can live in a normal village environment.