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The Adayev Kirghiz still remains in large numbers, and is
the purest and most typical representative of the Mongolian horses. They are
bred in the vast area from the Caspian Sea to the Central Asia region, from
Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and China, which has an area of about three
million square kilometers. This area consists of almost half of the Soviet
Union.
The Adayev Kirghiz ponies are late in maturing because
they require five years for full development. They are easy keepers, satisfied
with little food, even if it's of poor quality. Despite this, they remain very
healthy and with mediocre food and care have a long life. They are known for
their speed and endurance and without any extra effort on their part can gallop
for over four hours. These characteristics of the Adayev Kirghiz horses are most
likely a result of their adaptation to the nomadic life of the Kirghiz people.
Although these people are mostly settled in this age, there still are a number
of nomads still roaming.
Very valued in this pony breed is their endurance over
long distances, their speed and quickness, their un-spookiness, and their
ability to endure hunger, thirst, bad weather, and other elements. They can
stand up under rider or weight as a pack horse and are very reliable. We can
only understand this toughness if we become familiar with the hard pasture
lifestyle that the Kirghiz endured for many centuries, having adapted as well as
the people.
This breed spends most of its life outside under the sky, surviving
blizzards, cold, freezing wind and rain, thunderstorms, heat, dust, and shortage
of food. During food shortages they can often live like camels do off of stored
fat in their bodies. In the winter they must forage for dry grass under the
snow. These ponies can exhibit great endurance in the high mountains of low
atmospheric pressure and thin air. They easily navigate the steep mountain
climbs or descents into deep ravines. They are surefooted on narrow trails and
through the crossing of deep strong streams. They can also walk with ease over
large scattered rocks.
Kirghiz mares are very good at milk production, and the
indigenous people's favorite nutrition is the mare's milk, or Kumiss. It was and
still is used for medical purposes quite often. The Don, Budyonny, and English
Thoroughbred were used for the refinement of the Kirghiz breed. The improvement
and large size of the Kirghiz horses is partly responsible on their recent
breeding and raising and the additional feeding of hay during the winter months.
Sometimes the poor development of the babies is dependent of the milking of the
mares, so that the foals do not receive sufficient nutrition until after
they've been weaned.
The Adayev Kirghiz is a small horse, standing around 12.3
to 13.1 hands high. Their mares have a straight profile in the head, and the
stallions tend to be slightly Roman Nosed. The Adayev Kirghiz horses carry their
heads close to the ground because they have low set necks. This can be explained
by their constant search for food. Their torsos are fairly long, tight, and
often "sway-backed". Their loins are strongly tied in at the hindquarters, which
is not unusual in most horse and pony breeds.
The back along is somewhat short
in this breed, although they have very wide, long hips. Their chests are not
very wide, their legs are short with strong joints, tendons, and hooves. Their
hind legs tend to be "cow-hocked", and fortunately, spavin, navicular, and hoof
diseases are rarely present. Their summer coats are short and tight while during
the winter the hair grows curly, very thick, and long. The Kirghiz ponies are
usually palominos, chestnuts, bays, and occasionally paints or tigers.
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