Soviet draft horses are a Russian breed of horse, bred in the middle of the last century. The animals are adapted to local conditions, have significant muscular strength, and a calm disposition. Horses can be bred for draft work in agriculture and meat and dairy production. The dry and dense constitution allows the horses to be used under saddle.
Origin and use
The Soviet draft horse is the youngest breed among other draft breeds.The emergence of its own breed of heavyweights in Russia was due to objective reasons. At the border of the forest and steppe zones there has always been a great need for draft power. For the economic needs of the southern regions, forests were required. Until the 19th century, the draft horses were working horses of the Bityug breed (purebred or crossed with local breeds). At the end of the 19th century, local industrialists and merchants began to import European heavy draft horses: Brabançons and Suffolks.
The huge horses did not acclimatize well in this region and, with their rough shapes, were not to the taste of the local population. It was allowed to cross Brabançon stallions with more graceful local mares. The offspring turned out to be more compact and attractive.
Systematic selection work to create a new breed began in the 20s and was completed in 1952, when it was fully formalized and received the name Soviet Heavy Truck. Domestic draft horses were bred at the Pochinkovsky and Mordovian stud farms.
The heavy draft breed was obtained by absorption crossing of descendants and crosses of Bityugs, Ardens, Percherons with Brabançons and Suffolks. Currently, stud farms continue to maintain a small number of domestic heavy draft horses.
Description and characteristics of the Soviet heavy truck
Representatives of the domestic draft breed are inferior in physical characteristics to their ancestors: the height at the withers does not exceed 160 centimeters, the average weight of stallions is 850 kilograms, mares are about 100 kilograms lighter. But in terms of draft power, Soviet heavy trucks are superior to Brabançons and Suffolks.
Horse exterior
Distinctive features of Soviet heavyweights:
- The head is of medium size with wide nostrils, developed chewing muscles, straight/droopy ears.
- Wide neck with well-developed muscles, short (medium length).
- Low set withers.
- Soft back.
- The loin is of medium length.
- Wide, forked croup.
- Muscular ham.
- Wide chest.
- Rounded ribs.
- Often there is a defect in the development of the limbs (clubfoot of the front, saber of the rear).
- The pastern is wide.
- Large, well-shaped hooves.
The anatomical structure of the croup and hind legs indicate the horse's ability to do hard work. Clubfoot and sabering do not affect the working qualities of a horse, but are taken into account only during breeding. Unlike Brabançons, Soviet draft horses have a bushy tail and no friezes (hair “stockings” below the knees), which makes caring for horses easier.
Domestic heavyweights are dominated by red, brown, bay colors or in combination with roan. Black color is rare.
Character
From their French and Belgian ancestors, heavy draft horses of the Soviet breed inherited a calm disposition and a friendly attitude towards people.
Productive qualities of the breed
Soviet heavy trucks gain weight and physical condition by 2-2.5 years. From this time on, horses could be used to transport goods. Foals gain weight very quickly: about 300 kilograms in the first six months and almost 200 kilograms in the second half of the year. Horses of the Soviet draft breed are promising for meat and dairy (for the production of kumiss). The average milk production of mares over 240 days was 3300 liters or 13 liters per day.
Advantages and disadvantages
Advantages of domestic heavy trucks:
- good draft force;
- unpretentiousness to living conditions;
- precocity.
Disadvantage: susceptibility to degeneration.
Conditions of detention
Soviet heavy draft horses are kept in stalls measuring at least 16 square meters (4x4) per horse, with a window at a height of 1.5 meters. Animals need a daily 3-4 hour walk in the pen and communication with their relatives. The height of the room is at least 3 meters. Natural or forced ventilation is necessary, but without drafts. Straw or sawdust is used as bedding, which is changed daily.
Heavy truck diet
Soviet heavy trucks are unpretentious to feed. The diet depends on the age, gender, and purpose of the animal. A stallion for breeding during the mating period is given per day (in kilograms):
- concentrated feed – 9;
- hay – 16;
- succulent feed – 6.
Including bran (1.5 kilograms), cake (1 kilogram), and legume hay (8 kilograms) must be present. During the non-breeding period, the diet is reduced by 30%. Pregnant mares kept in stalls are given 4 kilograms of concentrates daily (including 1/3 bran), 20 kilograms of hay (half of which is legumes), 6 kilograms of succulent feed. For lactating mares, the proportion of concentrates is doubled, and the content of bean hay is increased to 60%. When kept on pasture, the amount of concentrated feed is reduced to 3-4 kilograms.
Foals begin to be introduced to solid food from 3-4 months, when they are still with their uterus. The initial diet is 3 kilograms of concentrates. By the time of weaning from milk feeding, 1 kilogram of bran is added. Self-fed foals up to one year old should receive up to 7 kilograms of hay and 4 kilograms of carrots.
From a year to a year and a half, the diet of young horses expands and increases in volume. Oats and cake are introduced into the food, and they are accustomed to fresh/freshly cut grass.From the age of 2 years, working horses should receive in winter (in kilograms):
- hay – 13;
- oats – 4.5;
- bran – 1.5;
- cake – 1;
- carrots – 5.
In summer (the main diet) - freshly cut grass (30 kilograms). Hay and oats – 5 kilograms each. Bran and cake - 1.5 kilograms each. Apples, fodder beets and watermelons are offered to animals as a treat and vitamin supplement.
Animals need salt. For constant access to it, it is recommended to place a lick briquette in the stall. Water is supplied to the stall through an automatic drinker or in a bucket before feeding. It is forbidden to give drinks to hot horses.
Breeding
Soviet heavy trucks reach sexual and age maturity at 3 years. Healthy animals with calm behavior are allowed for breeding. In a mating pair, the mare must be larger than the stallion. The average period of breeding use reaches 17 years. With good maintenance, mares and sires of this breed produce offspring for up to 20 years. The yield of foals at stud farms is 65-67%.
Mating is carried out using natural and artificial methods. The best time is from March 15 to the end of July, so that the foaling occurs in the warm season, when there is enough grass.
There is a difference in appearance between the horses of the Pochinkovsky and Mordovian stud farms, which is explained by genetic roots. Mordovian draft horses are smaller, more agile and more temperamental due to crossing not only with Brabançons, but also with Suffolks. As a result of long-term selection for certain economic purposes in different climatic conditions, 3 types of Soviet heavy trucks emerged:
- The horse is large, muscular, with a light head, wide croup, and energetic.
- The horse is of medium height, with a wide body, muscular chest, short legs, and a heavy head.The animal has low requirements for food and is tolerant of prolonged physical activity.
- The horse is very massive, disproportionate in build, with a heavy head, phlegmatic, demanding of feed and care.
The first two types are used to obtain breeding stock. When crossing with horses of low pedigree in the first and second generations, offspring with good characteristics and performance are obtained. The third type is not suitable for breeding.
Diseases
Failure to follow the rules for caring for heavy horses leads to the development of diseases such as rheumatic hoof inflammation. The reason is giving cold water to hot horses, cooling a sweaty animal under a draft. If treatment is untimely or incorrect, a hedgehog hoof is formed, limiting the horse’s performance.
An inadequate diet, dark, damp and unventilated stalls lead to the development of streptococcal infection: horse wash. Foals over 6 months old and horses under 5 years of age are most susceptible to washing. Infection is transmitted by air, through drinking, and feeding troughs.
If hygienic rules of keeping and care are not followed, horses may develop midge (a subtype of eczema). Dirty hooves and bedding serve as a source of infection that affects any part of the animal's body. Washing too often dries out the skin and reduces immunity to bacterial infection. Timely vaccination will protect animals from smallpox, anthrax, tuberculosis, tetanus, and rabies.
