.jpg) | |
| Conservation status | FAO (2007): not at risk[1]: 99 |
|---|---|
| Other names | Yakut |
| Country of origin | Yakutia (Russia) |
| Distribution | Yakutia |
| Traits | |
| Weight |
|
| Height |
|
TheYakutian (Yakut:Саха ата, Sakha ata) orYakut is a nativehorse breed from theSiberianSakha Republic (or Yakutia) region. It is large compared to the otherwise similarMongolian horse andPrzewalski's horse.[2]: 340 It is noted for its adaptation to the extreme cold climate ofYakutia, including the ability to locate and graze on vegetation that is under deep snow cover,[3] and to survive without shelter in temperatures that reach −70 °C (−94 °F).[4]
The horses appear to have evolved from domesticated horses brought with theYakuts when they migrated to the area beginning in the13th century, and are not descended from wild horses known to inhabit the area inNeolithic times.[4]
The breed averages 140 centimetres (13.3hands) in stallions and 136 cm (13.2 h) in mares,[5][2]: 340 and shares certain outward characteristics with other northern breeds like theShetland pony,Fjord horse andIcelandic horse, including sturdy stature, thick mane and heavy hair coat,[4] their coat ranging from 8 to 15 centimeters.[6]
There are several subtypes of the Yakutian horse.[7] TheNorthern type is the purest bred Yakut, and is sometimes called theMiddle Kolyma orVerkhoyansk horse. It is usuallybay,gray or lightdun in color, withprimitive markings including a dark dorsal stripe and zebra-pattern stripes on the legs. Stallions measure 139 cm (13.3 h) atwithers on average, mares are 137 cm (13.2 h). This variety is considered to be the most valuable. The second variety is theSmaller Southern type, which is also considered a pure but less valuable breed. Average height is 135 cm (13.1 h) in stallions and 132 cm (13.0 h) in mares. The third variety is theLarger Southern type, which is the result of cross-breeding with other breeds, and is widespread in central Yakutia. This type measures 141 cm (14.0 h) in stallions and 136 cm (13.2 h) in mares.[2]: 340
In Siberia, annual temperatures fluctuate between +38 and −70 °C (100 and −94 °F) and winter may last for 8 months.[7] Yakutian horses are kept unstabled year-round, and in the roughly 800 years that they have been present in Siberia, they have evolved a range of remarkablemorphologic,metabolic andphysiologic adaptations to this harsh environment.
Genetically they show indications ofconvergent evolution with other inhabitants of the Far North likemammoths regarding their adaptation to the extreme cold.[4]
The Yakutian horse is used primarily for its meat, which is considered a delicacy by locals due to a plentiful fat layer. Their milk is also used, mostly for makingKumis. Despite their small stature, the Yakut is valued for its riding capabilities.[6]
... The Yakut horse has the ability to uncover grass that is under as much as 50 centimeters of snow (and the snow cover lasts in the country for seven to eight months a year) ...
contemporary Yakutian horses do not descend from the native horses that populated the region until the mid-Holocene, but were most likely introduced following the migration of the Yakut people a few centuries ago. Thus, they represent one of the fastest cases of adaptation to the extreme temperatures of the Arctic.
 | Thishorse breed–related article is astub. You can help Wikipedia byexpanding it. |