DESCRIPTION OF THE BREED

Karachai horses are black or black-brown mainly without white marks. High in withers is usually around 156 cm.

Karachai horses are known for their great endurance, intelligence, sense for orientation, independence and sense of solidarity to the rest members of the herd. Those characters are necessary in breeding tabuns where the horses are usually in the winter seasons attacked by wolfs and they have to survive those attacks without any human help. Motion of Karachai horses is very soft and elliptical. Together with endurance, natural balance and braveness they are suitable for endurance/distance racing. The longer the race is and the more difficult surface of the country the more visible are the great characteristics and quality. As an example or evidence we can remind the fact that Karachai breed horses are the only ones that reached both summits of Elbrus (5640 m) in 1999 and 2000.

Karachai breed is a very fertile breed, mares are effective up to 90% and normally they give a birth to about 20 foals in life.

a very fertile breed, mares are effective up to 90% and normally they give a birth to about 20 foals in life.

BODY CONSTRUCTION

Karachai horses are black or black-brown mainly without white marks. High in withers is usually around 156 cm.

Karachai horses have a long head, usually Roman-nosed, with moving alert ears and with very well developed tangible hair. Nostrils are capable of wide dilation. They have middle long and well muscled neck, generally strait shoulders and low wither. Body is strong with straight back; legs are long and also strong with generally good joints and bones and clearly defined tendons.  Karachai horses have hard hoofs that for performing light work do not need shoeing. Mane and tail are naturally long and rich.

HISTORY OF THE KARACHAI BREED

Karachai breed is together with Kabardian breed the most important mountain horse breed. Breeding of both stocks was done in very close neighborhood in same climatic and geographic conditions of the Northern Caucasus. 

In 1943 Karachai nation was resettled by Stalin to Middle Asia for alleged collaboration with Germans and the Karachai breed was renamed to Kabardian breed and both breedings were joint together. This state stayed until 1983 when both breeds were divided again and started to be registered separately in the breeding register.