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TERSKS – THE ENDURANCE HORSE OF RUSSIA
by Jean Morris

All photographs provided by Ina Baader, who was of great assistance in preparing this article. A version of this article first appeared in Endurance World magazine, July 2002.

In much of the world, Warmbloods are generally considered to be Thoroughbred crosses, but travelling through eastern Europe and into Asia, the "hot blood" contribution is increasingly dominated by the Arabian horse. One such warmblood breed is the regrettably rare Tersk. As may be expected from an Arabian ancestry, the Tersk is particularly well suited to endurance riding.

Head of Tersk at Stavropol stud shows Arabian influence

The origin of the Arabian horse, as a distinct breed, is unknown. We do know that the Bedouin, inhabitants of the Arabian desert, had been selectively breeding horses for a thousand or more years before the time of Mohammed, who was born around AD 570. The Bedouin horses were extremely well adapted to the harsh conditions of the desert, able to survive on camels’ milk, dried meat, dates and locusts. Mohammed was so impressed by the quality and endurance of the Bedouin horses that he acquired many for his cavalry. Islam holds the horse in high esteem, and states, "The Evil One dare not enter into a tent in which a pure-bred horse is kept".

The Arabian horse was introduced to Europe with the 8th century Moorish invasion. The first imported horses were unsuitable for European warfare, which depended on heavy armour and correspondingly heavy horses; however, plate or chain mail armour was no protection against gunpowder and, by the 17th century, fast and manoeuvrable horses were the mount of preference.

The Arabian horse served in the Napoleonic wars. By the end of the infamous winter retreat from Moscow in 1812, when the starving French troops were constantly harassed by Cossacks mounted on tough, steppe-bred Don horses, most of the few surviving horses of Napoleon’s army were Arabs. In 1777, Count Alexius Grigorievich Orlov began developing a strong, fast, trotting horse, suitable both for pulling a troika (the traditional Russian sleigh) through deep snow and for racing. The resulting Orlov Trotter is a mix of Thoroughbred, Arab and European breeds. The physical characteristics of the Arab essentially disappeared, but the endurance and hardiness remained. Count Orlov also bred towards a superb riding horse, the Orlov Riding Horse, starting with the same foundation stallions as the Trotter, but diverging along separate blood lines.

Director of the Stavropol stud, Alexander Klimuk with Tersk stallion Orchester

Count Orlov is more generally known as Catherine the Great’s lover, and was a member of a group of the Imperial Guard plotting to overthrow her husband, Czar Peter III.

Around the beginning of the 19th century, another Russian nobleman, Count Rostopschin produced a riding horse based on the Arab and English Thoroughbred. In 1845, the Russian state treasury bought the studs of Counts Orlov and Rostopschin. Initially, the two breeds were kept distinct, but were later inter-bred to produce the Orlov-Rostopschin, or Russian Saddle Horse ['Russian Riding Horse' in USA].

Ina Baader on her Tersk mare Czyppa

During the mid-19th century, at the Strelets stud of Count Stroganov, in south-western Russia, a third breed based on the Arab was being developed to provide a large horse suitable for the Russian Hussar Regiments. Orlov-Rostopschin mares were bred to two Arabian stallions: Obeyan II from Poland and Begri-Bagrain, from an island of the same name in the Persian Gulf. Both stallions had an unusual silvery coat, a characteristic they passed on to their progeny, which were named Strelets, after the stud. The Strelets had a conformation similar to that of pure Arabs, but was larger and better adapted to the climate and conditions of Russia. Their beauty and movement were much admired at the Paris World’s Fairs both in 1867, when they were awarded a gold medal, and in 1900. World War I took a heavy toll on Russian horses - more than 1.5 million lost their lives on the battlefields. The Russian revolution and civil war of 1917 to 1920 accounted for many more and by 1921, the Orlov-Rostopschin was extinct and only four Strelets mares and two Strelets stallions remained.

In 1925, Semyon Michailovich Budenny, then commander of the First Cavalry Army and member of the executive committee of the USSR, instituted a breeding program at the Tersk stud in the dry and rocky northern Caucasus. The stud was founded in 1898 by Count Stroganov to breed pure-bred Arabs, and was nationalized in 1918. The mission of Budenny was to reconstruct the Strelets. The desired characteristics were endurance, hardiness and the ability to thrive in a herd. The six surviving Strelets were sent to the Tersk stud and bred to Arabs, including at least one from the Crabbet Stud of Lady Wentworth in England. Steppe and mountain horses, such as the Cossacks’ Don and the sure-footed Kabardin of the northern Caucasus, were also incorporated into the program.

In 1944, the Tersk stud was ordered by the Soviet government to produce only pure-bred Arabians. The would-be Strelets horses were moved to the Stavropol stud, also in the Caucasus, a huge, self-contained complex, producing its own food for the horses and for the staff.

In 1947, the plan to recreate the Strelets was abandoned, but the horses that had evolved from the programme were officially recognized as a breed in 1948. They were named "Tersk" after the original stud. While most Tersks are of the original type, the addition of Trakehner blood has created the "Massive" type, and additional Arabian blood has created the leaner "Oriental" type.

Tersk mares on the open steppe at Stavropol

Young Tersk horses are selected based on type, conformation, suitability for their environment and the successful completion of a performance test. In keeping with the specified characteristics of the breed, the horses are maintained in herds on the open steppe, but receive supplemental feed and parasite control. The result is a horse that is tough and enduring, traits that were dramatically demonstrated in 1941, during the retreat to Kazakhstan from the German forces. The herd of Tersk, with their foals, covered several thousand kilometres in temperatures dropping to minus 20°C. All but the youngest foals survived.

The Tersk is between 15hh and 16hh. They have fine, slightly dished Arab-like heads, large eyes, good bone and muscle. While some are chestnut, bay or black, the usual colour is the silvery grey bequeathed to them by Obeyan II and Begri-Bagrain. Because of their beauty, calm temperament, intelligence and good nature, they are very popular in the Russian circus. Tersks crossed with Trakehners and Thoroughbreds are proving to be good dressage, jumping and cross-country horses. The pure-bred Tersk is gaining in popularity in the modern sport of endurance riding – its natural milieu.

Ina Baader on her Tersk mare Czyppa

The endurance characteristics of the Tersk are typified in the pure-bred mare Czyppa. Bred in Stavropol in 1975, she was exported to Germany in 1980, where she competed in 252 endurance rides. In 1990, she completed the Trabweg West – a 14-day, 1000 kilometre race. Her owner, Ina Baader, states, "She has gone more than 15,000 kilometres in endurance competitions over 15 years and this is a record in Germany. I am very proud to own her!" Having completed 400 kilometres of rides in 2000, Czyppa retired at the age of 26. At the 2001 European Championship in Italy, the best German horse was a Tersk, Russian Charmeur, ridden by Bärbel Büchting. Pure-bred Tersks are bred only in Russia. There are currently about 90 pure-bred Tersk mares and ten Tersk stallions at Stavropol, as well as Tersk crosses.

The export of Tersks to Europe and North America has almost ceased, but the director of the Stavropol stud, Alexander Klimuk, welcomes everyone to visit to experience first hand these remarkable horses.

Much of the information for this article was provided by Tersk enthusiast Judith Robinson of Maryland, USA - a frequent visitor to Russian and its studs. Judith offers the following advice to prospective purchasers of the beautiful Tersk horse.

"As in all cases, purchases of Tersk horses should be done with the help of recognized and reputable experts. Access to the Caucasus, including the Stavropol and Tersk studs, is restricted due to its proximity to Chechnya; however, there are various exhibitions of interest to the horse enthusiast, usually in Moscow. One such is Equiros, the Russian equivalent of Equitana. These exhibitions afford the visitor opportunities to see some of the best Tersk horses. Make arrangements in advance." It is generally best to travel to Russia for the first time with an organized group, being less expensive and less worrying than private travel.

Tersk mare at Stavropol stud

Entry requirements: A visa is required to get in and out of Russia. Visit www.geographia.com/russia for detailed information.

Electricity: 220 volts, 50 Hz.

Language: English is spoken in cities, although French is preferred.

Currency: Rubles are the only legal currency. Travellers’ Checks and credit cards are not in common use and ATMs are frequently out of order. Keep cash well hidden. Safe deposit boxes in reputable hotels are usually reliable.

What to take: Travel light as there are no porters and limited storage space in trains and buses.

Tipping: Generally 5% - 10% in restaurants