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Lokai
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| Group |
Warmblood
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| Influences |
Mongolian
Arabian
Iomud
Karabair
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| Characteristics |
Height 13.3 to 14.3 hands (55-59", 140-150cm)
Short, straight neck complements plain head and straight profile.
Coat sometimes curled like that of a
Bashkir
Hind Legs strong and wiry.
Constituion strong and sure-footed.
Tractable, docile, willing and brave temperaments
Aptitude for riding and as a pack horse.
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| Colors |
Grey
Bay
Chestnut (often metallic)
Often has golden tint
Occasionally dun
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| Odd Facts |
The Lokai is used for riding, pack, and local equestrian sports.
It has an agile quality, with good endurance.
It is an excellent mount for the national game of kokpar, the fight over the goat carcase.
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Overview:
The Lokai is a warmblood originating in Uzbekistan and Tadzhikstan of the former Soviet Union. It is of national importance and geographically distributed throughout the former Soviet Republics. The Lokai stands about 14.3 hands high and its coat is usually
grey,
bay, or
chestnut, often with a golden tint. Its physique varies, but it usually has a sturdy frame with tough hooves. Its hairy may be curly. This strong, sure-footed mountain horse has a tractable, willing and brave temperament. It is used for riding, pack, and local equestrian sports. Influences include
Mongolian,
Arabian,
Iomud, and
Karabair.
Dating back to the 16th century the Lokai has a varied ancestry including contributions from the
Iomud, the
Karabair, and the
Arabian. All of these breeds have had a considerable influence in its good conformation and proud bearing. The Lokai comes from the mountainous regions of Tadzhikistan, in which it is well able to demonstrate its qualities. Away from its native environment it proves to be an excellent riding horse well-suited to competitive sports.
The Lokai is a breed of mixed ancestry that originated in southern Tadzhikistan, a republic of the Soviet Union on the western side of the Pamir mountain range. For many centuries the horses of Central Asia were crossed with the primitive steppe stock. From the sixteenth century onward, the Lokai people improved this base stock with crosses to
Akhal-Teké,
Karabair, and even
Arabian blood. (Ultimate Horse)
The Lokai is a tall pony from Southern Tadhikstan in the USSR. Originally a mountain pony, it evolved from Steppe horses and those from Central Asia. It is used by the Lokai tribe of Uzbekistan: hence its name. It has been crossbred with other breeds, including the
Iomud,
Karabair,
Akhal-Teké and
Arab, to improve its 'class' and increase its height. (Kidd, Horse Breeds)
Physical Description:
The Lokai is a light-framed mesomorphic type horse or pony, and stands between 13.3 and 14.2 hands at the withers. It has a generally
chestnut coat with brilliant golden highlights, or it may be
bay or
grey, with
black and
dun occurring more rarely. Its well-proportioned, well set-on head has a straight or slightly convex profile, small ears, and lively eyes. Its well-formed neck is quite long and set low onto its sloping, muscular shoulder. Its withers are fairly prominent and it has a wide, deep chest. It has a short, straight back with straight loins, and asloping croup with the tail set-on quite low. The solid legs have good bone and muscle, clean joints, and clearly defined tendons. It has a long forearm, but its cannons are short. Its nicely sloping pasterns are a good length, and its well-formed, hard and strong foot is of tough horn.
Origin:
The former USSR is comprised of large areas of forest, steppe land, and high, remote mountains where the climate is harsh and life has not changed for hundreds of years. Early in the 20th century, the Soviets encouraged the breeding of regional horses suitable to the local environment and economy. These were then improved by outcrossing, selective breeding, and by using performance tests to evaluate individuals. Breed standards were then adopted detailing body measurements and breeding stock chosen from those conforming most closely to the specified standard.
A mountain horse, the Lokai is bred in Tajikistan, on the western edge of the Pamirs, just south of the Tien Shan range. It was developed in the 16th century by a subtribe of the Uzbek, the Lokai people, when they moved eastward from the shores of the Aral Sea. The Lokai was initially a mix of Central Asian bloodlines. Then it was improved by
Iomud
(Persian) blood, and the
Karabair, the main Uzbek breed and true eastern horse with
Arabian and
Turkmene antecedents. More recently crosses with
Arabian,
Thoroughbred, and
Tersk stallions have been used to upgrade the existing breed.
Other Facts:
The Lokai has long been used as a pack and riding horse by the tribesmen in the USSR after whom it was named. Its agility and sure-footedness make the Lokai a good worker in its native mountains, where altitudes vary between 10,000-20,000 feet (2000-4000 m). This sure-footed pony is still used for work in the mountains, where it is indispensible as a saddle and pack pony.
In the sporting world, it is most famous as a mount of the Tadzhik riders in the game of kopar, in which a mounted man carries a goat that others try to take from him by chasing after him. Tadzhik riders use the tough, swift-moving Lokai in this sport in which small horses (no more than 14.3hh) excel. Kopar, or "fighting over the goat," is similar to the related equestrian sport of Afghanistan known as
buzkashi.
The Lokai is performance tested, and undergoes trials at the racecourses in Tashkent and Dushanbe. The Lokai is a tough all-arounder used for a variety of purposes, including transport over precipitous mountain country. The Lokai can carry a rider 50 miles (80 km) a day over mountain tracks at an average speed of 5 to 6 mph (8-9.5 km/h). The herds are kept at pasture all through the year, moving up into the mountains in spring. And keeping with nomadic traditions, the mares are also milked.
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© Copyright 1999-2002 NorthWest Breyer Horse Club.
Published February 2000 in the North West Breyer Horse Club newsletter. (em)
