In response to the problem, Russian breeders sent the remaining Strelets to a stud, where the mares were mated with purebred Arabs and the stallions were put to cross-bred mares. The offspring of those crossed were then bred with each other. By the 1950s, the Tersky emerged -- a new breed of good size and strong constitution. Meanwhile the Strelet in its pure form could not be preserved and the breed died out altogether.

The Tersk was developed between 1921 and 1950 at the Tersk and Starvopol Studs in the Northern Caucasus. The Tersk is founded on the Strelets Arabian - a part-bred produced by crossing Arabian stallions with Orlov and Orlov-Rastopchin mares. Thoroughbreds were also involved in the Strelets make-up to a lesser degree. By the early 1920s, the Strelets had nearly died out. The Tersk, a beautiful horse, retains the Arabian appearance and movement. (Ultimate Horse)