Tersky Horse

Origin: USSR — Stavropol region.

Height: Average 15hh.

Color: Gray.

Character: Kind, intelligent, enduring.

Physique: Three types exist, the light, medium, and thickset. Elegant,medium-sized head with straight face, large, liquid eye and longish,pricked ears. Long, well-carried neck set on good shoulders; prominentwithers, a longish back with strong loins, good hindquarters with high-settail. Legs fine, and with good bone.

Founded on the remnants of the old Streletsk Arab, which was in fact anAnglo-Arab with predominant Arab blood, mixed with Kabardin, Don, and than Barbs also contributed to the new breed). While the Turks occupied theeastern half of the Mediterranean the Barbary coast was for years open totraders, many of whom took the Barb away with them to wherever homemight be and crossed him with their local horses.

In 1662 King Charles II of England married the Barbary port of Tangier(it was part of his wife's dowry). In the21 years of his rule Barbs were exported plentifully to England, where theywere used to improve the speed and stamina of early British horses andwere thus forerunners of the Thoroughbred (not to be recognized as a breedfor another half-century). When Tangier passed back to the Moors theexportation of Barbs was so widespread that by the 18th century inferiorBarbs could be bought very cheaply in places as distant as northern Europe.