Реферат: История коневодства в Тамбовской области
Horse-breeding in the Tambov Area
Applicant: Irina Nikitina, the pupil of the 11 “B” form CG
Supervisors: L.I. Ivina, the teacher of Biology
L.N. Kozhevnikova, the teacher of English
Tambov 1998
Historically Tambov area has been known as the territory of chanters. By the
amount of private stud farms it challenged superiority of Voronezh, Oryol and
Kursk areas. The development of horse breeding in many respects was promoted
by two circumstances. First because of the flood plains, where the herds
freely grazed (only in one Morshansk area today are left about 20 thousands
hectares even after rash ploughing up of a large part of flood plains).
Secondly, and it is also important, the deep pocket of the Tambov landowners.
They had large and sometimes fabulous capitals. So, one of brothers
Archarov’s, the holder of extensive lands in Rasskasovo area, bestowed him by
Katherine П, handed the whole horse regiment to the Tambov national militia
in 1812, by putting on the horses his own bonded recruits. He also gave
regimentals, armed and supplied the regiment with provisions for three
months. Nobody in Russia made such generous gift for army that time.
Count Stroganov, princess Golitsina, general Lanskoy (the second husband of
Natalya Goncharova), Bashmakov - the Tambov millionaire and holder of gold
mines beyond Urals, old-line noblemen the Naryshkin’s, the Arapov’s and many
other had their own stud farms in Tambov area. The Lavrovsky stud farm, which
nowadays has worldwide glory, was built in Tambov land by the landowner
Voeykov.
The merchantry tried not to drop behind from the aristocracy. One of the
Aseev’s brothers, the holder of Arzhenka cloth factory, has purchased the
stud farm from a widow of the local broken landowner Kruchenkov. The example
of Aseev, but without the raping, was followed also by other industrial aces
from the districts of the region. It was considered very prestigiously.
We should remember that horse-breeding remained one of the few worthy
commercial activities for the aristocrats. In 1840, when Chicherin, the
relative of our future Minister for Foreign Affairs, has opened distillery in
Lyada and the landowners Tulinov and Poltoratsky have purchased cloth
factories, noble society has apprehended it as mauvais ton. But the pinces
and dukes and members of the tsarist family very well descended to trading
horses from theirs stud farms.
All reading Russia knew from the story by Turgenev about inveterate chanters
from the district city of Tambov region with a beautiful name - Lebedyan. But
only few know today, that the fans of equitation created there the first
Russian association and issued first horseracing journal. Much earlier than
in metropolis and Moscow, the prize-winning horserace of Oryol trotters were
arranged in Lebedyan. Several years later the same association of equitation
fans was also established in Tambov. This association built on share
contributions the three-storey building for its club on former Dvortsovaya,
nowadays Sovietskaya Street, one of first in the center of our city (now The
Department of Communications). In this club the horse-breeders from all
Tambov districts met at card tables and in the hall of extensive library.
The special page in a history of domestic horse-breeding were written by the
life copers brothers Demin’s from Kozlov. They managed to get and turn over
the blooded trotters even from Khrenov farm of count Aleksey Orlov. Although,
only after his death. While alive the count strictly forbade selling his
horses. Demin’s were in close friendship with former count’s adscript Vasiliy
Ivanovich Shishkin, the manager of Khrenov farm. Shortly Shishkin opened his
own stud farm.
The abundance of private stud farms in the region produced big horse fairs,
beginning from Lebedyanskaya and finishing with Tokaryovskaya, one of
cheapest in country. On Tambov fairs the merchants came a long way from
European countries, and also from Persia and Turkey. Only in 1897 61 580
horses were exported from Russia. Each tenth of them was purchased in Tambov
region. On fairs they sold not only separate horses, mainly it was the
business of small copers, the owners of stud farms sold the young grossly, by
so-called stakes after one famous stallion and different dams. Unblooded
horses on Tambov fairs were bought up for meat merchants from Denmark. A kilo
of horsemeat was equal in cost with a kilo of Danish butter. Vneshtorg knows
the price that the danish horsemeat lovers, the horsemeat is the
irreplaceable ingredient of top-grade sausage, are ready to pay us for horses
for meat.
Many brilliant trotters were grown up on Tambov stud farms. In 1904 at stud
farm of Afanasyev in village Yaroslavka, now the territory of Rzhaksa area
was born grey stallion Krepysh. His father was Gromadniy, the Imperial
prizewinner, and the mother Koketka, the grand daughter of Varvar –
prizewinner from the farm of well-known horse-breeder Rogov. Changing hands,
Krepysh in a 1907 stepped on the turfs of Moscow and St. Petersburg for the
first time. By his graceful pace he made a conquest of fans. Krepysh entered
the competitions for 79 times and in 55 races he was the first and he
established or improved 13 records. With heartache thousands of fans
witnessed a loss of Krepysh in February 1912 in Moscow to the American
trotter General Age. They did not blame their favorite but his american
jockey William Keaton, who, they believed, intentionally drive Krepysh in a
wrong way.
The Novotomnikovo stud farm
The stud farm in Novotomnikovo played a large part in the history of domestic
horse-breeding; it was founded by count Illarion Ivanovich Vorontsov-Dashkov
in 1860 and still exists now. In short time he bought up the best orlov’s
stallions and dams, paying no attention to the prices.
His new stud farm in Tambov area got famous after his bonded jockey
Oblopokhin on the stallion Zadorniy beat all capital jockeys on the horses
from the best prize-winning stables in St. Petersburg in 1861. Zadorniy made
three versts for 6 minutes and 6 seconds.
Vorontsov-Dashkov opened a new era in horseracing after he became in 1882 a
state manager of horse-breeding at tzar Alexander III request. At that time
he was the defense and domestic minister in the rank of adjutant general.
He turned the horse-breeding from lairds’ merry-making into real commerce.
The prices on the private stud farms were raised up. The owners of stud farms
in Moscow or St. Petersburg could be lucky enough and win whole bags in one
racing season.
In the last quarter of 19th century in a pursuit of high prizes the american
jockeys began to appear in St. Petersburg and Moscow more and more often on
theirs so-called “two-minutes” trotters – they cover a mile (1600 meters) for
two minutes and some seconds.
One of the first to Russia from America came Clayton’s, the well-known jockey
family – the father and sons with their own trotters. They established the
prize-winning stable and began the manufacturing of modern very light carts
with rubber wheels. Very soon they were unrivalled on the racecourses of
Moscow and St. Petersburg. One year Clayton and sons won almost all prizes
and earned more than 300,000 rubles. The horse-breeders got agitated and
began to repine. Some of them rushed to buy the very expensive American
trotters. Other protested demanding to forbid the performance of American
trotters in Russia.
In such conditions Vorontsov-Dashkov, as a head of domestic horse-breeding,
had to make a decision. He found a compromise. The prizes were divided into
two groups. One was for the horses of all breeds, other only for Oryol
trotters. But nevertheless, the count preferred American trotters. «The only
criterion of quality of a horse I consider a prize pole», - he told later.
With such reasoning Vorontsov-Dashkov made vigorous efforts buying American
trotters, not only for his stud farm and prize-winning stables in St.
Petersburg and Moscow, but also for state stud farms.
Vorontsov-Dashkov was interested in cross-breeding more than anybody else. He
always was present at horsing, sitting under a glass cap at center above one
of the stables. The count considered it to be so important, that often forced
his spouse Elizaveta Andreevna (Shuvalova before marriage) to be present on
it with visitors, which were in Novotomnikovo that time. The visitors were
only grand people: the members of tzar family, which arrival was marked with
planting of one more tree in oak alley of ancient park. Such as relatives of
four daughters married off in families of Shuvalov’s, Sheremetyev’s, Musin-
Pushkin’s, and Demidov’s.
The conversations about horses touched common interest, as all aristocracy
had stables and stud farms. This kind of private business was considered to
be almost the only activity that is not derogating dignity of a true
aristocrat.
By the end of 19th century on private and state stud farms in Russia there
were 20 trotters prizewinners of an American origin. In the mass order there
was a crossing of blooded Oryol dams with American trotters.
The most given was Vorontsov-Dashkov. Even two victories of “oryols” over
“americans” in summer season of 1898 didn’t cool him. The Oryol trotter Boets
broke the record on three miles established by American trotter Monnet. His
own mare Krylataya broke the record of Monnet on three and three quarters of
second in the same season. But he had made the choice, « his knight's move »,
and was not going to back up. Soon the count accepted on a service all
jockeys of Clayton’s family with the fantastic salary 300 thousands rubles
per year.
The outstanding scientist hippologist prince Sergei Urusov engaged in
controversy against Vorontsov-Dashkov. Urusov considered cross-breeding «as a
medicine not by illness». «The only developing of ability to quick trot, as
they have made with the trotter in America, - he wrote, - will result in
quick but narrow, boneless, long-legged horse without rib and quite often
without a back and completely useless in agriculture. It is necessary to
improve inside the breed. Bad can be born even from good but never good from
bad ».
Many years have passed since then and this dispute has not finished yet.
After the death of the count Vorontsov-Dashkov in 1916 his heirs, going to
leave the country, arranged cut-price sale of all horses’ elite of the farm.
In Soviet time it became only a branch of state stud farm in Morshansk.
By 1918 in Novotomnikovo left only three blooded mares of Oryol breed. Horses
were taken from stables both by “red” and “white”. The very nice farm before
now it fell to desolation and, as the saying goes, the farm was going. For
long time it was existing only as horsing point, on which only a dozen of
mares were blissomed per year.
By a lucky chance among the three left blooded Oryol dams there was the young
mare Opora. Later she was bound to play the outstanding role in domestic
horse-breeding and to save the breed of Oryol trotters from complete
oblivion. In a 1934 she gave birth to a colt named Otboy. His father was
stallion Burelom born in 1927. The Moscow scientist hippologist S. Kalinin
liked this streamlined trotter after the Moscow races in 1930 and advised to
pay the special attention to him.
Meanwhile stud farms kept cross-breeding of Oryol trot horses, what was
started before the revolution. Only now they cross-breed blooded Oryol mares
not with American trotters, the state did not give money to buy them, but
with crossbreeds’ posterity. At first they were called “american-oryols”,
then just Russian trotters. They were propagated on six stud farms, mainly on
Lavrovsk farm in our region.
The big work was performing continuously on creating and developing of that
new breed of thrifty trotters. The care for Oryol trotters was paled into
insignificance. The majority of the experts believed that this breed had
reached the limits of the further perfection. And, as it turned out, they
were wrong.
Today in stalls of Novotomnikovo stud farm stay the good-lookers of Oryol
breed restored by the efforts of horse-breeding enthusiasts. The farm
fosterlings have reached friskiness, which once was considered possible only
for American trotters. Now the Russian troyka, made from Oryol trotters
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