Kazakhstan wants to restore its traditional horse breeds

The country has allocated $1.4 million for the development of sporting horse breeding / Photo: Shutterstock, photo editor: Aruzhan Makhsotova

Kazakhstan is set to restore traditional Kazakh horse breeds for sporting purposes. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has signed a law to this effect, according to his press service.

«The president has signed a law amending and annexing some legal acts related to preserving and reproducing domestic roadster horse breeds,» the press service stated.

The government has allocated $1.4 million to develop sporting horse breeding in Kazakhstan. This funding is intended to save two Kazakh horse breeds – Kostanay and Aday – from extinction, as both breeds have proven their value in numerous tournaments and races.

According to MP Aydarbek Khodzhanazarov, the purpose of the legislation is to stimulate the development of sporting horse breeding within the country and to revive the glory of traditional Kazakh horse breeds.

Online searches on Yandex show that Kazakhstanis have a strong interest in horse races. The most popular search requests include horse races (e.g., «Horse races in Kostanay video»), funny video clips (e.g., «How is a horse laughing video») and videos featuring animals (e.g., «Horses video»).