East Bulgarian
Origin
Bulgaria
History
After liberation following the Russo-Turkish War (1877-78), systematic work for improvement of horse breeding was resumed. In a rather short time the first horse studs and stallion farms were organized at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries, using imported stallions and mares of various breeds. These became the foundation for development of modern horse breeding in the country.
Improvement of horse breeding gradually extended to all parts of the country, with mares of local origin being crossed with stallions of different breeds. Due to the creative efforts of several generations of breeders, breeds with strong valuable characteristics have been produced, such as the Danubian, the Pleven and the East Bulgarian horse.
The East Bulgarian is a breed of recent origin and created in the studs Kabiuk, near Shumen and Bojurishte, near Sofia. Development of the breed began at the end of the 19th century using local horses, improved local horses, Anglo-Arab, Arab, and half Thoroughbred mares crossed to halfbred, Arab, and Thoroughbred stallions. The breed was officially recognized in 1951. Since about 1955, Trakehner blood has also been used. During the last three decades, a significant improvement has been achieved, mainly in competition where the East Bulgarian especially at the difficult steeplechase competitions such as Pardubice, Czechoslovakia was very successfull.
Description
- Head:
light and elegant with a straight profile and large, lively eyes - Conformation:
-neck, quite long and well formed
-prominent withers
-chest, full and deep
-shoulder, sloped and muscular
-back, long and straight
-croup, slightly sloping
-tendons, well defined and clean
-legs, slender and solidly built
-hooves, well shaped, tough horn - Average height:
15.3 to 16 h.h. - Colour:
usually chestnut, black or bay - Temperament:
quiet but energetic - Today:
the East Bulgarians are used mainly for under saddle, light draft work and are well-suited for a variety of competitive sports such as eventing.
