Horse, Lokai
The Lokai is a mixed breed from Central Asia. At 140–150 centimeters high, it is the shortest of Central Asian horse breeds. Strong and sure-footed, it is a good riding and pack horse, agile and enduring. Its coat is gray, bay, or chestnut (often with a golden tint), sometimes curled. It is an excellent riding horse, well-suited to competitive sports. The Lokai originates from the Pamir Mountains, now in Tajikistan, south of the Tian Shan range. Its name comes from the Lokai tribe of Uzbeks who, starting from the sixteenth century, improved this breed by crossing it with Akhal-Teke, Karabair, and even Arabian horses. The Lokai horse is common in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, where it is a good, tough saddle and pack pony in its native mountains, at altitudes of 2,000 to 4,000 meters. It can carry a rider eighty kilometers a day over mountain tracks at an average speed of eight or nine kilometers per hour. In a nomadic tradition, the mares are also milked. The tough and swift Lokai is famous for its use by Tajik riders in the equestrian game of kopar (kokpar) where riders fight over a goat carcass (similar to the related sport of Afghanistan known as buzkashi).
Further Reading
Dmitriev, N. G., and L. K. Ernst. (1989) Animal Genetic Resources of the USSR. Animal Production and Health Paper. Rome: FAO
Oklahoma State University. (1996) "Breeds of Livestock— Horse Breeds." Retrieved 4 February 2002, from: http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/hors es.
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