CNN publishes article on Azerbaijani horses
Baku, November 16 (AZERTAC). CNN has published an article on Azerbaijani horses.
In the article, CNN`s Emily Wither says “the fabled Karabakh horse is a rare and beautiful animal that is of great importance to Azerbaijanis”.
In the thickly forested foothills of Sheki, a small city 300km (187 miles) from the capital Baku, is one of world's largest and purest Karabakh herds.
Their owner, Yashar Guluzade, has been restoring the breed for over a decade in this unspoilt mountainous region.
He says that conflict and a difficult economic situation have led to their decline.
"At the beginning of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict the horses were continually transferred from one place to another and this was one of the reasons for the sharp reduction of stock as the movement of pregnant mares led to miscarriages," he explained to CNN.
Azerbaijan's Ministry of Agriculture has drawn up a number of horse breeding programs and the law states the animal cannot be exported for sale. The ministry says it may consider selling the horses in the future to raise money for their upkeep but for now the focus is on breeding and protection.
Khandan Rajabli, the managing director of the ministry's breeding division told CNN that these programs include improving veterinary services, training and scientific studies on the horses' DNA.
"Instituting a system of identification like passports to track the breed has been established" he said.
Rajabli says that a German company is also assisting with gene research and establishing the horses genetic profiling so a system can be developed to confirm the breed in future.
The horses are also known for their exceptional speed. The Karabakh foundation says that in 2004, a horse from the Agdam region set a world record; running 1,000 meters in 1 minute and 9 seconds.
The foundation's chair, Dr. Adil Baguirov, originally from the Karabakh region, says the horse has always been important to Azerbaijani's.
"Azerbaijanis are Turkic people who until a few centuries ago enjoyed a semi-nomadic lifestyle, especially in the Karabakh region, which is lush with grass and has perfect pastures," he said.
"Even as late as the 19th century, a sizable portion of Azerbaijanis, particularly in the Karabakh region, lived in mountains in the summer and in lowlands in the winter," he continued.
Baguirov explains that it was the horses ability to handle mountainous and rugged terrain that deemed them an essential part of life.
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