New video on our channel: Breeding horses has been my dream since childhood. Horse breeding in Kazakhstan: experience, traditions, and practical advice.

Horses in the Kazakh steppe. A herd, Mugalzhar stallions, pastures, horse meat from the pasture, jute, the climate , and farm life as it is.

We begin with the story of how, back in third or fourth grade, Altynbek realized that under communism, everything was shared, meaning he wouldn't have his own livestock. It was then that a strong desire to work with horses and raise livestock emerged. From childhood, herding with his father, life on a collective farm, and working alongside animals—all of this shaped his relationship with horses and the steppe.

Altynbek explains how hierarchy is formed in a large herd , given the limited pasture space, and the role played by strong stallions who maintain order throughout the herd, not just within their own herd.

A separate, important section is road safety . Practical and practical advice for drivers who encounter a herd of horses on the highway. What to do if the horses are blinded by headlights, why it's important to turn off the lights and turn on the horn, how a horse switches from sight to hearing, and why this can actually save the lives of people and animals. This is experience from steppe farming, not theory.

The conversation touches on horse sales , the market, orders from Astana, and pasture-raised horse meat. They discuss pasture quality, the richness of the grass, wormwood, natural feeding, and why people choose pasture-raised meat .

A large section of the video is dedicated to water and pastures . The Koluton River, which never dries up, and its spring floods. How they get to pastures by all-terrain vehicle, how they drive cattle across the ice. It clearly explains how the ice itself dams water in the spring, how the steppe floods, and why this is a benefit, not a problem, for pastures and hayfields.

Haymaking is discussed in detail . Why does a farm need huge reserves, and why can't it rely solely on tebenevka? Climate risks , unstable winters, rains in February and March, and ice crust are discussed. A clear explanation is given of jute, how it forms in the fall and winter, why livestock stop feeding, and why forage reserves are not a luxury but a necessity.

The philosophy of animal husbandry is touched upon . Why cattle can't be raised quickly, how many years it takes to create a good nucleus of mother animals, selection, selection, and breeding. Why animal husbandry and agriculture are risky businesses, subject to hail, drought, rain, and frost, yet people continue to work despite this because it is a nomadic culture and way of life.

Livestock species are discussed separately : sheep, cattle , horses, and camels. Why is the camel an essential animal , undemanding and intelligent, why does it not wander onto the highways, and how does it differ from a horse? Why do Kazakh horses have such wide and large tails, and how does natural selection work in a harsh climate?

The herd structure is examined in detail . Beef and dairy horses, crossbreds, Mugalzhar stallions, the experience of importing stallions from the Aktobe region, adaptation to a harsher climate, adaptation time, fertility, and offspring quality are discussed. The number of mares per stallion is discussed, whether a 100% foaling rate is possible, and why this is rare in the steppe and snowstorms.

This is a lively discussion about horses , herd horse breeding, pastures, climate, pastured meat, horse meat, Mugalzhar stallions, and the real life of steppe farming. Without embellishment, without theory, in practice and for real.