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The Tuva (Russian: Тувинская, Touvinskaïa) is a breed of small Saddle horse native to the Tuva of Russia. Classified among the "Siberian pony" family, it proves to be much closer to the Mongolian horse, having lived relatively isolated from other Asian and Eastern European horses. It has long been ridden by the horse riders of its region, for and hunting. At the end of the 19th century, mineral extraction led to the import of draft horses and saddles, giving rise through crossbreeding to the Upper Yenisei horse (Russian: Verkhne-ienisseïskaïa), now very rare, and the Tuva carriage horse (Russian: Touvinskaïa oupriajnaïa), now extinct.
The Tuva horse has an elongated body and thick manes, and most often wears classic coats such as bay and chestnut. Particularly robust and hardy, they are bred for saddle, Horse meat and mare milk. It is practically unknown outside its native region.
In the 19th and 20th centuries
Until the 19th century, Tuva's inhabitants were essentially nomads, relying on livestock breeding and hunting. Around 1860, migrants from Altai Mountains and Minusinsk brought with them Kuznet draft horses and heavy-model Harness racing. Ore mining in Tuva required powerful horses. At the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the next, this led to the creation of farms with up to several thousand horses in a herd. These work horses are still used in the region in the 20th century for a variety of tasks. During World War II, Tuva's inhabitants contributed to the Russian war effort, supplying around 50 000 horses to the army.
From 1980 to 1990, a Soviet intervention program made it possible to study the remaining animals with the aim of preserving the most interesting genetic heritage, to select horses useful for agricultural work.
Tuva carriage horse and Upper Yenisei horse
With the re-establishment of agriculture in Tuva in 1944, the various outdoor horses were mixed together. The animal that emerged from these crossbreeds was called the "Tuva carriage horse" (Russian: Tuvinskaya upryajnava), and was granted a standard and studbook in 1951. The breed declined rapidly with the increasing use of . The main stud was closed in 1957, just six years after it opened. Local horses are also crossed with light and Russian Don horses, leading to the emergence of a second, different type in the center of the region, the Upper Yenisei horse (Russian: Verkhne-eniseiskaya), named after the river of Yenisey. The Guide Delachaux indicates that the Upper-Yenisei horse is also called the "Tuva trait", while the DAD-IS website distinguishes the Tuvinskaya upryajnava from the Verkhne-eniseiskaya, as does the CAB International book, published the same year, in 2016.
The Tuva horse's body is elongated, and its manes are very dense. This small horse can cope with an extremely harsh biotope and wide temperature ranges, giving it stamina and robustness.
The most common colors are bay in all its shades, Black horse, chestnut and Gray horse, but many other colors are also represented.
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