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The Abaga (simplified Chinese: 阿巴加马; traditional Chinese: 阿巴加馬; pinyin: Abaga) is a type of Chinese Mongolian horse. Characterized by its generally black coat, it is also larger and faster than the latter, due to its selection for racing.
| Country of origin | China |
|---|---|
| Use | Saddle horse, and mare milk |
| Traits | |
| Height |
|
| Color | Generally black |
With fewer than 4,000 members at the end of 2008, the Abaga is a rare breed.
The Abaga is not reported to DAD-IS.[1]
However, the 2016 edition of the CAB International book refers to the breed as Black Abaga,[2] while scientific publications refer to it as Abaga.[3][4] According to the Delachaux guide (2014), it is also referred to as the "Sengseng black horse".[5] However, the same publication also refers to the breed under the erroneous name of "Black Agaba".[5]
Although ancient and the result of long selection,[6] the Abaga was only officially characterized in 2009.[5] Little is known about the different types of Mongolian horse, with research efforts focusing more on Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses.[7] Genetic research on this breed is motivated (2018) in particular by research into racing performance during the Naadam,[4] in order to improve the speed of the different strains of Mongolian horses.[8]
The Abaga is a typical steppe horse.[9] According to the Delachaux guide, its average height is 1.36 m to 1.40 m.[5]
The head is straight or slightly convex, with a broad forehead, large eyes and small ears.[5] The neck is fairly long.[5] The withers are rather flat.[5] The chest is broad and the shoulders muscular.[5] The back is fairly long, and the rump short, with a slight slope.[5] Hooves are small and hard.[5]
The coat is predominantly black, more rarely dark bay.[5]
These horses are renowned for their stamina and good temperament.[5] They are extremely hardy, enabling them to live outdoors, on high plateaus, all year round, at low temperatures, with little rainfall, and in a hypoxic environment.[6]
The Abaga is primarily a racehorse, whose speed was measured over 1,600 meters by the Chinese Animal Genetic Resources Commission in 2011.[9] It is notably faster than the Wushen, another type of Mongolian horse.[10] It seems that this speed is the result of selective breeding, which favors certain characteristics such as heart and muscle development.[11]
It could be used for pleasure riding, and is also bred for meat and mare milk.[5]
As its name suggests, the Abaga originates from the northern Abag Banner in the Xilingol League, Inner Mongolia.[5][12][13] It is a rare breed overall, with 3,758 individuals recorded at the end of 2008.[5]
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