Mambo

Pre-christian times knew the people of Afghanistan as Ashvakas, or horsemen, since they raised fine breeds of horses and had a reputation for providing expert cavalrymen. For a long time, Northern Afghanistan has been breeding stallions of exceptional endurance and speed. Actually a theory goes that the thoroughbred Arab horse originates from Afghanistan!

Much later, Tamerlan the Great brought 6,000 mares from Arabia to enrich and purify the local breeds. We can definitely say there is some noble blood in afghan horses.


Horses are usually referred to by their color. These are: Jerand (red), Toroq (dark red), Mushki (black), Kahar (yellowish), Gul Badam (dotted), Ablaq (Mixed) and Kabood (gray).

We can break down the afghan horses into different breeds, although the word "breed" is not really appropriate. Indeed, there is no official defintion of each category, with characteristics and morphology description. We could speak of: Herati, Mazari, Qataghani, Turkistani, Waziri and Yabu. But other people speak of: Tartar, Habash, Borta, Waziri, Arabi and Tazi.

There is a great need to document all this. Indeed the afghan horses and the traditions of breeding are disappearing. Just before the end of the war, every family here had their own horses that they were using for carriage or for buzkashi. As of today, most of these horses have been replaced by cars and motorbikes. Luckily the tradition of breeding horses is surviving in some places, in the North of the country, through the local elite, who have their own farms and train male studs for buzkashi.


Two types of breeds are used for buzkashi: The first one is Tartar, which comes primarily from the provinces of Baghlan, Kunduz, Samangan, Takhar, and Badakhshan. Small, but very swift and sturdy, these are the horses that so impressed Alexander the Great. Marco Polo, one of the first "tourists" to visit Central Asia, had nothing but praise for the horses of this area.

The second breed of horse used for Buzkashi is Habash, the great stallion of the Turkistan plains. This vast expanse of arid steppes and low foothills, stretching from Mazar-i-Sharif to Maimana, nurtures this breed. In the spring, large herds of these horses can be seen roaming freely over the grass-covered slopes of northern Afghanistan.

The Tartar, the Habash and the Waziri deserve some special attention as they are horses of amazing qualities. It would be great to label them, and maybe one day, export them. The Tartar would make a perfect polo horse, while the Waziri would be an excellent racing horse.