A man sold his "Jeep" and bought horses: How Orlov trotters are bred in Tatarstan
Nikolai Skokov, a horse breeder from Novosheshminsk, to the delight of all lovers of Orlov trotters, revived the Tatar stud farm No. 57, which is located in the village of Sloboda Petropavlovskaya.
In 2005, Nikolai Skokov, a resident of the Novosheshminsky district, traded his jeep for two riding horses. First year, his horse won a race at the Kazan Hippodrome, then in Moscow. In 2008, he had a lucky chance to acquire a trotter of the Orlov breed.
Since then, he seriously began to breed Orlov trotters.
- Horses of the Orlov breed are very beautiful. This breed is unique in its versatility. It can be used both on horseback and in harness, in the countryside, in the army, at celebrations and even in circus”, says Nikolai Skokov, head of the Tatar stud farm No. 57. - Together with my brother Sergei, we were looking for the most eminent mares and stallions of the Orlov breed: they took part in the auction of the Moscow stud farm, we found and brought them from the Kirov region, Altai Territory, Perm region. We bought several mares from the old Tatar stud farm.
A horse breeder is an artist, he creates works of art, says Nikolai Skokov. His trotters are in demand not only in Russia, but also abroad. They are sent to China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, North Korea.
- A road was built to the stud farm, the livestock maintenance is subsidized. More than 20 heads are kept at the Kazan Hippodrome and from there are sold throughout Russia. The program of the President of the Republic of Tatarstan for the development of horse breeding and equestrian sports for 10 years is being implemented and we are its participants. We are currently building an additional horse box for 20 horses.
- We represent Tatarstan on our horses at international and Russian competitions and exhibitions. We were able to raise and educate four champions of the Orlov breed. They received these titles at the All-Russian festivals of the Orlov trotters in 2013 and 2014.
In 2016, with the support of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Tatarstan, Nikolay Skokov's enterprise revived the Tatar stud farm. The Ministry of Agriculture and Food of the Republic of Tatarstan allocates annually a subsidy for the maintenance of horses on the Kazan Hippodrome, in addition, there is a subsidy in the amount of 35 thousand allocated annually for each horse. Nikolay Skokov's enterprise continues to develop and now the breeder already has about 260 horses.