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“There is No Animal Equated to It in the World…”

These are the words of a writer Alexander Kuprin about the horse. The visitors of the Museum-Reserve of M.A. Sholokhov have a unique opportunity to see these wonderful animals having no equal. On visiting the stable you will greatly enjoy meeting with the thorough bred Don horses.

The Museum stable was initiated in 2004, when the ethnographic department was set up. It investigates a Cossack tenor of life, of which a horse was an integral part and a faithful companion of a Cossack, and traditions of the Don horse breeding. The visitors can learn about a role of the horse in everyday life and at war.

There are 12 horses in the stable. The prevailing breed is Budyonnovskaya, also there are horses of the Trakenen, English-Arab and Orlov Trotter breeds. They are beautiful, stately, thorough bred animals. Children are delighted with funny ponies of the Shetland breed. The guides will tell you a lot of interesting things.

In the Don vast steppes horses were treated with care and respect.

Cossacks often bred their horses for themselves from the best mares and stallions. The foals were cared of like children. When grown up, the animals paid their master with their wonderful devotion and love. The life of Cossacks was connected with military campaigns, and bold horsemen glorified themselves and their country.

The stable is situated in the pine forest. The guests can see the animals, feed them with bread and carrots, learn much about the Cossacks’ husbandry and their everyday life peculiarities. One can try himself to take water from the well with a crane, to take a hot pot out of the Russian stove, to harness horses to a waggon.

In the coach – house there is a layout of waggons of different times; a Cossack break, a sledge, a machine-gun cart of the Civil war time. The tourists can have a riding excursion about the natural sights of the Sholokhov country.

… When in the stable, you would forget about everything. It is horses that help us to revive the forgotten feelings of our forefathers – taming a wild animal and absolute merging with the nature. And what a joy of the sight of a horse in its swift racing directed by skilful riders and trainers owing to excellent training and mutual understanding!

The visitors are always welcome at the stable of the M.A. Sholokhov Museum-Reserve. Make a holiday for yourself and your people to communicate with horses, animals, which accompanied man in labour and battle, entered into the national epic, the world artistic culture.

Marina Debur