A tour of the biggest horse farm in the north
(VOV) - Located in Song Cong town, Thai Nguyen province, Ba Van horse farm is raising, preserving and crossbreeding rare horse varieties.
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| Lying about 7km from Song Cong town, Ba Van is the largest horse farm in the north of Vietnam |
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| The farm, now renamed the Mountainous Husbandry Development and Research Centre, is raising a total of 140 horses of five species, including rare ones |
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| Kabadin makes up the majority of the population at the centre. Eight Kabadin were imported from the former Soviet Union in 1964 and they have been crossbred to pull carts or carry goods |
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| White horse, a precious species, diminished in numbers a couple of years ago as many people were hunting white horses for bone. Thanks to modern crossbreeding technology, the number of white horses ha increased considerably |
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| For its high economic value, white horse is not crossbred with other species |
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| Mini horse makes up the minority of the population, and with its small size the species is used for entertainment |
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| The centre has crossbred racehorses since 2006, using sperms imported from Germany |
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| A crossbred racehorse can run at a speed of 40km/h |
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| More investment has been poured in research to grow the best grass for horses |
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| Every day the centre cuts dozens of grasses to feed horses |
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| A horse eats between 40-50kg of food every day |
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| Grass is the main food |
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| Horse cages are kept tidy in summer and warm in winter |
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| Cages are divided into zones: for dams, sires and foals |
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| A notice board is attached in front of each cage, detailing the species, colour, gender,….. |
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| Washing a horse is a daily routine of a technician |
