The Vyatka, also known by Viatka, is an endangered horse breed found in the Kirov Oblast (formerly Vyatka region), Perm Krai, and the Udmurt Republic in Russia. The Vyatkas, a part of the North Russian group of ponies, were influenced by the terrain and climate of their native land. However, their conformation was also affected by Estonian horses imported by the Novgorod colonists during the 1300s. Moreover, the Estonian horses imported for working in the mines of the Ural Mountains played a role in the development of the breed.
The average height at the withers of Vyatka mares 13.3 hands, and the average weight 880 pounds. The coat color is typically chestnut, bay or roan, or occasionally Black.
Aside from agility, resilience, and working ability, the Vyatka horses were valued as the best equine for pulling troikas. During peak popularity, the horses were exported to many countries including Poland.
In the early twentieth century, the mechanization of agriculture, industry, and transportation caused a sharp reduction in their numbers. Furthermore, the mating of purebred mares with trotters and heavy draft horses pushed the breed close to extinction. Subsequent efforts of re-establishing the breed proved successful as the population reached 2000 in 1980. However, it declined to 560 in 2003, and it was recognized as an endangered breed by the FAO in 2007.
