2017
For many thousands of years, the peoples of the Asian steppes have bred fast and enduring horses. Scythians, Mongols and Turkic peoples - they all needed tough mounts. To hunt, herd cattle and wage wars that saw them overrun half of Europe. In the Russian Republic of Tuva, on the border with Mongolia, horses are still an indispensable part of the cultural identity. Many Tuvinians still see themselves as fearless steppe riders and, like 12-year-old Azhikpay Irgit, want to compete with others in horse races. 3000 kilometers further west, at the foot of the Urals, lies the Republic of Bashkortostan, one of the most fertile regions within the Russian Federation. Despite its natural wealth, the population often lives in the most basic conditions. In the village of Nukatovo, farming for self-sufficiency is practiced as a matter of course. Here, horses are frugal work and livestock animals: farm horses, but also suppliers of meat and milk. Although the traditional drink Kumys, fermented mare's milk, is no longer necessarily to everyone's taste ... Film authors Thorolf Lipp and Anastasia Vinokurova spent a spring traveling through Tuva and Bashkortostan and were able to take a look at archaic horse-human relationships, where there is little room for sentimentality in dealing with the animals.
2017
The cosmopolitan city of Moscow is a melting pot of Russian nations and a hinge between east and west, north and south of the gigantic country. Nowhere else in Russia is equestrian sport as diverse as here: Competitions, shows and parades are held all year round. Cavalryman Dima is there when Putin's mounted guard wins the favor of the spectators with horse ballets in the Kremlin. At the Moscow Hippodrome, Russia's breeders compete for the best scores for their youngsters, and show jumpers from all over the country test their skills at the "Rus" performance center just outside the city. The 22-year-old Oksana is also dreaming of a victory with her stallion "Ryzhiy" ... In Vladimir, 200 kilometers west of Moscow, Alexei Grizenko trains the only troika in Russia that is pulled by three cold-blooded horses. The three-horse team is the Russian carriage par excellence, but today only a few old-school experts still master the craft of troika driving. Alexei is financed by, of all people, an English businessman who has found a second home in Russia. However, this alone does not ensure the continued existence of the Vladimir cold blood ... The film authors Thorolf Lipp and Anastasia Vinokurova spent a late summer in the heart of Russia and met performance-oriented competitors and old-school experts who are united by their love of horses.
2017
The Orlov trotter was the horse of the Russian aristocracy. Systematically bred by Count Alexei Orlov-Chezmensky from 1775 onwards, this breed still characterizes Russian horse breeding today. The country's oldest stud farm, "Khrenovskoi" in Voronezh in central Russia, looks back on a proud history, but in the present day the demand for trotters has reached an all-time low. There is a lack of state support to maintain the huge facility. Nevertheless, the breeding and training center is popular. The 23-year-old Nastia Kafidow is completing her training here as a horse manager specializing in sulky driving. She soon wants to try her luck in one of the few remaining show stables ... The southern Russian steppes are home to the Don Cossacks. For almost five hundred years, the legendary, gleaming golden Don horses were their closest partners in times of war and peace. Today, the breed is threatened with extinction. The Cossacks themselves have always played a changing role in history. Today, they are in the process of finding a new place in Russian society. Their own schools teach Cossack traditions and virtues, while mounted Cossack units provide security on the streets. Anton Ortchinskij represents this new era like no other. Not only is he committed to preserving the Don horses and organizing Cossack associations - he is also one of the best trick riders in the country. Thorolf Lipp and his team spent an autumn traveling through southern Russia in search of 500 years of Russian horse history.
2017
In the Far East of Russia, in the Republic of Yakutia, lies the cold pole of all inhabited areas on earth. Here, in the endless, often impassable forests of Siberia, the Yakut horse was born. It seems that the harsh nature itself ensures that the Yakut horses remain purebred: No other breed can cope with the extreme climate. The foals are born on ice and snow and have to endure sub-zero temperatures of -40° Celsius and more from the first day of life. The 48-year-old breeder Irina Vinokurova rides up to 30 kilometers into the taiga every day to track down foaling mares or sick animals and bring them to the camp, to look for grazing grounds or to hunt wolves. 12,000 kilometers to the west lies the Caucasus, the highest mountain range in Europe. On the mountain pastures and in the valleys of the North Caucasus, one of the best mountain horse breeds has been bred for hundreds of years - the Kabardian. The animals are characterized by enormous stamina as well as great surefootedness and rideability in rough terrain. The 55-year-old Moussa has spent the summer as a mountain shepherd on a summer pasture 3500 meters above sea level. In mid-October, the days have become short and the nights cold. Now the 300 stallions, mares and foals face a dangerous 70-kilometer descent into the valley. On the eve of their departure, of all things, winter sets in with snow, cold and fog ... Film author Thorolf Lipp and his team spent a winter in Yakutia and the North Caucasus, where only exceptionally strong horse breeds survive in extreme conditions.