Science and Sport: Performance Testing of Aday and Kostanay Horses at the Allur Endurance CUP 2026 International Tournament
Participation in the Allur Endurance CUP 2026 International Endurance Competition as Part of Research on Aday and Kostanay Horses
On October 17, 2026, the international Allur Endurance CUP 2026 equestrian endurance competition was held in the village of Novosyolovka, Kostanay District, Kostanay Region, Kazakhstan, under the rules of the International Equestrian Federation (FEI, CEI 1*). Riders from five countries — Kazakhstan, Hungary, Syria, the United Kingdom, and Malaysia — participated in the competition.
Zhasulan Yertayevich Kozhanov, Head of the Department of Horse and Camel Breeding at the Kazakh Research Institute of Animal Husbandry and Forage Production LLP, participated in the event as a member of the Veterinary Commission. In addition, 14 members of the judging panel arrived from the United Arab Emirates to officiate at the competition.
Performance testing of Aday and Kostanay horses in long-distance endurance competitions was conducted within the framework of the scientific and technical program BR22885681 "Improvement of Existing Approaches to Managing the Genetic Resources of Aday and Kostanay Horses While Preserving the Gene Pool of the Kostanay Breed."
This research is related to the development of a genetic marker panel for early prediction of endurance, speed, and racing performance, followed by validation of the developed methodology in Aday and Kostanay horse populations.
Participation in endurance competitions makes it possible to evaluate the athletic performance of the studied horses under actual competitive conditions. The resulting performance indicators provide valuable data for comparison with genotyping results and for further investigation of genetic factors associated with endurance and speed-related traits in horses.
Competition results:
1st place — TAI KASKA, an Aday horse, with an average speed of 22.66 km/h.
2nd place — BAKKONUR, a horse of the Naiman subgroup from Abai Region, with an average speed of 22.17 km/h.
3rd place — TOBYLGY TORY, an Aday horse, with an average speed of 22.11 km/h.
4th place — KABLAN, a crossbred horse from Zhetysu Region, with an average speed of 21.81 km/h.
5th place — TAI QASQA, a Kostanay horse, with an average speed of 20.72 km/h.
The Aday horses from Mangystau Region that finished in first and third places are among the animals being studied under the BR22885681 scientific and technical program.
Their results, together with the performance of the Kostanay horse that finished among the top five, are of practical importance for assessing the potential of Kazakhstan's native horse breeds in long-distance endurance competitions and for supporting future selection and breeding programs.
The main sponsor of the competition was Allur Auto. The prize package included a Chevrolet Cobalt vehicle and a cash award of 7,500,000 Kazakhstani tenge (KZT).
