The Karabair (, ; , Ķaroboḩirī; ) is a long-established horse breed from Central Asia, and particularly from Uzbekistan and northern Tajikistan. It results from the cross-breeding of desert horses of Arabian or Turkmene type from the south with steppe horses from the north. It is a small, agile and versatile horse that can be used for riding or driving. It is well suited to local horse sports, and especially to the Central Asian game, kokpar. It is also used for meat and milk production; the milk may be made into kumis.
In 2003, a total population of 138,400 Karabair horses were reported by Uzbekistan.
References
Barbara Rischkowsky, Dafydd Pilling (editors) (2007). List of breeds documented in the Global Databank for Animal Genetic Resources, annex to: The State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Rome: Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. . Archived 23 June 2020.
Breed data sheet: Karabairskaya/Uzbekistan. Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed October 2014.
Breed data sheet: Karabairskaya/Tajikistan. Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed October 2014.
Breed data sheet: Karabair/Kazakhstan. Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed October 2014.
N.G. Dmitriev, L.K. Ernst (1989). Animal genetic resources of the USSR. FAO animal production and health paper 65. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. . Archived 7 April 2025.
Elwyn Hartley Edwards (1994). The Encyclopedia of the Horse. London; New York; Stuttgart; Moscow: Dorling Kindersley. .