CHAAR RANCH
Chaar Ranch is located in the Ketmen-Tobo Valley in Kyrgyzstan, one of the most historically and culturally rich regions of Central Asia. This land remembers far more than any written chronicle. For centuries, nomadic routes crossed here, tribes built their camps, burial mounds rose on the hills, and ancient roads converged. This is where the very logic of nomadic civilization was shaped: movement, herds, long journeys, and the open road.
The Ketmen-Tobo Valley has always been a land of horses. Without them there was no trade, no war, and no nomadic life. That is why the location of Chaar Ranch here is not accidental. It is deeply symbolic. The chaar horse is an inseparable part of nomadic history and Central Asian culture. Such a breed could only be born in the conditions of high mountains, long migrations, a harsh climate, and constant struggle for survival. This is a horse of the road. A horse of wide open spaces. A horse of freedom.
Today, Chaar Ranch is a working horse ranch in Kyrgyzstan dedicated to the preservation and development of the unique spotted chaar horse and to the protection of regional biodiversity. There is no decorative approach here. Every day is real hard work, following the rhythm of the seasons.
Our mission is to preserve the chaar horse as part of the natural and cultural heritage of Kyrgyzstan and Central Asia. We work with genetics, build strong and sustainable bloodlines, monitor the health of our herds, and create conditions in which the horse remains strong, resilient, and perfectly adapted to the harsh mountain environment.
The ranch plays a particularly important role during the winter season. When high-altitude pastures become dangerous due to predators and severe weather, the herds are brought down to the ranch. Here the horses remain under constant supervision and receive additional feeding throughout the cold months.
Special attention is given to young horses experiencing their first winter. This is the most vulnerable stage in a horse’s life. At Chaar Ranch, young foals go through careful adaptation, receive an enhanced diet, veterinary care, and protection from stress factors.
We also form young herds, build natural hierarchy, and lay the foundation for future breeding stock. At the same time, we treat and restore weakened horses, returning them to full herd life.
Herd management and grazing follow the natural calendar of the Tien Shan mountains. In winter, the horses stay at the ranch, protected and additionally fed. In spring, the herds move to nearby mountain pastures, where they find last year’s grass and the first fresh green shoots. Over two to three weeks, the digestive system gradually adapts to the new diet, and only then does the body begin to actively accumulate energy and fat.
In April and May, the foaling season begins. Foals are born directly on the mountain pastures, in natural conditions. We observe the herds every day to prevent accidents. Sometimes newborn foals slide down steep slopes or get stuck in thorny bushes. In such moments, every minute matters.
At the beginning of June, the lower pastures become hot, and we move the herds higher into the mountains. Gradually they rise to high-altitude plateaus at up to 3,800 meters above sea level. There the horses receive high-calorie mountain forage and live in ideal natural conditions. We call these places a paradise for horses.
When the herds are on the plateau, control becomes less frequent, but it never stops. We travel to them once or twice a week, check the condition of the horses and foals, and monitor the pastures.
Even in these seemingly perfect places, there are real dangers: cliffs, fights between stallions for leadership, and attacks by snow leopards. That is why our attention to the herds continues throughout the entire summer season.
In autumn, the well-fed herds gradually descend to the lower mountain pastures and by early December return to the surroundings of the ranch, completing the full natural cycle.
But Chaar Ranch is not only about conservation and protection. It is also about development and cultural dialogue. We plan to expand the activities of the ranch in Kyrgyzstan and create an international art residence here. A space where artists, photographers, filmmakers, and musicians from around the world will be able to live close to the herds, observe the chaar horses, and feel their character, strength, and beauty.
We want to give people the opportunity to connect with this horse not through screens and images, but directly. Through breathing, movement, and eye contact. So that the emotions born here turn into paintings, music, films, and books. And so that through art the world will discover the chaar horse the way we know it.
Chaar Ranch is the backbone of the chaar horse preservation project in Kyrgyzstan. A place where history, traditional nomadic knowledge, modern science, and daily hard work come together. This is a territory of responsibility to nature, to the land, and to future generations.
We work so that this land continues to be a home for strong mountain herds, wild nature, and the living heritage of nomadic civilization.