Rostov-on-Don Hippodrome
Rostov-on-Don Hippodrome (Russian: Ростовский ипподром) is a horse racing track in the city of Rostov-on-Don, Russia. It is one of the oldest hippodromes in Southern Russia.
History
At the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries, horse breeding in Don Host Oblast was developing at a rapid pace, with both local Cossacks and private entrepreneurs were engaged at. The latter were also subsidized by the state. In the middle of 1880, in Zadonye there were 86-89 stud farms, and by 1900 their number had reached 145 with a total horse population of 83 thousand.[1] Approximately during the same years, horse racing societies were established in Novocherkassk and Nakhichevan-on-Don. Amateur trotting races became a popular entertainment for locals.[2]
In the first half of the 1890s, the provincial authorities allocated a land plot for a racecourse in Balabanovo Grove. On the efforts of Rostov-Nakhichevan Race Society, the territory was quickly arranged: a two-storey house for the needs of society, a tribune and several stables were built, the territory itself was surrounded by a fence. The first races took place already in 1894.
In Rostov-on-Don the racecourse was opened in 1902.[3] A year earlier, Rostov-Nakhichevan Horse Racing Society, in agreement with Rynx Society on joint activities, decided to move equipment from their site to the Rynx's racecourse, which was located closer to the city center. The racing track became a place for horse testing for professional horse breeders and amateurs, some of whom came to Rostov-on-Don from other cities.
Under the Soviet regime, all private stud farms, as well as all cossack herds, were liquidated due to the policy of decossackization. The soon-to-come famine also contributed to the worsening of the situation: horse-breeding almost ceased to exist.
Yet right after the end of the Civil War, the authorities tried to improve the situation: for example, in November 1920 in Rostov-on-Don, the Office of Horse Breeding and Horse Breeding was established, and new stud farms were organized on those lands where there used to be private ones. Nevertheless, the situation remained extremely difficult: on the Don in 1923 there were only 2,000 valuable mares. The recovery of the industry took place with great hardship.
However, there were some advances. According to the reported data, in Rostov Oblast in 1940 there were already 230.3 thousand horses. Such a large number became reachable due to high-level work on artificial insemination of mares.
But already in 1952 by the decision of the authorities many horse farms were liquidated, and some of the horses themselves were killed. In Rostov Oblast out of 22 stud farms only 5 were ledt, and out of 132 breeding farms ― only 3. These actions again caused great material and moral damage to the industry.
In 1944, at the age of 14, Nikolay Nasibov made his first appearance at Rostov Hippodrome, winning 40 races in the season. Later he became multiple champion of Europe and the USSR.[4]
With the gradual revival of horse breeding in 1920s―1930s, Rostov Hippodrome was also reopened in 1925.
Little by little his appearance changed: the length of his race track was increased to 1968 meters, in the center of the field there was built a large gazebo with side stands. In the mid-1980s, the stands were reconstructed. The territory for spectators was expanded almost to the entire length of the track, and new stables were constructed.
In 2002, on the eve of its 100th anniversary, Rostov Hippodrome ceased to be a state-owned enterprise. Currently it belongs to "AgroSoyuz Yug Rusi" LLC, thus becoming the first private racing track in modern Russia.
Current state
When the Hippodrome was privatized, the racetrack was re-equipped. Now it has 14 stables, including two two-story ones. The territory of the field occupies 28 hectares. There are two tracks ― for training and for races. The cover is ground and sand. There are also a forge, a veterinary hospital, an ammunition depot, and a granary.[5] The racetrack has a two-tier rostrum with 5 thousand seats. There is also a hotel, where visitors are accommodated both from Russia and from other countries. Racing takes place every Sunday.
References
- ^ "HORSE CITY: статьи". www.horse-rostov.ru. Retrieved 2017-01-20.
- ^ "Официальный сайт Ростовского ипподрома". www.rosippo.ru. Retrieved 2017-01-20.
- ^ Ростовский ипподром
- ^ ""Пол-царства за коня!" - / продолжение /". Sports.ru. 2013-05-20. Retrieved 2017-01-20.
- ^ "Ростовский ипподром: адрес, отзывы, фото". FB.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2017-01-20.