The Chernomor (also known as the 'Black Sea Horse') is an extremely rare Russian horse breed.

Origins:
The development of the Chernomor began in 1792, by Kazach people who moved to Kuban, and crossed their horses, who had oriental blood, with local Russian breeds such as the Nogai, Kabarda, Don, and more, as well as with English Thoroughbreds.

The result was a saddle horse with sufficient size, endurance, and strength that could serve both as a riding horse for long distances and as a farm horse for working the fields. It is not surprising then that during the 19th century, the Chernomor became popular in Russia.

Varying in type:
During the second half of that century, private studs began to breed Chernomor horses, though they often crossed them with various Russian breeds. As a result of these different breeding methods, different types of Chernomor horses were created, such as lighter types that served as saddle horses, and heavier types that served as farm horses.

Excessive exportation of Chernomor horses to other countries, followed by World War I, wreaked havoc on the breed. Only a few Chernomor horses were left, and they too varied in their type.

The Chernomor - possibly extinct?
At the beginning of the 1920s, all of the remaining Chernomor horses were brought to the Primor Achtar farm. From there they were transferred to other stud farms, where they were usually crossed with Dons and Thoroughbreds to produce horses for the Russian military. This excessive crossbreeding possibly led to the extinction of the original Chernomor.

Today, it is unclear if the Chernomor breed still exists, though even if it does then its numbers are extremely low.

Conformation
Chernomor horses have a straight-to-convex profile, small ears, low withers, a straight back that connects to a slightly horizontal croup, a large chest, long legs, and a muscular body. Overall, its appearance can resemble that of the Don, a more common Russian breed to which the Chernomor is closely related.

Performance metrics:
The following are the: range, average, (SD), and MOE of performance metrics of ordered Chernomors in Horse Isle (not bred ones). In rare cases, horses might have metrics outside of the range. Breeders can produce horses that are beyond this range.

Speed: 16.3-17.6, 16.9 (0.3), 0.05.
Sprint: 56-67, 62 (3), 0.49.

Accel: 0.90-1.08, 0.99 (0.04), 0.01.
Decel: 0.96-1.13, 1.06 (0.04), 0.01.

Jump: 5.28-5.57, 5.43 (0.06), 0.01.
Pull: 2.09-2.78, 2.43 (0.14), 0.03.

Turning: 47.26-61.22, 54.90 (2.91), 0.57.
Reverse: 2.3-3.0, 2.6 (0.1), 0.03.

Stamina: 44.35-47.75, 45.99 (0.73), 0.14.
Reaction: 0.76-0.85, 0.80 (0.02), 0.00.

Coats & Height:
Colors: bay, brown, black, and chestnut, with the latter being rarer.

Additionals: sooty. The coat is always solid and usually has metallic highlights, although they are not as striking as in other breeds (e.g. Akhal Teke).

Height: 15hh and 15.2hh.