Riders & Horses
Forty riders · thirty horsesNurbek AbdyrovArtistic director
Nephew of the Abdyrov brothers of the 1990 tour; Hippodrome jockey 1998–2011.
Asel Toktogul kyzyKyz kuu and standing gallop
Champion of the President's Cup kyz kuu, 2019 and 2021.
Ermek SatybaldievUnder the belly
Learned the trick from a 1970s film of the Ensemble.
Bakai UsupovOodarysh
Hippodrome oodarysh champion three years running.
Meder Kalybek uuluThe White Rider
Rides the tableau since 2018.
The White Rider
Every show ends with the White Rider: the ring goes dark, one light, one white horse, and the whole company standing round in a half circle.
The Horses
Ak-TulparAkyel grey · 11 years
The White Rider's horse. Retires after 2027.
Kök-JalChongtor · 9 years
The standing gallop. Steady as a table.
SarynAkyel bay mare · 8 years
Kyz kuu. Faster than every man in the company.
Boz-MönchokChongtor grey · 14 years
The parade leader, and the children's favourite.
The horses winter at the Hippodrome stables and graze in the Talas Alatau in July. Their feed and the farrier are paid by the Körköm Foundation.