Military and historical clubs plan to repeat the Cossack horse campaign of 1812 to mark the 200th anniversary of the Patriotic War of 1812, according to Smolensk Region Deputy Governor Sergei Krivko.
In August-October 2012, the participants plan to visit six European countries. They will ride Don horses, the best-known Russian breed. All the riders will be dressed in military uniforms from 1812. At major stops, they plan to give folklore and riding performances. The exact number of participants in the campaign has not been defined.
The horse campaign will last six months. The reenactors will pass through Russia, Belarus, Poland, Lithuania, Germany and France. Like Platov’s Cossacks in 1812, the participants will enter Paris, where French and Russian actors will give a concert in their honor.
“The turning point of this event will be the presentation of a pure-bred Don horse to the French president,” the deputy governor said.
The event’s organizers plan to hold a charity auction where all the horses participating in the campaign will be sold. All proceeds from the auction will go the revival of the Don breed.