Created by Soviet zootechnicians for breeding in Russia's Altai region, it is more or less closely related to the draft horse, its selection focusing on increasing its meat weight without losing hardiness.

A muscular horse with an imposing head, the New Altai is also bred for its milk, and can be used for equitation and light traction.

[1] However, the 2016 edition of CAB International's English-language dictionary distinguishes Charysh from Chara, citing them as two meat varieties of the Altai breed.

[8] Its aim is to provide a source of food, while retaining the hardy qualities that allow it to be bred in the open air.

[7] To solve the problem, Russian zootechnicians selected animals from these crossbreeds, but which were adaptable to their breeding methods.

[9] Some Don and Budyonny horses influenced the Chara breed, but only to a minor extent, to lighten the skeleton and improve the quality of the feet.

[10] This breed was originally selected to supply horse meat,[4] and is therefore specialized for this purpose,[13] meeting strong economic demand both within Russia and from outside.

[1] The New Altai has been used in crossbreeding with the Kazakh Jabe breed since 2006, in the Pavlodar region in Kazakhstan, to improve the productivity of local meat horses.

[15] This cross has produced Jabe-New Altai hybrids,[15] with increased milk and beef productivity.

[16] In general, crossbreeding with New Altai results in a liveweight gain in foals ranging from 40 to 110 kg.

[9] The breed's numbers are not precisely known, but the 1988 census put the herd at between 100 and 1,000 head;[6] that same year, the New Altai was listed as rare and in danger of extinction ("D" status) by the FAO.