Orlovsky trotter
History of the breed
Orlovsky trotter, or Orlov trotter, is a breed of light-draft horses with a hereditarily fixed ability to frisky trot, which has no analogues in the world.
It was bred in Russia, in the Khrenovsky stud farm (Voronezh province), under the guidance of its owner Count A. G. Orlov in the second half of the XNUMXth – early XNUMXth centuries by the method of complex crossing using Arabic, Danish, Dutch, Mecklenburg, Friesian and other breeds.
The Orlovsky trotter got its name from the name of its creator, Count Alexei Orlov-Chesmensky (1737-1808). Being a connoisseur of horses, Count Orlov bought valuable horses of various breeds in his travels in Europe and Asia. He especially appreciated the horses of the Arabian breed, which for many centuries were crossed with many European breeds of horses in order to improve the external and internal qualities of the latter.
The history of the creation of the Oryol trotter began in 1776, when Count Orlov brought to Russia the most valuable and very beautiful Arabian stallion Smetanka. It was purchased for a huge amount – 60 thousand silver from the Turkish Sultan after the victory won in the war with Turkey, and under military protection was sent by land to Russia.
Smetanka was unusually large for his breed and very elegant stallion, he got his nickname for a light gray suit, almost white, like sour cream.
As planned by Count Orlov, the new breed of horses was supposed to have the following qualities: to be large, elegant, harmoniously built, comfortable under the saddle, in harness and in the plow, equally good in the parade and in battle. They had to be hardy in the harsh Russian climate and withstand long distances and bad roads. But the main requirement for these horses was a frisky, clear trot, since a trotting horse does not get tired for a long time and shakes the carriage a little. In those days, there were very few horses frisky at the trot and they were valued very dearly. Separate breeds that would run at a steady, light trot did not exist at all.
After the death of Orlov in 1808, the Khrenovsky plant was transferred to the management of the serf Count V. I. Shishkin. Being a talented horse breeder from birth and observing Orlov’s training methods, Shishkin successfully continued the work begun by his master to create a new breed, which now required the consolidation of the necessary qualities – the beauty of forms, lightness and grace of movements and a frisky, steady trot.
All horses, both under Orlov and under Shishkin, were tested for agility, when horses from the age of three were driven at a trot for 18 versts (about 19 km) along the route Ostrov – Moscow. In the summer, horses in Russian harness with an arc ran in droshky, in winter – in a sleigh.
Count Orlov started the then-famous Moscow Races, which quickly became a great entertainment for Muscovites. In summer, the Moscow races were held on the Donskoy field, in winter – on the ice of the Moscow River. The horses had to run at a clear confident trot, the transition to a gallop (failure) was ridiculed and booed by the public.
Thanks to the Oryol trotters, trotting sport was born in Russia, and then in Europe, where they were actively exported from the 1850s – 1860s. Until the 1870s, the Oryol trotters were the best among the light draft breeds, were widely used to improve the horse stock in Russia and were imported to Western Europe and the USA.
The breed combined the qualities of a large, beautiful, hardy, light-drawn horse, capable of carrying a heavy wagon at a steady trot, easily enduring heat and cold during work. Among the people, the Oryol trotter was awarded the characteristics “under water and governor” and “plow and flaunt.” Oryol trotters have become favorites of international competitions and World Horse Shows.
Features of the exterior of the breed
Oryol trotters are among the large horses. Height at the withers 157-170 cm, average weight 500-550 kg.
The modern Oryol trotter is a harmoniously built draft horse, with a small, dry head, a high-set neck with a swan-like curve, a strong, muscular back and strong legs.
The most common colors are grey, light grey, red grey, dappled grey, and dark grey. Often there are also bay, black, less often – red and roan colors. Brown (reddish with a black or dark brown tail and mane) and nightingale (yellowish with a light tail and mane) Oryol trotters are very rare, but they are also found.
Applications and achievements
The Orlovsky trotter is a unique breed that has no analogues in the world. In addition to trotting races, a large and elegant Oryol trotter can be successfully used in almost all types of equestrian sports – dressage, show jumping, driving and just amateur riding. A good example of this is the light gray stallion Balagur, who, together with his rider Alexandra Korelova, has repeatedly won various official and commercial dressage competitions in Russia and abroad.
Korelova and Balagur, occupying a place in the top fifty of the International Equestrian Federation, were number one in Russia for a long time and took the best among all Russian riders, 25th, at the 2004 Athens Olympics.
