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Gotland Horse
History of Gotland HorseThe Gotland is a prehistoric breed and is thought to be one of the direct descendants of the Tarpan. Certainly it shares many characteristics with breeds such as the Konik, the Hugul and the now-extinct Lofoten pony. It is believed to be the oldest Scandinavian breed and is relatively pure-bred except for some infusions of Oriental blood about a century ago. Records indicate that it has run wild on Gotland Island, in the Baltic Sea to the south-east of Sweden, since the Stone Age. There is still a herd of Gotlands in the forest at Lojsta. It is now also bred on the Swedish mainland. Physique of Gotland HorseThe Gotland pony is a light weight pony with a narrow built, small, straight head and small ears. The neck is short and well-built. Shoulders are strong and the back is rather long. Its tail is set low on sloping quarters. Legs are hard and strong, though light of bone and hooves are small and hard. The pony moves well at a walk and trot, gallops and is an out-standing jumper. Height of Gotland HorseUsually the Gotland pony stands from 12 hands high to 12.2 hands high. Body Color of Gotland HorseYou can find Gotland pony in various colors. Generally this pony is seen in bay or black colors. The very common colors found on the body of this pony are wild bay and mealy (Pangare). Other common colors are buckskin, palomino and chestnut. It is noteworthy that all colors except for dorsal pinto, grey and dun are acceptable. Temperament of Gotland HorseThe Gotland pony is gentle and easy to handle, even if it inclines to be obstinate. Uses of Gotland HorseThe Gotland Pony is the most common breed of pony in its native land- Sweden. It is an all round pony and thus, riding schools use this pony frequently. Modern Gotland ponies are most popular as riding ponies, over and over again for children and as ponies used for harness racing. They also do extremely well at dressage, eventing and show jumping. Formerly, the Gotland pony is in demand for light agricultural work. It is now popular as children’s pony, as a jumper, for which it is specially bred. The Gotland is considered to be a very fast learner and is easy to be trained. Nowadays, the Gotland Ponies are mostly bred in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland and North America. Though the breed is quite widespread, there is still a little, semi-feral herd that is kept cosseted on Gotland Island by native inhabitants and the Gotland Agricultural Society. |
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Gotland horse is a pony which has Sweden as its native land. This pony is also known as Skogsruss pony or Gotland russ. The word ‘russ’ comes from an outmoded word ‘ross’ which means a riding horse or a mount. Gotland ponies are said to descend from Tarpans that lived on the petite island of Gotland. This island is on the South-Eastern coast of Sweden right after the last ice-age. The Gotland pony is the only pony breed that is inhabitant of Sweden. From the neighboring island of Oland, an Oland horse was closely related to the Gotland but in the early 20th century the former became extinct.