Orlov Trotter

Origin: USSR.

Height: 15.2-17hh; average 15.3hh.

Color: Solid colors. Gray and black are most usual.

Character: Active, bold, courageous.

Physique: Powerful and thick-set, with generally good conformation.Varies somewhat in type. Head usually a little heavy, but with an Orientalcast; large eyes, short ears. Strong, rather upright shoulder, good withers,roomy chest. Girth deep, ribs well-sprung; back long, flat, broad, withstrong loins and muscular quarters. Very hard legs with abundant bone.Thick mane and tail, feather on fetlocks (often quite heavy). Strong con-stitution, fertile and long-lived. Excellent action.

This popular horse, probably the best-known outside Russia of all theSoviet breeds, is the brainchild of Count Alexius Grigorievich Orlov, aman of great military talent and an early revolutionary who may have beenthe murderer of Czar Peter III. In 1777 Count Orlov crossed his Arabstallion, Smetanka, with a Dutch or Danish mare and got a colt calledPolkan. Bred to a black Dutch mare, Polkan sired a horse called Bars I, who isconsidered to be the true foundation sire of the Orlov Trotter. Other blood,including Arab, Thoroughbred, Mecklenburg and Norfolk Trotter, has sincebeen added. The new breed was for many years known as the RussianTrotter.

Trotting is immensely popular in Russia, and a good horse must travelwell and adjust easily to the pronounced climatic variations which are to beexpected in this huge nation. There are more than 30,000 Orlovs, bred at34 State studs, and though they are not as fast as the American Standard-bred (the Orlov record is a mile in 2.02 minutes) they provide excellentcompetitive entertainment. They are also used under the saddle in manysports, and make good cavalry horses.