The Oryol trotter is a real national treasure of our country. These stately, hardy and swift horses are rightfully considered a symbol of Russian horse breeding. The main advantage of these horses, in addition to the impressive exterior, is the inherited ability for frisky trot.
Count Orlov, the favorite of Empress Catherine II, bred this wonderful breed. Its selection was carried out for quite a long time. Work on the Oryol breed began in the 18th century. It came to its logical conclusion only in the 19th century. What happened as a result is clearly demonstrated by the photos of the Orlov trotters, presented below in the article.
History of the breed
According to legend, Count Orlov came up with the idea of the need to develop a domestic hardy horse breed already during the coup of Catherine. According to legend, the future empress and Count Orlov were on the road when the Neapolitan horses, which were then widely used at court, tired of the long race, flatly refused to go further. The guards who accompanied Catherine and her favorite had to urgently look for replacements for them in the surrounding villages.
It was then that Orlov had the idea of breeding a new, very hardy and fast domestic breed. Which he did after a few years.
Parent breeds
The ancestor of the Oryol trotter was an Arabian horse named Smetanka. Count Orlov bought it from the Ottoman Sultan for huge money - 60 thousand rubles. silver. The color of Smetanka was light gray. Below you can see a picture painted by one of the count's serfs. It depicts exactly the Arabian horse Smetanka.
An interesting feature of this horse was the presence of an extra pair of ribs. The horse was really very beautiful and fast. However, he had one, rather serious, according to Count Orlov, drawback. And he and 5 foals born of him were not characterized by a steady trot.
Count Orlov managed to rectify the situation with the help of the Friesian mare, devoid of this drawback. With her, Catherine's favorite crossed the best foal from Smetanka - Polkan I. The mother of this horse was a Danish mare.
In 1784, the Friesian mare gave birth to the foal Bars I. This horse had a light gray color in apples and, according to the characteristics of the move, was the closest to what Count Orlov wanted to get. After 7 years, Bars was made a manufacturer and used in this capacity for the next 17 years. During this time, the horse of the new Oryol breed gave numerous offspring.
Main features of trotters
In addition to the frisky lynx, the advantages of the Orlov breed horses are:
- harmonious appearance and gracefulness of movements;
- powerful, but at the same time proportional body;
- ease of movement.
The advantages of this breed include the fact that producers usually pass on all the best characteristics to their offspring. The degeneration of this horse, at least, is not threatened. Since horses are actually very fast, they are often used to improve other breeds as well.
Breed signs
The color of the Oryol horse is usually gray. It can be light gray, red-gray, dark gray, gray in apples, etc. But sometimes foals of a different color are born - black, brown, roan, etc. This is not considered a disadvantage. These horses, different from the gray suit, were inherited mainly from the first mares-progenitors. For example, the Danish mare that brought Polkan I had a brown color.
The Oryol horses, as already mentioned, have a powerful constitution. At the withers, adult horses of this breed reach 162-170 cm. In some cases, their weight is half a ton. The length of the body along the oblique of these horses is 160 cm, and the girth of the chest is 180 cm.
The breed characteristics of Oryol horses include:
- long swan neck;
- small head;
- torso short in comparison with the hips and shoulder;
- powerful long legs and large hooves.
Horses are, among other things, and also very hardy.
What are the disadvantages
Of course, many horse breeders would like to buy the Orlov trotter today. However, when choosing a horse of this breed, you should be more careful. Disadvantages of these horses are rare. But still, sometimes foals can show defects. Most often, horses of this breed have the following disadvantages:
- "Sweep" (violation of parallelism of the forelegs);
- interception under the wrist;
- short headstock.
The price for the Orlov trotter can vary between about 120-150 thousand rubles. Of course, this is quite expensive. Therefore, when buying, and it is worth inspecting the horse better. In the presence of the disadvantages described above, it is undesirable to use a horse for hooking. This is especially true for individuals with a strong grip under the wrist. Such a defect indicates the shortcomings of the tendon-ligamentous apparatus.
The nature of the horses
One of the undoubted advantages of the Orlov trotter is its calm, flexible character. These horses are known as loyal and courageous companions of their masters. But despite the calm nature, the horses of the Orlov breed are considered very energetic. To be lazy, like representatives of some other breeds, they do not have a habit at all. The calmness of these horses is well known to many breeders. However, sometimes these horses are still capable of showing some obstinacy. But this does not happen very often.
Main scope of use
Initially, this breed was bred by Count Orlov as a light-harness breed. However, these horses turned out to be actually very beautiful. Therefore, the court nobility began to use them as outbound ones - for hunting, walks, etc. It soon became fashionable for princes and counts to have an Oryol horse in their stables.
Nowadays, Oryol horses can be used for trips or show jumping. But most often, of course, they take part in trotting races. The modern Oryol trotter is, first of all, a sports horse.
