Conservation status | |
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Other names | |
Country of origin | Sweden |
Distribution | European countries, USA |
Standard | Rasstandard |
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The Gotland Russ or Gotland Pony is an old Swedish breed of pony or small horse. Until the twentieth century it was found only on the small island of Gotland on the south-eastern coast of Sweden. It is now distributed through much of Sweden and is also present in some other European countries and in the United States. [4] [5] : 469 The Öland horse from the neighbouring island of Öland was a close relative of the Gotland, but became extinct in the early twentieth century.
The name russ comes from a now obsolete word ross, which means a riding horse or a charger [6] and it is linked etymologically to the English word horse (in Old High German this word appeared as hros, and in English a metathesis has switched the places of the /r/ and the /o/, whereas in Swedish /hr/ became /r/, producing ross or russ. [7]
The presence of feral horses on the Baltic island of Gotland is documented from the thirteenth century. [5] : 469 From the mid-nineteenth century settlers moved to the island, much land was cleared for farming, and numbers of the Russ fell sharply. [8] : 388 [9] In 1880 a breeding centre was established, where two stallions of Oriental type were used; other stud farms were opened in the early twentieth century. Nevertheless, by 1922 there were no more than fourteen of the horses remaining – a two-year-old stallion, seven mares and six young horses. [9]
The first volume of the Stambok för russ, the stud-book for the Russ, was published in Sweden in 1943. [9] In the 1950s fresh blood was introduced by the use of two imported Welsh stallions, Reber General 106 and Criban Daniel 142; their influence is widespread in the population, but at a low percentage. [10] : 309 [9] The stud-book was definitively closed to outside blood in 1971. [10] : 309 A breed society, the Svenska Russavelsföreningen, was established in Visby in 1967. [11]
The Russ is distributed through much of Sweden and is also present in the other Scandinavian countries and in the United States. [5] : 469 [12] : 70
The Gotland Russ is rustic, hardy, frugal and energetic. [3] It is somewhat similar in appearance to the Hucul, the Konik and the Exmoor Pony. [12] : 70 It weighs approximately 250 kg, and usually stands between 117 cm and 132 cm at the withers. [2] : 469 [5]
The coat is most commonly dun, bay, chestnut or black. [10] : 309 Blue-eyed cream, piebald and grey animals may not be registered. [13] The spotted coat was formerly seen in the breed, but is now extinct. [5] : 469
The Gotland Russ is a good all-round pony and is often used as a riding pony for children or as a harness racing pony. [8] : 389 [12] : 70
The Konik or Polish Konik, Polish: konik polski, is a Polish breed of pony. There are semi-feral populations in some regions. They are usually mouse dun or striped dun in color.
The Ukrainian Riding Horse or Ukrainian Saddle Horse is a modern Ukrainian breed of warmblood sport horse. Breeding began in the years after the Second World War at the stud farm of Dnipropetrovsk in central Ukraine – at that time in the USSR – and later expanded to three other state stud farms. It derives from cross-breeding of Hanoverian, Thoroughbred and Trakehner stallions with local mares or with Hungarian Furioso, Gidran Arab or Nonius mares. It incorporates the last bloodlines of the extinct Orlov-Rostopchin or Russian Saddle Horse. It was bred to compete in show jumping, three-day eventing and dressage, but is also suitable as a general riding horse.
The Belarus Harness Horse, Belarusian: Беларускі запражны конь, romanized: Bielaruski zapražny koń, is a Belarusian breed of draught horse. It was bred for use in agriculture, and is also used to produce mare's milk and horsemeat.
The Knabstrupper or Knabstrup is a Danish breed of warmblood horse. It is principally a riding horse, but is also used as a harness horse and as a circus animal.
The Lundy Pony is a British breed of pony bred on Lundy Island in the twentieth century.
The Swedish Warmblood or Swedish Half-bred is a Swedish breed of warmblood horse. It was originally bred as a cavalry horse at the Strömsholm and Flyinge studs. In the twentieth century it became a general-purpose riding and sport horse. It performs well in dressage, show-jumping and three-day eventing, and also as a harness horse.
The Soviet Heavy Draft is a Russian breed of heavy draft horse. It derives from the Belgian Brabant heavy draft breed. It was developed in the former Soviet Union for agricultural draft work, and was recognized as a breed in 1952. It is one of several heavy draft breeds developed in the Soviet Union in the twentieth century, others being the Russian Heavy Draft – which derived mainly from the Ardennais – and the Vladimir Heavy Draft, which was derived principally from the Clydesdale.
The Landais is a critically-endangered French breed of small horse or pony. It originated in the marshy plains and woodlands of the département of the Landes, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of south-western France, but is more often reared in the département of Pyrénées-Atlantiques, particularly in the arrondissement of Pau. Due to influences from Arab and Welsh blood, it shows more similarity to Oriental horses than to other Celtic breeds. It is used for riding and driving, and is a good trotter.
The Rhenish German Coldblood, German: Rheinisch Deutsches Kaltblut, is a breed of heavy draught horse from the Rhineland area of western Germany. It was bred in second part of the nineteenth century, principally at the Prussian state stud at Schloss Wickrath in Wickrathberg, now part of Mönchengladbach in North Rhine-Westphalia.
The Bosnian Mountain Horse is the only indigenous breed of domestic horse in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where it constitutes about 70% of the horse population. It is a small horse and is used both as a pack animal and for riding. Breed numbers were severely reduced during the Bosnian War of 1992–1995, and, unlike populations of other farm animals, continued to fall after the end of the war.
The Novokirghiz or New Kirghiz is a modern Kyrgyz breed of horse. It was developed in the Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic in the mid-twentieth century through cross-breeding of the traditional Kyrgyz Horse of the region with introduced horses of Thoroughbred, Don and Anglo-Don stock.
The Gelderlander is a Dutch breed of warmblood horse. It was bred in the province of Gelderland in the Netherlands as a carriage horse capable also of farm work. It declined in popularity in the mid-twentieth century. In 1965 it was one of the foundation breeds of the Dutch Warmblood or KWPN, the other being the heavier Groninger horse from the north. It is registered in a division of the Royal Dutch Warmblood Horse Studbook, which also has divisions for the Dutch Warmblood and for the Dutch Harness Horse.
The Sardinian Anglo-Arab or Anglo-Arabo Sardo is an Italian breed of riding horse from the Mediterranean island of Sardinia. It derives from cross-breeding of local mares with stallions of Arab, Anglo-Arab and Thoroughbred stock. Breeding began in 1874; the breed was officially recognised in 1967.
The Vlaamperd is a South African breed of light draught or harness horse; it is also suitable for riding. It was bred in the Western Cape region of South Africa in the early twentieth century, and resulted from cross-breeding of local mares with imported European stallions, particularly Friesians. The horses are usually black, though mares may be dark seal brown. A stud-book was started in 1983.
The British Spotted Pony is a British breed of pony characterised by a spotted coat. The height at the withers does not exceed 147 cm.
The Estonian Native,, is an Estonian breed of small horse. It is strong and is resistant to disease. It is one of three recognised horse breeds in Estonia, the others being the Tori and the Estonian Draft, both of which derive from it. It has also influenced other Northern European breeds such as the Latvian Warmblood, and the Vyatka and the extinct Obva in Russia. It is an endangered breed; the population fell from about 16000 in the 1950s to approximately 500 in 2004.
The Scandinavian Coldblood Trotter consists of two closely related and interconnected breeds of trotting horse: the Norsk Kaldblodstraver or Norwegian Coldblood Trotter and the Svensk Kallblodstravare, the Swedish Coldblood Trotter or North Swedish Trotter. Coldblood trotters are the result of cross-breeding native coldblooded farm horses – in Norway the Dølehest, in Sweden the North Swedish Horse – with lighter and faster horses. Although the Norwegian and Swedish coldblood trotters are substantially considered a single breed, two national stud-books are maintained, and registration requirements differ in some respects between the two countries.
The Boerperd is a modern breed of horse from South Africa. It is a re-creation of the traditional Cape Horse or old-type Boer Horse, which is now extinct.
The Kiso or Kiso Horse is one of the eight indigenous horse breeds of Japan. It is the only native horse breed from Honshu, the principal island of Japan. Like most other Japanese native breeds, it is critically endangered.
The American Miniature Horse is an American breed of small or miniature horse. It has been selectively bred to display in miniature the physical characteristics of a full-sized horse, and usually stands no taller than about 38 in (97 cm). It frequently has the appearance of either a small Arab or a small draft horse; genetically it is no different to pony breeds such as the Shetland.