Orlov Trotter

A robust and typey carriage all–rounder.
A perfect candidate for driving sport.

he Orlov trotter is the oldest and most popular "stud" breed in Russia. Orlovs are not as fast as the Standardbred and French trotters, but are more robust, massive, endurable, sure–footed, strong, and tough. Their trotting action is more impressive. Orlovs are extremely valued in Russia as ameliorators of local breeds.

Orlovs raced in Moscow
A troika of Orlovs	Orlovs in driving sport

 
Possible uses

Orlov trotters are very popular in Russia and several other countries, especially Scandinavian, for harness racing. Orlovs make ideal troika horses. The tall and massive Orlovs are liked by Russian mounted police. Of course, many Orlovs and especially Orlov crosses are used by farmers as a light carriage horse.

Driving potential

Nowadays, more and more Orlovs are used in driving sport. Their swift, balanced trot, combined with their courage, endurance, powerful drive, and shurefootedness make Orlovs ideal driving horses.

Conformation

The Orlov has the conformation of a typical light harness horse. It is taller and bulkier than the Standardbred, more robust and sturdy, better boned and muscled. The ideal Orlov combines height with a light, powerful build and an overall elegance of conformation based on good proportions throughout the skeletal frame. He has a clean, medium–sized and properly set head with a direct or slightly dished profile, often somewhat coarse. There is a distinct Arab flavor in the set of the eyes and the width of the forehead. The poll and mane are long and thick. The long, swan neck is set high on the shoulders.
     The withers are long. The back, as befits a trotting horse, is inclined to be long and straight. The loins are wide and muscular. The croup is broad and powerful. The shoulder is of medium length or long, and well sloped. The legs are fine and set square, boney and clean with well defined joints and tendons. Some horses are sickle–hocked. The pasterns are shortish. The hoofs are correct and hard.

Average measurements of Orlovs trotters

	Stallions	Mares
Height	160	160
Body length	164	163
Chest girth	181.5	184
Bone below the knee	20.3	20.1

Colors

The predominant color, derived largely from Arabian influence, is gray (46%); there are also blacks (28%), bays (20%), and chestnuts (5%).

Temterament & disposition

The Orlov trotter is a versatile and willing worker. He has a quiet temperament.

Types

There are four types:
Large and massive. Horses of 160 cm and higher. They have a well–developed barrel, a long body and relatively short legs. They are fairly fleshy, some individuals have weaker tendons and ligaments. This type is slower than other types.

Medium–sized and massive. Somewhat smaller animals, with a dryer constitution, well–bodied, with good tendons and ligaments.

Large and rangy. Horses with a dryer and stronger constitution, stronger and longer legs, and a smaller chest girth. They mature slower and have good distance qualities.

Average. The bulk of the breed.

History

Legend has it that an idea to produce superb Russian horses first occurred to the Orlov brothers, when they, favorites of Catherine the Second, were meeting her on a road when she was dashing from Tsarskoye Selo to St.Petersburg to head her coup de t'etat against her husband Peter III. But en route, of all the moments, her coach came to a grinding halt, because her fancy European horses couldn't stand the pace. The officers rushed to a nearest bawdy tavern, borrowed a set of hardy but unattractive nags and harnessed them onto the imperial coach to haul Catherine to her destination. Catherine's and the Orlov's lives hung on a thread.

This unglamorous episode put one of the brothers, Alexey, in mind of producing some time in the future a Superb Horse. And so, when retired, Alexey Orlov got round to it, breeding in parallel a Superb Trotter and a Superb Mount (Orlov–Rostopchin). And both of his undertakings were a huge success. Orlov trotters were the first breed developed in Russia with method and perseverance.

Beginnings

In the latter half of the 18th century, in the era of Russo–Turkish wars, Orlov brought to Ostrov stud near Moscow a large number of Arabians, among them the silvery gray Smetanka, and the brown Sultan I, Arabian stallions of outstanding distinction. Both of them were used by Orlov during one season only and fell to leave two daughters and six sons, among them Polkan I out of a dun Danish mare that carried much Spanish blood.

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Khrenovoye

Count Orlov was not happy with the climate of his Ostrov stud and was looking for a suitable place. At last he found such a place at Khrenovoye in the Voronezh region, south of Moscow. That black–soil steppe area was perfect for horse–breeding — vast open grass–lands, many springs with clear water, dry climate. What impressed Count Orlov was the fact that the place was favored by Tarpans, Russian wild horses. In 1778 he moved his stud to Khrenovoye to start the famous Khrenovoye stud.

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Count Orlov with Bars I

Polkan I was bred to a substantial, free–moving gray Dutch mare to produce the grey Bars I, one of the founders of the breed. V. Shishkin, Count Orlov's stud manager, described Bars I: "He was large and well–balanced, light and strong, and had a superb trotting action."
     Count Orlov was happy with Bars I and concentrated on consolidating his qualities in the progeny. He bred Bars I to mares of similar conformation. Among them were Arabian, Danish and Dutch mares as well as English half–breds and Arab/Mecklenburg crosses. Count Orlov carefully avoided in–breeding.

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Lebed

The horses were kept out in the steppe and well fed. This toughened them and made them strong and impervious to hardships. Rigorous selection and culling strengthened the desired qualities.
     Count Orlov prohibited to sell stallions and mares in foal from his stud, since he wanted to maintain the monopoly of the then new breed. But later on Orlovs began to be bred by dozens of studs. Many Orlovs were exported.

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Orlovs rained supreme on the track till the end of the 19th century, when Standardbreds and later French trotters made their appearance. There was a crisis. Many breeders began to bring Orlov mares to Standardbred stallions. The resulting cross, which came to be known as the Russian trotter, was faster all right, but he was not as useful and impressive as the Orlov in a practical carriage in town, even less so in a troika in the steppe.

Soviet period

In the Revolution, the Civil war and World War II many Orlovs were lost, and so Soviet breeders had to work hard not only to restore but to improve the breed. To begin with, all the Orlov studs were reorganized. In 1931 a Horsebreeding Trust was organized, and regular work began with all the breeds, first of all with the Orlovs. In 1937–38 all the Orlov studs were inspected. A further stock judgment was performed in 1947 to show a drastic improvement in the size and other quality of the breed.

Present time