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Métis TrotterRussian Trotter |
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Métis TrotterRussian Trotter |
| Group | Dolichomorphic Warmblood |
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The Métis or Russian Trotter has a light, robust frame. It has a long, straight, muscular back with a long, slightly sloping croup. The abdomen is rather tucked up. Its solid legs are fine and hard, and have clean joints and clearly defined tendons. The forearm is long and the cannons are short. The legs are muscular but by no means examplary. The breed standard calls for 7 3/4 in (19.9 cm) of bone below the knees but the cannons are noticeably long and the pasterns are upright. The hooves are usually very sound and able to sustain concussion.
The usual colors are grey, black, chestnut and bay and the average height is the same as the Orlov, i.e. about 15.3 hh.n The modern standard calls for a height of 16hh (64 in) for stallions and 15.3 hh (63 in) for mares. The barrel length is fixed at 5 ft 4 in (1.63m) and the depth of girth is set at 6 ft 1 in (1.84m) for a stallion and a little less for mares.
The Métis or Russian Trotter is bred principally in the Moscow area, also the home of Moscow's most important raceway, the Moscow Hippodrome. The two constituent elements in the creation of the breed were both easily available in and around the harness racing center and its facilities for performance testing. Considerations of climate have little bearing on the breed.
The Métis or Russian Trotter is a dolichomorphic horse from the former Soviet Union state of Russia. With an aptitude for trotting harness racing, the Metis has reasonable stamina and good speed. It stands 15.1 to 15.3 hands high and may be grey, bay, brown, black or chestnut.
Harness racing horses have been bred with enthusiasm in Russia ever since the Orlov Stud began to develop the Orlov Trotter in the 18th century. Since then, trotting has become one of the most popular equestrian sports of the Russian Republics. The Russian Trotter is far more recent, and it is more common in appearance than the Orlov. It is a good performer and fast enough to compete at international level.
The Métis Trotter was officially recognized as a breed in 1949, after a programme of selective breeding to produce trotting horses in the early 20th century. Orlov Trotters and American Trotters (Standardbreds) were crossed with the initial aim to improve the Orlov's competitive performance.
The USSR led the world in the early stages of harness racing. It was the first to produce a specialized breed, the Orlov Trotter. This breed sustained its reputation as the finest harness racing horse until the late 19th century. The development of the American Standardbred ended this supremacy, and from 1890 on, the American horses were imported and crossbred to the Orlov. A faster trotter was produced. (Kidd, Horse Breeds)
With the American Standardbred established as a superior trotting breed by the second half of the 19th century, Russian breeders were faced with the task of improving their trotting horses. In order to compete internationally with any hope of success it became necessary for Russian breeders import American Standardbreds as breeding stock. The goal was to improve the performace of the outclassed Orlov dramatically and yet retain some of its best characteristics.
The best of the Orlov stock was selected as a base and it was crossed with the imported American Standardbreds. Russian breeders imported 156 stallions and 220 Standardbred mares between 1890 and the beginning of the First World War. Among these were some high-quality horses, including General Forrest who trotted the mile (1.6 km) in 2 minutes 8 seconds, Bob Douglas who trotted it in 2 minutes 4 seconds, and the world record holder at the time, Cresceus, who had totted it in 2 minutes 2 seconds.
From these crosses, only half-a-dozen or so produced offspring of any prominence. However, the breeding program resulted in animals that were faster, but smaller and less elegant than the Orlov. Furthermore, these horses were not of a type suitable for upgrading agricultural horses, a role in which the Orlov was particularly successful. The program was therefore enhanced with the object not only of continuing to increase the trotting speed but also of improving the size and conformation.
Since the First World War prevented further American imports, Russian breeders continued to use the existing imported stock to further improve the breed. A program of interbreeding the crossbreds was initiated. This sometimes employed the sound genetic practice of crossing back to the old Orlov. By 1928 an average Russian Trotter mare still stood not much more than 15.1 hands (61 in), with a girth measurement of 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m), and had a bone measurement below the knee of 7 1/2 in (19cm). By the early 1930s, the height had increased, the frame improved, and so did the body measurements and overall conformation. The new breed has also regained some of the old Orlov hardy constitution.
Following the introduction of Standardbred blood, selective breeding with the Orlov and these crossbreds resulted in the official recognition of the Russian Trotter as a breed in 1949. In recent years, small additional infusions of American blood have been introduced.
As with all the officially recognized breeds of the former USSR, stringent breed standards have been imposed, with a great deal of emphasis on body measurements. The modern standard sets the height at 16hh (64 in) for stallions and 15.3 hh (63 in) for mares. The length of barrel is fixed at 5 ft 4 in (1.63m) and the depth of girth is set at 6 ft 1 in (1.84m) for a stallion and a little less for mares. A bone measurement of 7 3/4 in (19.9cm) is required below the knee.
The original breeding program concentrated on the development of three distinct types of trotter, "thick," "medium," and "sporting." This practice that may have detracted from the main purpose, which was to perfect a racing trotter. The "thick" type had the proportions of a heavy horse. It was big-bodied, somewhat long in the back, and stood on short, generally strong legs, that had good bone. When crossed with heavier farm horses that must have been made to produce such a horse, it gained a sounder constitution than the trotting or "sporting" type. The latter type was less robust than the old Orlov breed for several years into the program. This heavy Trotter would have been the equivalent of the 19th-century European coach or heavy gun horses.
The "medium" type was lighter, and was an active, light agricultural horse of some substance. The build of the "sporting" type, the modern Russian Trotter, is light but has pronounced muscular development and fairly hard, clean legs. The hooves are sound and strong, and the cannons are short with better ligaments and tendons than before.
The Métis Trotter has a docile and energetic temperament, and a flowing, far-reaching action enabling quick trotting movement. Frequently the Metis is slightly "knock-kneed," especially in the rear, which causes an outward semicircular movement known as "dishing." This dishing is an advantage that allows the Metis to find its pace quickly and easily when it lengthens its stride. The Metis is without a doubt faster than the Orlov, but it cannot match the faster standards of the European and American trotters.
As with all modern Russian breeds, there are documented failings in conformation. These are concerned with occasional instances of sickle- or cow-hocks, over-sloped croups, and sometimes a shortening of the body length, which acts against the trotting action.
The Métis Trotter is quick to mature, reaching its full height at four years old. Maximum trotting speeds are rarely attained by horses under the age of five or six. It has a low and surprisingly long action, but due to the strong Standardbred influence there is a tendency in some strains to pace rather than to use the diagonal trotting gait. Sub two-minute miles (1600m) are not unknown, and the Métis Trotter is now significantly faster than the average Orlov.
Today, the breed is kept pure, although occasional exceptions have been made to introduce the blood of other trotting strains. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, the Russian Trottergained in popularity. As a result, its consequent export potential made it necessary to import more American Standardbreds to further improve the speed of the Russian horses. Among trotting breeds, the Russian is rated as a useful performer of moderate, if not outstanding, ability. It is a breed well suited to the harness racing sport in its own country.
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© 1997-2007
NW Breyer Horse Club & Refiner of Gold Creations Equinealities in place since 1997, Section in place 2001, Updated 3/13/2007 |
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