I've always been interested in horses, although since I've been married, I've not kept up with this interest, however, from time to time I dig into the history of the Russian horses.
The horses upon which the IF were photographs seemed to be Arabians or have some Arabian blood.
One of my ancestors raised cavalry horses for the officers of the Tsar's army. As a side line he raised Arabians which he personally purchased in what known then as Persia. The information on the bloodlines of these horses have been destroyed during the Civil War. My family were friends with the author Leo Tolstoy's father, who raised horses, as well as the Orlovs, who raised the popular trotters. One of my great uncles hobby was to find matched pairs, which he sold to the aristocrats for large sums of money. People came to our family's place which had a large show ring to bid and hopefully purchase one of these highly prized beasts of burden. To show off some of these horses one of my great uncles, who was a marvelous rider, raced just like one of the stories in one of the Tolstoy's book. I remember reading this part of the book and it was like hearing my grandfather telling the story of his brother when he raced and won.
Today, as I have time, I'm going to dig around the internet and see what kind of sites I can find and hopefully find some interesting history of horses in Russia.
I'll start with the
Orlov Trotters since I've mentioned them.
http://www.horsetalk.co.nz/horsesinhistory/orlovtrotter.shtmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orlov_Trotterwww.centralpets.com/animals/mammals/horses/hrs477.htmlhttp://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/horses/orlovtrotter/index.htmhttp://www.equisearch.com/breeds/russianorlov_051005/>>History of the Orlov Trotter, Orlov-Rostopchin Breeds
The Orlov Trotter from Russia is one of the world's most rare horse breeds, but it is sometimes confused with the Orlov-Rostopchin, another distinctive Russian breed with a similar history.
By Laurie Bonner
The Orlov Trotter, a driving horse, has a long and naturally arched neck and a large head.
Photo courtesy of Edwina Cruise and the Kentucky Horse Park
Eighteenth century Count Alexei Orlov bred Arabian stallions with royal Spanish and Danish mares, as well as English Thoroughbreds, Dutch Friesians and other breeds, to produce the Orlov Trotter in the late 1700s.
But in addition to his Trotters, Count Orlov also used some of his same foundation Arabians to produce a saddle horse in the first decades of the 19th century. Orlov Riding Horses, as they were called, averaged about 16 hands with strong, athletic bodies, but also featured dished heads, swanlike necks and an elegant look. They were predominantly black.
At the same time, a rival breeder, Count F.V. Rostopchin was crossing his own Arabian stallions with Persian, Thoroughbred and Russian mares to produce a riding horse of this own. Rostopchin's horses were smaller, with shorter necks, but they were known for speed; his horses, too, were predominantly black.
In the 1840s, after their deaths, both breeders' studs were purchased by the state, and the two lines were combined into one breed, called the Orlov-Rostopchin (also called the Russian Saddle Horse). Many were lost during the wars of the 20th century, but enthusiasts have sought out survivors and are rebuilding the breed.
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See more about the Orlov-Rostopchin breed:
http://www.ahorsebreed.com/http://www.ahorsebreed.com/history.html>>...after their deaths their studs were bought by the Crown, the Orlovs and Rostopchins were merged to give rise to Orlov-Rostopchins. The Orlov-Rostopchin combines the size, type and dressage abilities of the Orlovs and the speed of the Rostopchins.
In those days Russian breeding was dominated by the teachings of the French naturalist Buffon. Buffon maintained that crossing was the surest way to “reproduce the prototype” of a given animal species from “bits of perfection, which have been dispersed by God among individual breeds” and which through crossing and mixture “...combine to yield the supreme beauty.” All Russian breeders of the time went overboard in order to “reproduce the prototype,” with disappointing results.<<
http://video.aol.com/video-detail/orlov-rostopchin-horse/1706544261/?icid=VIDURVPET03AGRBear
