Oryol trotters are the most famous horses in the world, which were bred in Russia. The history of these horses is very interesting and long, because for the first time the Orlov horses were presented two centuries ago. And initially these horses were intended not for participation in sports competitions, but mainly used in sledding and riding. The horse's lynx is recognized by specialists as the smoothest and most beautiful allure.
There are five specialists in the world of trotting breeds:
- The Eagle breed of horses;
- American;
- French;
- Russian;
- Norfolk.
A little history
In the eighteenth century, Russia preferred to breed horses of the so-called European type, which were notable for their large size and massiveness, but were slow and not very enduring.
Everything changed when the famous military leader Count Orlov decided to take up horse breeding.
What was the reason for such a sudden love for these animals - history is silent. The best eastern horses captivated him with their beauty, or he acted out of a simple commercial interest - now the answer to this question can not be found. Many historians agree that the reason for such interest was the usual desire to become the first person in our country to bring out a beautiful and strong breed of Russian horses, able to amaze the rest of the world and glorify its creator.
Perhaps, the first thought of new enduring and fast horses in Alexey Orlov's mind arose when they, together with the future Empress Catherine the Great in 1762, went to the capital in order to make a coup d'etat. Their carriage carried beautiful and bright horses of the fashionable Neapolitan breed at that time.
However, the weather was bad, which turned the famous Russian roads into unpaved mud, and a few kilometers away from the outpost, where the other conspirators were waiting for them, the horses were so tired that they refused to take the carriage further.
The coup d'état was on the verge of failure, because at such moments every minute counts. To force Neapolitans to move on the count could not, and in a hurry found the simple peasant horses in the nearby village, which allowed him and the future ruler of Russia to have time to meet in time.
Until the last days of his life, the Count constantly recalled the case when the fate of the vast state depended on the endurance and speed of the horses, and their weak working qualities almost jeopardized the ascent to the throne of one of the greatest empresses of Russia.
After the Russian-Turkish war, an Arab stallion of light grey color was brought to our country, because of which he received the nickname Smetanka. Experts consider this remarkable stallion to be the founder of the modern Orlov horse.
The other version is exactly the opposite. If you believe it, the Orlov Truce did not want and threatened the sultan for at least three more years of warfare. Then the one to stop the war and get the desired peace, offered a horse in exchange for a truce. However, both versions converge in one thing - for this horse were paid crazy money for those times - from 50 to 60 thousand rubles.
To estimate the scale of the money spent, let's say that at that time the annual salary of the stable boy was only three rubles. After the purchase of an Arab handsome man, they took him to Russia for two years with all the precautions, as the greatest jewel in the world.
It is worth saying that Count Orlov took the breeding of horses seriously and did not spare any money. He bought Arab horses not only in Turkey, but also in their homeland, the Arabian Peninsula, and in Egypt.
Russia was in dire need of new breeds of horses to improve the local varieties of these animals, but many only complained about their lack, and the count from words to deeds. Prior to that, there had been attempts to improve the local horses with imported breeds, but they had not been successful.
Once in Russia, Smetanka had a chance with a Danish mare. During this "marriage" the total number of their offspring was only four foals.
In 1772, Catherine the Second presented the count with a new huge estate, where he and all his horses moved together. The favorable climate of the local steppes was as suitable as possible for further breeding of the Eagles, who were constantly trying to improve. The Count personally supervised the whole process and took an active part in breeding. Having abandoned the state affairs, he devoted the rest of his life to the domestic horse breeding and continued this work until his death. All in all, he gave almost thirty-three years to the breeding and development of this breed.
Continuation in the next article
