More on body shape - Orlovs and Dutch Trotters

Count Orlov with a grey trotter, sometime identified as the Orlov foundation stallion Bars I. Painted in 1890 by Nikolai Sverchkov.

In the previous post, I wrote about the central myth in early 20th-century horse breeding, which was that all 'well-bred' horses have Eastern blood. Over time, this evolved into the idea that the Arabian—erroneously credited with the creation of the English Thoroughbred—was the primary "improver" of horse breeds. This led to the tendency to designate any Eastern horse as "Arabian" and then emphasize its influence. 

One of the most obvious examples of this is the Russian Orlov. Most descriptions of the breed will credit the Arabian stallion Smetanka as the founder of the breed. This painting almost always accompanies articles about Orlovs. 

Smetanka, believed to have been painted by Gavril Vasilyev in the late eighteenth century.

Smetanka was purchased in Turkey in 1774 and traveled by land for two years to Russia. He died the year after he arrived, leaving behind only five foals. Of those, the stallion Polkan was the most influential. Polkan's dam was a buckskin Danish mare from the Frederiksborg Stud.

The Frederiksborg Stud started in 1562 with Spanish and Neapolitan horses. These were later crossed with Turkish, Moroccan, and English horses. When Count Orlov imported the mares in the late 1700s, it is likely they still retained some of the original Spanish type. 

It is still possible to see the Spanish influence in Frode, a Frederiksborger foaled in 1855. There is another picture of him here. 

Polkan, who was half Arabian and half Frederikborger, produced a son that could more accurately be called the foundation sire of the Orlov Trotter. That was Bars (1784-1806). To establish his Khrenovsky Stud, Count Orlov linebred the descendants of Bars. 

The dam of Bars was an imported Dutch trotting mare: a hartraver. When responding to comments made by Walter Winans about the breed in the Live Stock Journal, the head of the Russian Agricultural Department described her in this way: 

The Orloff Trotter is not originated from several Arab stallions and Danish mares, as Mr. W. Winans means, because the first so-called ancestor of the Orloff Trotter—Bars—was a son of an Arab-Danish stallion out of an imported Friesian mare. The trotting qualities were inherited undoubtedly from the Friesian, or Flemish Hartraver (Trotter), and the influence of Friesian blood cannot be omitted.  (Live Stock Journal, June 1, 1917) 

Winans, whose article prompted the official to write, was an American residing in England, but who grew up in Russia. He is perhaps better known as the sculptor who discovered the famed Arabian stallion Skowronek in Poland and imported him. 

Skowronek, shown with his fifth (and best-known) owner, Lady Wentworth of Crabbet Park

Winans' interest in Arabians might explain why he focused on Smetanka. However, just as early Morgans didn't look like Thoroughbreds, the Orlovs of his day didn't look much like Arabians. It would be more accurate to say they looked like Friesians. Or rather, like our modern conception of a Friesian horse. 

Here is the Orlov stallion Varmik (f.1894), who was used at stud during the time Mr. Winans and the official from Russia were exchanging letters in the Live Stock Journal.  

Varmik was linebred to Bars. He also carried crosses to other Dutch mares used in the program.

Here is an Orlov mare from that time. Like Varmik, her body shape is distinctly Friesian-like. 

Here is Varmik's grandsire, Projda (f.1873). 

Even when Orlovs were grey, the body type is still very reminiscent of the Friesian. 

Gromadnyj (f. 1894), showing the heavy bone, feathered heels, and an overall shape similar to the previous examples.

It's not just the historical Orlovs that have this body type. It's not hard to find in modern Friesians. This lovely colt was offered at the 2023 yearling sale at the Moscow Stud Farm #1. Even at his young age, he has noticeable feathering on his heels. (Clicking on his picture will take you to the farm's website and a video showing his trot.)

Baget (f. 2022), a grey Orlov colt pictured as a yearling and offered at auction by Moscow Stud Farm #1.

So the Hartravers were Friesians? 

Does all this mean that the references to Dutch horses and "hartravers" were Friesians? 

The Orlov is one of the most thoroughly documented breeds from the 1700s. The amount of detail kept on the horses—particularly when it comes to the origins of the mares—is quite remarkable. However, this is all before there were breed registries. Terms like "Friesian" and "hartraver" could mean different things depending on who was speaking; there were no breed registries to regulate what was meant by a name. 

Tall, black horses of the modern Friesian type have a long history in the Netherlands. They were popular for use at funerals in Europe. Writing about the different classes of horses employed in London, one author referred to them as the "Black Brigade." 

The funeral horse hardly needs description. The breed has been the same for centuries. He stands about 16 hands... Altogether there are about 700 of these black horses in London. They are all Flemish, and come to us from the flats of Holland.

The illustration that accompanies the text shows horses of the Friesian type. 

Illustration from The Horse-World of London, published in 1893

The similarity between the funeral horses and the Orlovs was noted by a traveler writing for the Country Gentleman's Estate Book in 1913. 

A highly typical feature is the shape of the croup... which is seen in several Continental breeds, and most markedly so in the old unimproved Dutch breed of horses, of which so many representatives are used in this country as hearse horses at funerals. 

Based on the appearance of the descendants of Bars, it seems likely that the "Dutch trotter" mares used by Count Orlov were of Friesian type. They would not have qualified as Friesians today. For one thing, Bars' Dutch dam was grey. At least one other Dutch mare used at the stud was also grey. But in body shape, it is easy to imagine that they resembled a modern-day Friesian.

Does this mean Justin Morgan was a Friesian?

Bars was foaled just a few years before Justin Morgan. His dam was a "Dutch mare," and Justin Morgan (the man) always claimed his stallion was a "Dutch horse." Does that mean the foundation of the Morgan breed was a Friesian? 

No, it doesn't. Written accounts dating back centuries indicate that Dutch breeders were famed for producing strong trotters. They also produced more than one type of trotter. 

There is notable similarity in the body shape of the Orlovs and the Friesians, but neither resemble Morgans.  That's because there were two different sorts of Dutch trotting horses. Writers referring to Hartravers might be speaking of either type. 

Sultan, an East Friesian, and Varmik, an Orlov, illustrate the two different body shapes "hartravers" might have. (The two horses were born a year apart.)

A German writer, commenting on the horses of East Frisia in a 1879 government report, said they were like the "Harttrabers of neighboring Holland." 

That means there were three different "Dutch horses." There was a heavy draft, a tall black ceremonial carriage horse, and a fast-trotting coach horse. It seems likely that when Justin Morgan spoke of Dutch horses, he meant that last type. 

As blood horses became fashionable, especially in English-speaking countries, stallion promoters 'discovered' suitable back stories for their animals. The Hartravers were largely forgotten, which is why the information provided by Justin Morgan's son found few proponents. The only "Dutch" horses they knew about were the heavy drafters. 

Body shape & breed type

I have a system I use for understanding breeds that are unfamiliar to me. I start by collecting conformation photos of typical examples. What I am looking for are images where the body is straight (not angled away or taken from above or below), the lower legs are visible (not covered by grass or the horse’s tail), and the head is facing forward. The goal is a complete, undistorted profile.

Making Silhouettes

Once I have several profiles, I print the images out on ordinary copy paper. If you have access to photo editing software, you can reduce the image’s opacity to save toner.

Step 1: Outline the horse using a fine-tipped black pen. You only need to include the nearest set of legs. Try to get an accurate line for the neck, but do not include the mane. Leave enough of the tailbone to indicate where and how the tail attaches to the body, but otherwise omit the tail. If there is feathering on the legs, do not try to guess the shape of the legs and hooves under the hair; include the feathers in the outline.

Step 2: Using a Sharpie or other thick black marker, color in your outlined shape. When you are done, you should have several silhouettes of the breed you want to know more about. The image at the top of this post shows a pair of finished silhouettes: one Saddlebred (front) and one Kladruber (behind).

What makes silhouettes useful

By outlining the profile of the horse’s body—and just the body—and coloring it black, you are removing distractions like tack, turnout, and color. All that is visible is the shape of the body. Most importantly, the proportions of the body parts to one another, and the angles at which they connect, are easy to see. Breed type is primarily determined by these variations.

Silhouettes like the Brazilian Campolina below can help train your eye to recognize what makes a particular breed distinctive.

Along with a distinctive head, Campolinas have significant bone while also looking tall and lanky.

It is also true that without the distraction of superficial things like turnout or color, similarities (and differences) between breeds become more obvious. 

Although also Spanish in origin, the Criollo has a very different silhouette than the Campolina.

Returning to the pair of breeds at the top of this post, here is a Kladruber (left) and a Saddlebred (right). The two breeds are not closely related, but they are similar in some respects. Both have high-set necks, an upright carriage, and long, tubular bodies. 

When comparing silhouettes, it is sometimes helpful to add a guidelines for anatomical landmarks.
Here a baseline insures the horses are standing level, and the withers and top of the croup are marked. 

The Saddlebred shares these similarities with another carriage breed. Here, the same Saddlebred silhouette is paired with one of a Friesian. Once again, both breeds have high-set necks and long, tubular bodies. You can also see the similarity between the Friesian and the Kladruber above. 

Both the Friesian and the Kladruber were originally ceremonial carriage horses. When the Czech Republic revived the black strain of Kladrubers, one of the stallions used was a Friesian named Romke. Although the two breeds were developed separately, their body shape comes from the breeding goal, which was the creation of a stylish driving horse. 

In that respect, their purpose is not that different from modern American “hitch” horses. That is why so many draft horses in the United States have a similar upright, tubular body shape. Their form comes from the purpose for which they are most often bred. 

By American standards, this Percheron is more moderate in type. Some are even more "hitchy" than this. Photo courtesy of Kim Smith. 

Saddlebreds have never been primarily bred for harness, but breeders have prioritized a similar upright frame and style of movement. That has given them an outline that is a little different from the other American saddle breeds that are more closely related to them. Here is the Saddlebred compared to the silhouette I most often use in publications to represent American saddle-type horses, which include Morgans, Walking Horses, Foxtrotters, and Mountain Pleasure Horses. 

Saddlebreds are more closely related to these breeds than to either the Kladruber or the Friesian. They share bloodlines and similar show and turnout traditions. However, their body shape is slightly different. That is why Breyer’s ‘Hamilton’ mold is not necessarily suited to other breeds that can be trained to rack. The body shape of that mold fits the typical silhouette of a Saddlebred, which looks different from the other saddle breeds. 

Comparisons like this can help model horse hobbyists develop their eye for breed type. That leads to better breed assignments. I also believe using body shapes like this can give a more rational breed list. I am going to post one more example of what body shape can tell us about breed relationships. After that, I will explain how body type was used to create the breed list.