106 



THE BREEDS OF LIVE-STOCK 



ORLOFF HORSE. Figs. 15, 16. 

 By Carl W. Gay 



118. The Russian Orloff takes its name from Count 

 Alexis Orloff, who founded the breed. It has been devel- 

 oped in Russia as a light-harness horse, harness racing 

 being extremely popular there as in this country. 



119. History in Russia. The real origin of the Orloff 

 was in the gray Arab stallion Smetanka which Count 

 Orloff secured in the Orient. He was mated with Thorough- 

 bred mares chiefly, but his most notable son, Polkan I, 

 was out of a Danish mare. Polkan I in turn sired Bars 

 I, the dam of whom was a Dutch mare, described as having 

 a good way of going at the trot. The quarterbred Bars 

 I was bred to Thoroughbred mares and many of his 

 descendants were inbred. Count Orloff began his work 



in 1777, and in 1845 

 the stud which had 

 passed to his daughter, 

 and consisted of 21 stal- 

 lions and 194 mares, 

 was taken over by the 

 Russian government. 



120. History in 

 America. The largest 

 single importation of 

 Orloffs was of eighteen 

 head at the time of the 

 World's Columbian Exposition, where they were shown. 

 While American trotters have been exported to Russia in 

 large numbers and raced successfully there, it cannot be 

 said that there has been any reciprocal favor shown for 



FIG. 15. Orloff stallion. 



