CHAPTER III 



ORLOF TROTTERS 



Count Alexis Orlof-Tchestmensky Origin of the Orlof Trotter Arabs Count 

 Orlofs System of Training Count Rostopchin Management of Young 

 Stock Tuberculosis. 



THE breed of Orlof trotters was founded by Count 

 Alexis Orlof-Tchestmensky, whose doings in con- 

 nection with Peter in. and the unhappy Princess Tarakanova 

 are told by Castera in his Histoire de Catherine II. After 

 Catherine had discarded Gregory Orlof in favour of 

 Potemkin as her official lover, Alexis had the satisfaction of 

 knocking out one of the eyes of his brother's rival, and then 

 sought distraction in breeding horses. Before the formation 

 of his stud, there was no breed of horses specially known as 

 Russian trotters. The great founder of this strain of blood 



o 



was an Arab which was called Smetanka and which was 

 imported in 1775. United with a Dutch mare, he produced 

 the stallion Polkan, who in 1784 sired Barss, whose clam was 

 a Dutch mare. All the Orlof trotters are descended from 

 the three sons of Barss : Lubeznoy, Dobroy, and Lebed. 

 The dam of Lubeznoy was by an Arab out of a Mecklenburg 

 mare. The dam of Dobroy was a thoroughbred English 

 mare. The dam of Lebed was by Felkerzamchik out of a 

 Mecklenburg mare ; and Felkerzamchik was by Smetanka 

 out of a thoroughbred English mare. The Dutch dam 

 of Barss came from a breed that was famous for their 



