74 ORLOF TROTTERS 



Alexis Orlof, was a great rival of his in horse-breeding. He 

 bred only from English thoroughbreds and Arabs. His stud 

 was also bought by the Russian Government and was mixed 

 with the Orlof saddle horses, which were produced almost 

 entirely from Arabs and English thoroughbred blood, with a 

 dash of Danish. Therefore, Russian stud saddle horses are 

 known as the Orlovo-Rostopchin breed. 



Although Count Alexis Orlof undoubtedly did more than 

 anyone else in developing the trotting strain in Russia, he 

 was by no means the first who tried to improve the native 

 horses by the admixture of foreign blood. Tooke ( View of 

 The Russian Empire), who lived in Russia during the last 

 half of the eighteenth century, tells us that in the proper 

 Russian provinces horses are so general, "that we seldom 

 see a peasant, however poor his condition, who does not 

 possess a horse or two ; and excepting in the Ukraine, this 

 animal is universally employed in the works of the field. It 

 is somewhat curious that the genuine Russian horse, not- 

 withstanding the great diversity of climate, of nurture, of 

 attendance, of provender, etc., is almost everywhere un- 

 commonly alike ; have all ram-like heads, long and meagre 

 neck, a broad breast, and are very compact. There are 

 excellent runners among them ; they are indefatigable and 

 hardy, but not handsome, and withal extremely obstinate and 

 shy. In several regions of the empire this native race has 

 been ennobled by foreign stallions, and the Governments of 

 Mosco, Tambof, Kazan, Simbirsk, with several others, 

 produce large, beautiful and strong horses. Lithuania has 

 always supplied the cavalry with this necessary ; a good kind 

 of pony is found in the district of Archangel, and for their 

 fleetness and lasting powers the Livonian nags are very 

 famous ; but the genuine breed of them begins to be scarce. 

 The Tartarian horses are of such known excellence, particularly 

 for the use of light cavalry, that this species needs here no 



