Gotland pony
| Gotland pony | |
|---|---|
Gotland pony in Gothenburg |
|
| Important data | |
| Origin: | Sweden |
| Main breeding area: | Sweden |
| Distribution: | Sweden |
| Stick measure : | 122-134 cm |
| Colors : | Brown, fox, black, gray, Isabell, mouse falcon |
| Main application area: | Utility and riding horse, agricultural work |
The Gotland pony ( Swedish Gotlandsruss ) is an old Swedish horse breed on the island of Gotland and surrounding islands.
Exterior
The shoulder height of these horses is 115 to 130 centimeters and there is a wide range of coat colors. Most animals are brown or black, about 40% each; in addition, there are 20% light colors.
interior
The Gotland pony has beautiful gaits - the trot is a bit hard - and they have excellent jumping talent.
Breeding history
The oldest archaeological finds of small horses, probably from the ancestors of today's Gotland pony, were found on the island of Stora Karlsö . At first it was believed that they came from the early Stone Age, but more recent studies date the bones to the Iron Age . The animals lived wild or semi-wild in the forests of Gotland for a very long time. For this reason they also have the name Skogsruss, which means forest horse. Like other horse breeds under the same conditions, they became resilient, fresh and adaptable. They were used by the farmers as livestock in agriculture and were considered common property as long as they lived in the wild. Anyone who needed a horse caught one from the herd and tamed it for his own purposes. A redesign of the land use law threatened the existence for a few years from 1859, but a group of interested people advocated the protection of the animals. Between 1880 and 1960, a few foreign stallions were crossed with mares from the Gotland pony. The animals introduced were so few that they did not have a major impact on the breed, but they did improve genetic diversity.
Even today there is a group of wild Gotland ponies in the Lojsta hed forest in the middle of the island. Gotland's only horse museum is located at Gervide Gård in Sjonhem. The breed was recognized by the Swedish authorities as a national horse breed worthy of protection in 1984. It is often used as a children's riding horse on farms and in riding schools. The ponies are very capable of learning, but have their own will if you are not consistent enough in their training, and then they may adopt unpleasant habits.
See also
literature
- Alberto Soldi: Horses. Getting to know, keeping, care and breeding (= The great nature guide ). Kaiser, Klagenfurt 2003, ISBN 3-7043-1365-3 .
