• Before the Russian Revolution, horse breeding was carried out by the land owning aristocracy. A well known breeder was Count Alexei Orlov who created the Orlov Trotter at his Khrenov Stud

• The breed was intended to race but was also bred as a carriage horse and for agricultural work

• Count Orlov began his breeding programme in 1778

• The Orlov Trotter is tall and lightly built

• This horse stands as around 16 hands high

• The head is sometimes coarse and the long neck is set high on the shoulders

• The withers are low and the body is long with a straight back

• The limbs can be too long, a failing which was inherited from Dutch mares

• The Orlov Trotter is now mainly used for trotting, harness and riding

• Colours: gray, black or bay

• It stands at around 16 hands high