Gotland Russ

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Gotland Russ
FAO (2007): endangered[1]: 139 
  • DAD-IS (2022): endangered/at risk[2]
    • Other names
    • Gotland Pony
    • Gotlandruss
    • Russ
    • Skogsbagge[3]
    • Skogshåst[2]
    • Skogsruss[3]
    Country of originSweden
    DistributionEuropean countries, USA
    StandardRasstandard
    Traits
    Weight
    • 250 kg
    Height
    • 117–132 cm

    The Gotland Russ or Gotland Pony is an old

    Öland horse from the neighbouring island of Öland
    was a close relative of the Gotland, but became extinct in the early twentieth century.

    History

    Gotland ponies in Slottsskogen, Gothenburg.

    The name russ comes from a now obsolete word ross, which means a riding horse or a charger[6] and it is linked etymologically to the English word horse (in Old High German this word appeared as hros, and in English a metathesis has switched the places of the /r/ and the /o/, whereas in Swedish /hr/ became /r/, producing ross or russ.[7]

    The presence of feral horses on the Baltic island of Gotland is documented from the thirteenth century.[5]: 469  From the mid-nineteenth century settlers moved to the island, much land was cleared for farming, and numbers of the Russ fell sharply.[8]: 388 [9] In 1880 a breeding centre was established, where two stallions of Oriental type were used; other stud farms were opened in the early twentieth century. Nevertheless, by 1922 there were no more than fourteen of the horses remaining – a two-year-old stallion, seven mares and six young horses.[9]

    The first volume of the Stambok för russ, the

    breed society, the Svenska Russavelsföreningen, was established in Visby in 1967.[11]

    The Russ is distributed through much of Sweden and is also present in the other Scandinavian countries and in the United States.[5]: 469 [12]: 70 

    Characteristics

    The Gotland Russ is rustic, hardy, frugal and energetic.

    Exmoor Pony.[12]: 70  It weighs approximately 250 kg, and usually stands between 117 cm and 132 cm at the withers.[2]: 469 [5]

    The coat is most commonly

    grey animals may not be registered.[13] The spotted coat was formerly seen in the breed, but is now extinct.[5]
    : 469 

    Uses

    The Gotland Russ is a good all-round pony and is often used as a riding pony for children or as a harness racing pony.[8]: 389 [12]: 70 

    References

    1. ISBN 9789251057629
      . Archived 23 June 2020.
    2. ^ a b c Breed data sheet: Gotlandruss / Sweden (Horse). Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed August 2022.
    3. ^ a b c "gotlandsruss". Nationalencyklopedin (in Swedish). Retrieved 14 September 2010.
    4. ^ Transboundary breed: Gotland Pony. Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed August 2022.
    5. ^
      ISBN 9781780647944
      .
    6. ^ Salmenpohja, M: "Russ-yhdistys 20 vuotta" (’The 20th Anniversary of the Russ Association [in Finland], Satulassa, 1995/15.
    7. ^ Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, 1973.
    8. ^
      ISBN 0300088809
      .
    9. ^ a b c d Russhistoria (in Swedish). Visby: Svenska Russavelsföreningen. Accessed August 2022.
    10. ^
      ISBN 9781465451439
      .
    11. ^ Välkommen till Svenska Russavelsföreningen (in Swedish). Visby: Svenska Russavelsföreningen. Accessed August 2022.
    12. ^
      ISBN 9780691167206
      .
    13. ^ Rasstandard (in Swedish). Visby: Svenska Russavelsföreningen. Accessed August 2022.

    Further reading

    Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gotland Pony.
    • Eternell Hagen, Eva (1997). Gotlandsrusset. Stabenfeldt AB.
      ISBN 91-7117-252-1
      .
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