The Oryol rysistaya horse breed is a real national treasure, which has no analogues in the world horse breeding. The Oryol horse is a very beautiful, extraordinarily impetuous, extremely enduring and truly proud horse.
- Origin
- Characteristics and description of the breed
- Height and weight
- Exterior
- Suit
- Character
- Distinctive features
- Breed use
Origin
The history of the creation of the Oryol breed covers a rather long period of the turn of 2 centuries - XVIII and XIX. This breed was named in honor of its inventor and creator, author of the idea and the first owner of Count Alexei Orlov.
The history of the idea to breed a horse like the Orlov trotter is quite interesting and spontaneous. The future Empress Catherine the Great and her favorite Count Alexei Orlov were on the road during the coup d'état to overthrow Peter III. 
Quite unexpectedly, they witnessed how halfway the horse of the Neapolitan breed, greatly tired, stopped and flatly refused to go on. I had to immediately look for a replacement in the nearest villages.
But thanks to this, the graph suddenly had an idea to breed a breed of fast, beautiful, sturdy and reliable trotters. Before the realization of this idea more than one decade will pass.
Earl began to engage in horse breeding as early as the 1760s and always dreamed of a stud farm, but the first step for the manifestation of his talent in this area was that in 1762 the empress granted him 120 acres of land in the Voronezh region along with the serfs.
Here he began the construction of the plant. In 1774, during a trip, Count Orlov bought from the Turkish sultan for the huge sum of 60 thousand rubles in silver for those days a luxurious Arabian light gray horse, known by the nickname “Smetanka” and initiating the world famous Oryol breed.
In 1775, Count Orlov resigns and is fully committed to his beloved work. Only in 1776, Smetanka's horse overland reached the Russian possessions of the count. 
Smetanka (picture of a serf artist)
It was quite a big and very beautiful horse.He had one pair of ribs more than is typical for horses, and received his nickname for almost white color.
He lived in the possession of the graph very little, but managed to leave 5 foals, of which the most promising for creating a unique breed of trotters was Polkan I from a mare of Danish origin.
Everything about him was good, but the steady trot was not peculiar to him - the main feature that Count Orlov wanted to see. Therefore, Polkan I was crossed with a Frisian mare from Holland, which has this feature.
So in 1784 a descendant of Smetanka was born - the stallion Leopard I. It got its name for its resemblance to the leopard due to the presence of light apples on light gray wool. This horse was closest to what Count Orlov wanted.
When Barso I turned 7 years old, he was made a producer, and in 17 years he gave numerous offspring, significantly superior to other horses in their qualities. He was recognized as the ancestor of the Orlov trotter. The best descendants of Barca I are considered to be the stallions Cygnus I and Amiable I, and they continued the Oryol breed.
Characteristics and description of the breed
Horses of the Orlovskaya breed are excellent trotters, who differ from other horses by the peculiarity of transmitting their best qualities to their descendants, thereby improving and improving the gene pool each time.
Harmonious appearance and grace of movements is a unique fascinating combination characteristic of these animals. 
Height and weight
Orlov trotters are large, tall, stately horses. In the withers, their height ranges from 162 to 170 cm, and their weight can be a little more than half a ton. On average, the length of the body along an oblique line is 160 cm, and the chest girth is 180 cm. 
Exterior
The Oryol stallions are really very powerful, but at the same time they look fry, graceful, elegant due to the small size of the head and an elongated neck with the chiseled bend characteristic of only swans.
Their eyes are curious, have expressiveness, inquisitiveness and extraordinary vivacity. The body is elongated and, at the same time, wide, but very muscular, strong. It has beautiful, thin, but reliable, strong and strong legs, a dense mane, a smart tail.
Oryol racers are unusually light in motion, they are surprisingly proportional.
Suit
The Oryol trotters are mostly represented by a gray suit: in apples, light gray, dark gray and even red-gray. But, at the same time, they can be of any other suit: black, bay, buckthorn, salt, roan, and red. Damned coloring they got from the mother of Polkan I. 
Character
Oryol racers are very enduring in nature, fast, frisky, because they contain ancestor genes with hot Arabian blood. At the same time they are kind, friendly, flexible and very executive.But in any case not limp - these are proud horses, distinguished by their balance and calm.
Distinctive features
The main feature of Orlov horses, distinguishing them from others, is a high level of trotting. It was this quality that the creator, Count Orlov, wanted in horses first of all.
Frisky trot is a feature passed down from generation to generation to all members of this breed. This feature is widely used for mass qualitative improvement of horses of other breeds. 
The Oryol horses are the first representatives of cultured trotters bred in Russia, having unique features that are not typical of other trotting horses.
It should also be noted that They perfectly adapt to any climate, unpretentious in the diet. This quality in them began to produce even Count Orlov, trying to maintain the withdrawn trotters in fairly harsh conditions and feeding them whole oats.
All this was done in order to get an excellent war horse, able to easily endure the hardships of military life.
Breed use
Oryol stallions are universal horses: they are excellent workers, and in military affairs were indispensable helpers; it was convenient to plow them, it was safe to fight them.
The horse of this breed feels great in harness, it is also comfortable to ride a horse. The best representatives of the Orlov trotters can always be seen among the winners of various equestrian competitions, running sports,they represent their camp at various international exhibitions, where they must win prizes.
They are widely used in the field of tourism. Also, representatives of this breed - an excellent material in terms of breeding and improvement of breeds. 
Today, after some crisis in the development of the breed of Orlov trotting horses, it is again revived and is in great demand due to its unique properties.
