History and Breeding
The North Swedish Horse has ancient origins closely connected with those of its neighbour, the Norwegian Dølahest. The breed has been cross-bred to a great extent, and it was only after a breed society was established at the end of the 19th century when a more uniform type was created. Dølahest stallions from Norway were used, and at the beginning of the 20th century stringent performance tests for breeding stock were introduced.
Nowadays, the breeding it strictly controlled, and the animals intended for breeding are thoroughly tested. The primary qualities desired in a breeding horse are good character, pulling capacity and fertility. The legs and hooves are examined by X-ray.
Read more about this topic: North Swedish Horse
Famous quotes containing the words history and/or breeding:
“... the history of the race, from infancy through its stages of barbarism, heathenism, civilization, and Christianity, is a process of suffering, as the lower principles of humanity are gradually subjected to the higher.”
—Catherine E. Beecher (1800–1878)
“Civility, which is a disposition to accommodate and oblige others, is essentially the same in every country; but good breeding, as it is called, which is the manner of exerting that disposition, is different in almost every country, and merely local; and every man of sense imitates and conforms to that local good breeding of the place which he is at.”
—Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th Earl Chesterfield (1694–1773)