Finnhorse - Breed Characteristics

Breed Characteristics

The breed standard defines the Finnhorse as a multi-purpose horse of average height, and sturdy conformation. The ideal Finnhorse is easy-to-handle, versatile, and combines strength, agility, speed and endurance. Finnhorses are lively, with both a reliable and alert temperament. The breed standard encourages a horse that is "honest and sincere"; eager to cooperate with humans, obedient, and willing to work. They are hardy with good endurance, robust health, and are generally long-lived. The breed standard describes the head of a Finnhorse as dry and the profile straight, not long or convex, with well-spaced, short ears. The neck should be well-shaped and not underslung or ewe-necked; the body should be on the long side, but rounded and proportionate; and the croup should neither be level nor with a too-high connection to the tail. Finnhorses are strongly muscled, with good bone, sturdy "dry" legs, and strong hooves.

Finnhorses typically have thick manes and tails, and the legs have light feathering. The average height is 15.1 hands (61 inches, 155 cm). Pony-sized Finnhorses—under 14.2 hands (58 inches, 147 cm)—exist as well, and are licensed for breeding in a separate section of the official stud book. Finnhorses have good gaits that are regular with elasticity, and relatively low, steady action. They are fast for a coldblooded breed, known as good trotting horses and used for harness racing.

In addition to these general traits, there are four separate breed sections in the Finnhorse studbook, and a Finnhorse's overall conformation should be typical of the section in which it is recorded, though some horses are registered in multiple sections.