Finnhorse - Influence On Other Horse Breeds

Influence On Other Horse Breeds

From the 14th to the 16th century, Finnish horses were exported to Russian and Germany in such quantities that eventually restrictions on the number of exports were set. The Finnish horses exported to Russia in early 19th century influenced the development of the Vyatka horse. In the 19th century and early 20th century, horses of Finnish origin were used in creating many Baltic and Russian agricultural draught breeds, such as the Tori Horse and the Lithuanian Draught. In most cases, these breeds were developed by crossbreeding Finnish horses on small local horses, thus increasing size. In the 1920s and 1930s, the Finnhorse was also used in the breeding of the Estonian horse. The heavy Mezen horse was bred with both the Finnhorse and the Estonian Horse, until its stud book was closed in the 1950s. Traces of Finnhorse influence is found in other Soviet and Russian work horse breeds, in the mid-20th century, Finland exported 15,000 horses to Soviet Russia as part of its war indemnity. In the 1960s and 1970s, pony-sized Finnhorses were also used to improve quality and broaden the gene pool of the Norwegian Nordlandshest, which had become highly inbred by the 1960s.