Gotland Russ

Did You Know?

• Blue-eyed cream, piebald and grey animals may not be registered.
• The spotted coat was formerly seen in the breed but is now extinct.
• The Gotland Russ is somewhat similar in appearance to the Hucul, the Konik and the Exmoor Pony.

Breed history

The name "russ" comes from the old word "ross," which meant a riding horse or charger, and shares a root with the English word "horse." Wild horses have been recorded on the island of Gotland since the 1200s. In the mid-1800s, people moved to the island, cleared land for farms, and the Russ population dropped dramatically. A breeding center opened in 1880, using two stallions of Oriental type, with more stud farms starting in the early 1900s. By 1922, only fourteen horses were left: one two-year-old stallion, seven mares, and six young horses. The first stud-book for the Russ came out in Sweden in 1943. In the 1950s, two Welsh stallions, Reber General 106 and Criban Daniel 142, were brought in to add new blood; their influence is common in the breed but at a low level. The stud-book closed to outside blood in 1971. A breed society, the Svenska Russavelsföreningen, was founded in Visby in 1967. Today, the Russ lives across much of Sweden, as well as in other Scandinavian countries and the United States.