Gotland Pony
The herd of ponies at Lojsta moor on the island of Gotland is unique. The
Gotland pony, also known as Skogsruss, Gotlandsruss, Skogsbaggar, Skogshäst
or Russ, as it is called in Sweden, has been called a living
relic of the past, and that is precisely what it is. Thanks to decisive
intervention on the part of the local inhabitants, Sweden's most primordial
horses still live as they have for thousands of years on the wooded moors.
The Gotland Pony have lived in the forest regions of the island of Gotland
from time immemorial. Their history is mysterious and fascinating. Discoveries
from the Stone Age show that horses have been present the island for 4,000 -
5,000 years, and perhaps longer. It is not known whether these horses were
Gotland Ponies, nor is it known how the first horses came to the island.
Russ is the Gutnish word for horse. Gotlanders themselves often call the
ponies skogsbaggar, which means "forest rams". It is commonly thought that the
Gotland Pony, as other European horse breeds, is a descendant of the wild
Tarpan. There are few ancient references to the ponies, but it is generally
believed that they lived in freedom in the forests in a half-wild state.
Discoveries made at the Iron Age village called Vallhagar (220 B.C.—500 A.D.),
a few kilometers from Lojsta Moor, show that horses became increasingly common
as domestic animals during the Iron Age.
The oldest reference to the Gotland pony is found in Skånelagen, a legal code
from the 13th century, where "the wild horses of Gotland" are mentioned.
In the mid-19th century the situation changed; the number of ponies dropped
sharply. Many were sold to England, Germany, and Belgium where they were used
for mining and other chores. On Gotland, formerly public lands were parceled
out to individual farmers, which meant that more land was farmed and much of
the forested area began to be cultivated. The expansive, contiguous forests
were intersected by fences and cultivated land and could no longer function as
foraging areas.
In the beginning of the 20th century only about 150 ponies were left, but a
few people with foresight had taken note of Sweden's most primitive horse. The
Gotland Pony began to be exhibited at the summer fairs held by the Gotland
Agricultural Society, and a few stud-farms were established to breed the
horses. But the number of Ponies continued to fall. The meat rationing and
food shortages of World War I led poachers to hunt the Gotland Pony. The
forest ponies were near extinction.
The people who own the Gotland Ponies living on the moor, farmers in the
neighborhood together with the Agricultural Society, have started a grazing
cooperative. Thanks to their efforts, there is a free-roaming Pony herd on
Lojsta moor today.
Most Gotland Ponies are blacks, bays, buckskins or sorrels. The light coloring
of this foal is not considered desirable. There is a risk that the offspring
of two light-colored Gotland Ponies might be an albino, meaning it would lack
pigmentation. Horses like this can have skin that is over-sensitive to the sun
and are not as hardy.
For a Gotland Pony to be pedigreed, the height measured at the withers must be
between 45 - 51 inches (115 - 130 cm.), while the ideal height is about 49
inches (125 cm.). Its way of going should be energetic, elastic, and smooth.
All colors are allowed except for total albinos, drabs, dorsal piebalds, and
roans.
The Gotland Pony is popular as a children's horse, good-tempered and
multifaceted. The same Pony can both be a good jumper, dressage horse, and
draft horse. The Gotland Pony is also the fastest trotter among ponies. There
are about 9,000 Gotland Ponies in Sweden today, and they can also be found in
Denmark, Finland, and the U.S.A.