Trotting Horse

The origins of the trotter date back to the second half of the 18th century, but only began to be documented in the early 1800s. The Trotter is a solid horse with a sturdy build, of the 'dolichomorphic' type, with various coats reminiscent of the original breeds from various countries: the Dole Gudbrandsdal (Norway), the Orlov (Russia), the Swedish Nordien (Sweden), the American Trotter (USA), the French Trotter (France) and the Metis Trotter (Russia).
The Trotting Horse has speed and bottom, is balanced but also neurotic, has a long, muscular neck, a long, sloping shoulder, long, strong limbs, a long forearm, a short shin and a pastern with the right inclination. The trunk has a broad chest, a wide and deep thorax, a long and straight back line and a very muscular croup.
It has a two-step gait. The horse moves synchronously first the right forehand and the left hindquarter, then the left forehand and the right hindquarter, or vice versa.

In trotting races, the trotting horse is hitched to the sulky, a modern two-wheeled 'buggy' weighing 15 - 25 kg (originally called a 'seat' and weighing up to 300 kg) on which the driver sits. The first race featuring trotting horses was recorded in the United States, in New Haven, on 18 June 1806. In Italy, the first trotting race is dated 22 August 1808 and was held at the 'Prato della Valle' in Padua. As far as official races are concerned, in the European context the primacy goes to France, where the first 'disciplined' trials date back to 1836 at the Hippodrome of Cherbourg.
The Trotting Horse is tamed at around 15 months and makes his racing debut at two years of age, starting in July. Its career continues until the maximum age limit, which in Italy is 10 years for females and 14 years for males. The trotting horse may run several races in a week or even several races on the same day, as in the case of Grand Prix, which consist of several races or heats.
Trotting races are divided into classic races reserved for subjects of the same age, invitational races, conditioned races, class races, handicap and claiming races. In handicap races, the advantage given to the best subjects results in a yield of metres.