The German Trotter or is a German breed of trotting horse. It is used mainly for racing in harness to a sulky, but may also run in saddled trotting races.
History
The German Trotter derives principally from the Orlov Trotter, with later influence from the French Trotter and the American Standardbred.
A stud-book for trotting horses in Germany is documented from 1896; it is now kept by the , formerly the , which also regulates all aspects of harness racing in the country. Registration is subject to a performance test, which includes a minimum time of 90 seconds over a distance of ; horses that run the distance in 80 seconds or less are registered in a separate section of the stud-book.
In 2018 there were approximately horses registered, consisting of about mares, stallions and geldings.
Characteristics
The horses stand between at the withers, with an average of about . The coat is solid-coloured or grey.
References
Barbara Rischkowsky, Dafydd Pilling (editors) (2007). List of breeds documented in the Global Databank for Animal Genetic Resources, annex to The State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Rome: Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. . Archived 23 June 2020.
Valerie Porter, Lawrence Alderson, Stephen J.G. Hall, D. Phillip Sponenberg (2016). Mason's World Encyclopedia of Livestock Breeds and Breeding (sixth edition). Wallingford: CABI. .
Breed data sheet: Trotteur Belge / Germany (Horse). Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed November 2024.
Élise Rousseau, Yann Le Bris, Teresa Lavender Fagan (2017). Horses of the World. Princeton: Princeton University Press. .
Wir über uns ( in German). Berlin: Hauptverband für Traberzucht e.V. Archived 16 May 2021.
Satzung und Ordnungen des HVT ( in German). Berlin: Hauptverband für Traberzucht e.V. Archived 18 May 2024.
Breed description: Ukrainian Grey. Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics, School of Veterinary Medicine Hannover. Archived 19 May 2008.