The Gotland Pony is considered to be the oldest Scandinavian breed, and this shows in its somewhat primitive, yet honored, appearance and shape. The horse's hindquarters are small and narrow, and its frame is light. In true pony form, the neck and legs are short, but the back is long. The Gotland Pony's colors include brown, dun, chestnut, black, gray, and sometimes palomino.

Now used as a popular children's riding pony, the Gotland was traditionally a light farm horse. The horse is good at jumping and also fares quite well at trotting races. It has a remarkably fast walk and trot, but can have difficulty galloping - its gallop is slow and stilted. Because of their skills, agility, and good nature, they are often used as training horses for children learning to ride.

Because it resembles the Konik and Hucul horses of Poland, the Gotland is believed to be a descendent of the Tarpan, a now-extinct, Eurasian wild horse. In an attempt to refine the breed and prevent inbreeding, the Gotland was crossed with eastern bloodlines in the nineteenth century, and again in the 1950s, but it has remained relatively untouched since.

Today, the Gotland Ponies are mostly bred in Sweden, other parts of Scandinavia, and North America. It is sometimes called the Skogsruss or Gotlandsruss. Though the breed is fairly widespread, there is still a small, semi-feral herd that is kept protected on Gotland Island by local inhabitants and the Gotland Agricultural Society.

Back to the Horse Breeds Page         Gotland Breeders - Horses for Sale
Gotland - Horses for Sale