The Orlov Trotter is a tall and slender, yet robust horse. Crowned by big, expressive eyes, the Orlov's head is small and somewhat plain. The neck is swan-like, long and naturally arched, and the withers, those are the horse's “shoulders” are prominent and defined. The build of an Orlov Trotter Horse is muscular and broad with a short-crouped hindquarters and strong legs. On a superficial level, most Orlov Trotter Horses are born dark but will turn gray by the time they reach maturity.

The history of the Orlov Trotter starts in the late eighteenth century. The founding stallion, Smetanka, was a white Arabian gifted to Count Alexis Grigorievitch Orlov. Orlov crossed the horse with his best mares, and finally came to the Orlov Trotter's foundation sire – Bars I, born in 1784. In 1788, the breed was transferred to the Khrenov Stud in Voronezh. Though the horses underwent numerous speed trials in their development, it was clear that the Orlov would never be as fast as the American Standardbred. Because of this, the Russian Trotter breed was created. The new breed was developed by crossing Orlovs with Standardbreds. And though the Russian Trotter was eventually recognized as a unique breed in 1949, it did not oust the Orlov's traditional place as an established horse of Russia.

Today, most Orlov Trotter Horses are raised on twelve stud farms in Russia and on three farms in the Ukraine. They are still being raised as racing trotters, and are often used as crossbreeds to improve or upgrade other breeds. This is a purpose that has always been a component of the Orlov's breeding policy. According to the New Encyclopedia of the Horse, there are an estimated thirty thousand purebred Orlovs spread across the countries that make up the former USSR.

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