History of the Estonian Native
Ancestry
Much like the Estonian people, the true ancestry of the Estonian Native horse is subject to some facts and a great deal of speculation.
The oldest wild horse bones found in the territory of Estonia date back to 7000 b.c.
One theory claims that horses were brought to the Baltic Sea between 5000 - 1800 b.c by the prehistoric Finno-Ugric people. The critics of this point out that the first attempts to domesticate a horse started around 6000-4500 b.c. If so, it would be highly unlikely that domesticated horses were brought here by people around the same timeframe.
The oldest bones of domestic horses in Estonia date back to 1000 b.c.
The prevalent theory today is that the Estonian Native originates from Northern Forest Horses and is related to the Tarpan subspecies. There are many breeds claiming the same origins – Finnish, Vyatka, Onega, Chuvash, Obva etc. Most of those breeds are now extinct or had many of their wild characteristics bred out.
One can not rule out the possibility that the settlers arriving to the lands of Estonia brought along horses from the East – the area between the Caspian and the Aral Sea.
Thus, the most probable conclusion to the ancestry of the Estonian Native horse is that the few remaining Northern wild horses bred with the domestic horses brought in by the settlers.
Today the Estonian Native horses are one of the few breeds to have retained the visual features of prehistoric wild horses, like dorsal and shoulder stripes, as well as their ancestors’ remarkable resilience to thrive in the unpredictable northern climate.
The breed is notable for being small and dynamic, resourceful, healthy and strong.
Spoils of War
The first written mention of horses of Estonia come from 11th century, by the German chronicler Adam von Bremen who praised the horses he witnessed on his travels. His description of the Estonian horse put an end to speculation that the small horses in Estonia were the descendants of the Arabian stallions that arrived with German crusaders in the 13th century.
The Livonian chronicler of Henry (13th century) described Estonian horses as strong, resilient and fast and named them as valuable spoils of war.
Since the 12th century, many Estonian horses were exported to Russia by the Novgorod merchants. The horses were used to support the development of Vjatka and Onega horse breeds. This continued until 1414, when the Livonian Order banned the export of Estonian horses to Russia.
In the 17th century, small and agile Estonian and Finnish horses were used in warfare between Sweden and Russia. The horses were more resilient and durable than large horses used by knights. Estonian stallions were sought to supplement other breeds with their strenght and resilience. While many horses were sold, more were taken from Estonia again as spoils of war.
In the 18th century, Russian Empress Anna Ivanovna ordered the landlords in Saaremaa island to breed Estonian horses for the Empire. The best horses were exported to Russia for herself and her ladies in waiting.
19th Century Breeding Experiments
In the 19th century, Estonia was a part of the Russian Empire. Horse breeders across Russia were looking to Estonian Native horses to improve on their own aboriginal breeds. Hundreds of horses – mares and stallions were exported.
Losing their best horses to the wars and extensive trade was detrimental to the mainland horse breeders as the cheap replacements bought or traded from Russian or other soliders were often of inferior quality. Within decades, the stock of the Estonian Native across mainland became inconsistent and the horses themselves not as fine as they once used to be.
The fate of the aboriginal breed left to the island of Saaremaa where several landowners still kept large natural herds on coastal pastures.
In 1853 Mag. Gottfried Weidemann published a book “Über die Pferderace der Insel Ösel” where he reasoned why the Estonian horses from Saaremaa island were of higher quality:
- Due to a larger population there was no need to prematurely work youngsters or overuse old horses.
- Large coastal pastures and herd life allowed for better natural development for the horses and forced the horses to respond to the harsh climate and fodder shortage. This supported in the development of the sturdy, resourceful and healthy horses.
- Saaremaa was separate from mainland, and relatively far from the Russian border. Thus the Estonian Native horse population was less affected by wars and trade exports and island horse owners managed to keep their best breeding stock.
- Horse owners in Saaremaa seemed to have more love and appreciation for their aboriginal small horses than the horse breeders in the mainland.
To combat against the declining quality of mainland Estonian Native horses, Tori Horse Breeding farm was founded in 1856 in Tori, Pärnumaa. 8 stallions and 50 mares were bought with the goal of preserving the quality stock of the Estonian horse on the mainland.
Yet the times and the farmers called for a different horse. The new agricultural mechanisms required bigger and stronger horses to plow the fields and while remarkably strong for their body mass, the small Estonian Native horses could no longer meet the demands of a much needed work horse.
After years of arguments, the goal of the Tori Breeding Society was eventually changed to develop a larger and heavier horse to allow it to stay relevant for the needs of the farmers. With crossing of Estonian Native mares with stallions of various larger breeds, a new horse breed was eventually developed with a separate studbook formed in 1922. This breed is now known as the Tori horse.
Another fervent breeder was Alexander von Middendorff who aspired to develop Estonian Native horses to resemble the heavy Ardennais horse breed. He imported his first Ardennais stallions in 1862 to cross-breed with Estonian Native mares. By his calculation, it would have taken about 30-40 years to create his new version of the Estonian horse.
He was heavily opposed by the writer and politician C. R. Jakobson who held several speeches for horse breeders across the mainland in 1870s, calling for the pure breeding of Estonian Natives and enhancing their agricultural performance by improving their food and upkeep conditions.
Eventually the aspiration of A. Middendorf resulted in another distinct horse breed called the Estonian Draft horse or the Estonian Ardennais.
Still, the herds of smaller, aboriginal and pure bred version of the Estonian Native thrived on the large islands of Hiiumaa and Saaremaa.
Nearing the 20th century, there was a new call for universal, light and fast transportation horses, able to pull a carriage or a cart and occasionally serve as riding horses for adults and children.
While breeders on the mainland were mostly occupied with developing a strong, heavy horse for agricultural horse, in 1870, Baron K. Von Hahn established Uue-Lõve horse breeding farm on the island with the goal of breeding lighter and faster horses for postal services and other transportation services.
The Baron brought in two buckskin stallions, crosses of an Arabian horse and Orlov trotter. Within 20 years, those stallions bred with nearly a 1000 local mares across Saaremaa and left a significant mark on the Estonian Native horse.
In 1902, most of Uue-Lõve horses were bought or transferred to a new national horse breeding farm established in Uuemõisa. Uue-Lõve was shut down in 1908.
Regardless of the heavy influence of the Uue-Lõve stallions, some farmers across Saaremaa continued to appreciate the more primitive aboriginal look-and-feel of the Estonian Native horse and kept pure breeding their horses.
There were many horse breeding experiments running throughout Estonia, but relatively little oversight over the results. The means of supporting the breeding process varied between landlords and farmers while the shifting industrial demands were rarely fully satisfied with the results.
The First Studbook
After the First World War, a call was made for a more purposeful and supportive breeding of the Estonian Native horse.
In 1921, the Estonian Native Horse Breeders Society was established and a studbook was formed in the city of Haapsalu.
The main aspiration for the Breeders Society was to start pure breeding Estonian Native horse to become stronger and heavier for easier transportation of agricultural goods and equipment. Another objective was to systematically out-breed the markings of the Arabian and Orlov stallions of Uue-Lõve farm.
In order to breed a stronger and heavier horse type without compromising on the integrity of the aboriginal breed, the Breeders Society decided to use Finnish horses – a breed that claims similar ancestral connections.
In 1921-1938, 13 Finnish stallions were imported from Finland and used intensively for breeding. As a result, the size and body mass of the Estonian Native increased but they also became more rough-looking.
In 1944, the territory of Estonia was captured by the Red Army and it became the Soviet Republic of Estonia. The land was quickly divided between state farms and collective farms.
By this time, Estonian Horse Breeders Society had been working for decades on keeping the Estonian Native breed alive in Saaremaa island.
By 1945, more than 2000 horses were marked in the studbook.
In 1947, the SSR Council of Ministers ratified the building of a National Stud Stable in Pihtla, Saaremaa. The objective was to build a stable with at least 40 Estonian Native stud stallions. Some imported Finnish stallions and their descendants were also brought to the Stud.
Tests were developed to evalute the horses strenght, health and character, initially over a 25km distance. This was later reduced to 2 km.
In 1950, there were 12 780 horses in Saaremaa. With a steady inflow of agricultural machinery, the need for work horses gradually diminished. Between 1950 to 1960, the SSR government organised systematic slaughters of horses that were no longer useful for work or breeding.
In 1955, there were 8482 horses in Saaremaa.
In 1956, the National Stud Stable in Pihtla was liquidated.
By 1964, there were 2688 horses in Saaremaa.
In 1970’s there was little work for horses in agriculture and horse was also no longer relevant for transportation of heavy goods.
The Estonian Native became more relevant as a children’s riding pony or as a universal small horse for adults and children.
By 1974, 1004 horses were left in Saaremaa.
In Kõljala and Sandla state farms, Arabian stallions were used on Estonian Native mares to breed lighter riding horses. Similarly, in Karuse and Kärdla collective farms, Shetland pony stallions were used to develop smaller ponies for small children.
All around the same time, some effort was made by both the government and the enthusiasts to also preserve the aboriginal version of the breed. Only pure breed foals were considered for the studbooks and the results of cross breeding were monitored.
By 1990, there were 581 horses left in Saaremaa. With the subsequent collapse of the Soviet Union and closing of the state and collective farms, the numbers dropped even further.
From the Brink of Extinction
Estonia re-established its independence in 20th of August 1991.
In the following year 1992, the Estonian Horse Breeders Society was also restarted with the objective of rescuing the dangerously low population of the Estonian Native from becoming extinct.
In 1993, Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN (FAO) listed the Estonian Native as an “endangered species”, meaning that the species is in a risk of rapid extinction.
In 1996, the Government of Estonia declared the breed a part of the cultural heritage of Estonia and began subsidising any pure breed foals being born.
By 1997, the goal of breeding was set to maintain the remaining version of the aboriginal Estonian Native horse by pure breeding only. The number of horses had dropped to 443.
In 2000, the studbook held 421 horses. The Estonian Horse Breeders Society developed a preservation and breeding programme for Estonian Native. FAO swiched its classification of Estonian Native horse to “endangered – recoverable”.
In 2001, the use of electronic chips on horses was established and many horses were shown, rated and measured. From the results, it was noted that regardless of the numerous breeding experiments, Estonian Native horse presents a remarkably stable exterior and is one of the few breeds that has also retained the aboriginal markings.
In the 2000s, the popularity of the breed as a universal riding pony rose steadily across Estonia and also Finland. The breeders have had to work diligently on pair selection to avoid inbreeding.
Since 2014, two studbooks are being kept across Estonia by two distinct breeders societies. Both organisations are dedicated to the preservation, support and development of pure breeding Estonian Natives.
As of 2024, there are approx. 2700 pure breed Estonian Native horses in Estonia and smaller populations in Finland and Latvia.
From the local aboriginal stallions, the bloodlines of Ahti 228E, Raspel 70E, Taube 60E and Eni 8E are still in use. Some bloodlines of the once imported Finnish stallions are also still in use – Vuhti 136E, Taru 149E and Lari 23E.
Nowadays most horses are utilized for sport, tourism and as a rewarding hobby. The Estonian Native is often used as a universal riding pony for tourist trails, in equestrian schools or in households and small farms as a family favourite.
Estonian Native horses have competed successfully in show jumping, dressage and carriage driving.
In the island of Saaremaa, small herds of horses are once more used to graze and support the upkeep of the coastal meadows from being overgrown, creating opportunities for many species of migratory birds to find nesting spots on the coasts of Estonia.
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Combined and translated by Helen Kaarlep