The Italian Trotter, it, Trottatore Italiano, italic=no, is the Italian breed of

trotting horse Harness racing is a form of horse racing in which the horses race at a specific gait (a trot or a pace). They usually pull a two-wheeled cart called a sulky, or spider, or chariot occupied by a driver. In Europe, and less frequently in Australia ...

. It has been

selectively bred Selective breeding (also called artificial selection) is the process by which humans use animal breeding and plant breeding to selectively develop particular phenotypic traits (characteristics) by choosing which typically animal or plant mal ...

exclusively for its racing ability.

Varenne Varenne (foaled in Copparo, Italy, 19 May 1995) is a dark bay racing trotter by Waikiki Beach out of Ialmaz by Zebu. Varenne is considered to be the best trotter of all time. No other trotter has won so many of the most important races in the ...

, one of the most successful trotters in the history of the sport, was an Italian Trotter.

History

The Italian Trotter has been influenced by the

French Trotter The French Trotter is a French breed of trotting horse bred for racing both ridden and in harness. It was bred specifically for racing in the nineteenth century, principally in Normandy in north-western France. History Ridden trotting rac ...

, the Russian

Orlov Trotter The Orlov Trotter (also known as ''Orlov;'' Russian: орловский рысак) is a horse breed with a hereditary fast trot, noted for its outstanding speed and stamina. It is the most famous Russian horse. The breed was developed in Rus ...

and the American Standardbred. The move in recent years towards races over shorter distances has led to greater reliance on horses of the American type. The first trotting races in the Italian peninsula were held in the Prato della Valle of Padova (which at that time was in the

Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy The Kingdom of Italy (1805–1814; it, Regno d'Italia; french: Royaume d'Italie) was a kingdom in Northern Italy (formerly the Italian Republic) in personal union with Napoleon I's French Empire. It was fully influenced by revolutionary Franc ...

) from 1808, some two years after the earliest official races at

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,02 ...

, in the United States. Selection of the Italian Trotter did not begin until the second half of the nineteenth century, when mares with aptitude for trotting were put to English

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...

stallion A stallion is a male horse that has not been gelded (castrated). Stallions follow the conformation and phenotype of their breed, but within that standard, the presence of hormones such as testosterone may give stallions a thicker, "cresty" nec ...

s. The first notable Italian trotting horse was Vandalo, foaled in

Ferrara Ferrara (, ; egl, Fràra ) is a city and ''comune'' in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital of the Province of Ferrara. it had 132,009 inhabitants. It is situated northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main stream ...

in 1862. A genealogical

stud-book A breed registry, also known as a herdbook, studbook or register, in animal husbandry and the hobby of animal fancy, is an official list of animals within a specific breed whose parents are known. Animals are usually registered by their breeders ...

was opened in 1896. The stud-book is closed – only horses born to registered parents can be registered; however, trotters registered elsewhere can sometimes be admitted if their racing record is exceptional. The most celebrated Italian Trotter is

, foaled in 1995, who raced in seven countries, won 61 of his 73 races, and whose winnings of over €6 million are thought to be a record.

Characteristics

The Italian Trotter has been

exclusively for its racing ability, particularly over short and medium distances; races over longer distances are no longer common in Italy. There is no breed standard or morphological requirement of any kind. The most common coat colours are

bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a Gulf (geography), gulf, sea, sound (geography), sound, or bight (geogra ...

chestnut The chestnuts are the deciduous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Castanea'', in the beech family Fagaceae. They are native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce. The unrelat ...

and black.

References

External links

*
Varenne's website

Varenne's World record

Varenne at Fiera Cavalli
Horse breeds Horse breeds originating in Italy {{horse-stub