Gotland

Sweden's primordial horse breed, Gotland, still live on the land in the woods of Gotland, as they have for thousands of years. They are a living relic of the past.

The history of the Gotland horse breed is a bit mysterious, but discoveries from the Stone Age lead people to believe the Gotland has been roaming the land for about 5,000 years or more.  The oldest reference to the pony is found in 13th century legal code, in Skanelagen, with mention of "the wild horses of Gotland."

In the 18th Century, many references of the Gotland pony are found. By the 19th century, the ponies were found throughout Gotland on large forest and within the center of the island.  Farmers were using Gotland Ponies as draft horses on their farms.  The number of Gotland ponies dropped in the middle of the 19th century, as many were sold to Germany and England for mining and chore work.  As the forests in Gotland were cultivated for farmers, the ponies were seen as pests because they began trampling the newly built fences for the farmers.

Only about 150 Gotland ponies remained in the beginning of the 20th century, but the Gotland Agricultural Society set out ot save the Gotland Pony.  They fenced in over 200 acres of land and captured 5 Gotland Ponies to live there.  Soon, a clan of Gotland ponies developed, and it was these horses that were uesed for breeding in an effort to maintain the breed.

Most Gotland ponies are black, sorrels, bays or buckskins.  When a foal is born of light coloring, it is considered undesirable as there is a risk of breeding of two light colored Gotland ponies resulting in an Albino.  Albino horses have skin that is overly sensitive to sun exposure.

Gotland ponies are used as children's horses, for dressage, jumping, trotting and driving.  To obtain a pedigree, the breed must produce a horse that is 45 to 51 inches in height, with an energetic disposition.  In Sweeden, there are about 9,000 Gotland ponies, with more found in Finland, Denmark and the USA.