Latvian

In Latvia, from the start of the 20th century through to 1952, the Latvian breed was developed by the crossing of native horses with European harness and harness saddle horses.  Some of the horses influencing the Latvian breed included Holstein, Hanoverian and Oldenburg.

Two types of Latvian horses has been developed, equestrian sport horses and harness horses.  Before the 1960's, the harness type of Latvian horse was emphasized, but as equestrian sports gained popularity in Latvia, the sport type was increased by using more Thoroughbred and Hanoverian bloodlines.

Latvian horses have provided strong results for performance testing in both saddle and harness, and even under competition.