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The Dole Gudbrandsdal, Dølahest, or Dole is a
draft Draft, the draft, or draught may refer to: Watercraft dimensions * Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel * Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail * Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a v ...
- and
harness A harness is a looped restraint or support. Specifically, it may refer to one of the following harness types: * Bondage harness * Child harness * Climbing harness * Dog harness * Five-point harness, a type of seatbelt * Horse harness * Pet harnes ...
-type horse from
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
. The Dole Trotter is alternately considered a subtype of the Dole Gudbrandsdal and a separate breed; it is also considered a part of the
coldblood trotter The Scandinavian Coldblood Trotter consists of two closely related and interconnected breeds of trotting horse: the Norsk Kaldblodstraver or Norwegian Coldblood Trotter and the Svensk Kallblodstravare, the Swedish Coldblood Trotter or North Swe ...
type. The Dole Gudbrandsdal is a small draft horse, known for its pulling power and agility, while the Dole Trotter is a smaller, faster horse used for harness racing. The two types were previously commonly interbred, but the studbooks have been separate since 2000 and since 2016 the criteria for entry into the Gudbrandsdal horse studbook has required a strict critique of eligible mares. The Dole is originally from the Gudbrandsdal Valley, and is probably descended in part from the
Friesian horse The Friesian ( in Dutch; in West Frisian) is a horse breed originating in Friesland in north Netherlands. The breed nearly became extinct on more than one occasion. It is classified as a light draught horse, and the modern day Friesian hor ...
. Over time, the breed has had
Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds, horse breed developed for Thoroughbred racing, horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thorough ...
,
Arabian The Arabian Peninsula (, , or , , ) or Arabia, is a peninsula in West Asia, situated north-east of Africa on the Arabian plate. At , comparable in size to India, the Arabian Peninsula is the largest peninsula in the world. Geographically, the ...
, and other breeds added in, especially during the creation of the Dole Trotter in the 19th century. The first studbook was created in 1941, and the current
breed association Breed clubs are associations or clubs with activities centered on a single, specific breed of a particular species of domesticated animal. The purpose of the association will vary with the species of animal and the goals and needs of the members ...
was formed in 1947. Although originally used mainly as a
pack horse A packhorse, pack horse, or sumpter refers to a horse, mule, donkey, or pony used to carry goods on its back, usually in sidebags or panniers. Typically packhorses are used to cross difficult terrain, where the absence of roads prevents the use o ...
, today, the heavier Dole type is used mainly for agricultural purposes. The Dole Gudbrandsdal been crossed with other breeds to develop horses for
harness racing 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, spider, or chariot occupied by a driver. In Europe, and less frequently in Australia ...
and riding.


Breed characteristics

Dole horses generally stand at high, weigh , and are usually
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'', ''sea'', ''sound'', or ''bight''. A ''cove'' is a small, ci ...
,
black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...
, or
chestnut The chestnuts are the deciduous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Castanea'', in the beech family Fagaceae. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce. They are native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Description ...
.
Gray Grey (more frequent in British English) or gray (more frequent in American English) is an intermediate color between black and white. It is a neutral or achromatic color, meaning that it has no chroma. It is the color of a cloud-covered s ...
is present in the population, as is the
cream gene The cream gene is responsible for a number of Equine coat color, horse coat colors. Horses that have the cream gene in addition to a base coat color that is chestnut (coat), chestnut will become palomino if they are heterozygous, having one co ...
, meaning
palomino Palomino is a equine coat color, genetic color in horses, consisting of a gold coat and white mane (horse), mane and tail; the degree of whiteness can vary from bright white to yellow. The palomino color derived from the breeding of Spanish hor ...
, buckskin and
smoky black Smoky black or black carrying cream is a equine coat color, coat color of horses which has the same phenotype as black (horse), black. Smoky black is produced by the action of a heterozygous (single copy) cream gene on an underlying black (horse), ...
occurs. Double dilute individuals are considered undesirable in the stud book due to now-disproven associations with albinism. Double-dilute stallions are prohibited from breeding, whilst double-dilute mares are not certified at studbook inspections but their progeny may be registered in the studbook. The
dun Dun most commonly refers to: *Dun gene, which produces a brownish-gray color (dun) in horses and other Equidae * Dun (fortification), an ancient or medieval fort Dun or DUN may also refer to: Places Scotland * Dun, Angus, a civil parish in ...
gene does not exist in the population. White markings may occur on the head and legs. The head is heavy with a straight profile, the neck rather short and muscular, the
withers Withers are the ridge between the shoulder blades of an animal, typically a quadruped. In many species, this ridge is the tallest point of the body. In horses and dogs, it is the standard place to measure the animal's height. In contrast, catt ...
moderately pronounced and broad, the chest wide and deep, and the shoulder strong, muscular, and sloping. The
back The human back, also called the dorsum (: dorsa), is the large posterior area of the human body, rising from the top of the buttocks to the back of the neck. It is the surface of the body opposite from the chest and the abdomen. The vertebral c ...
is long and the
croup Croup ( ), also known as croupy cough, is a type of respiratory infection that is usually caused by a virus. The infection leads to swelling inside the trachea, which interferes with normal breathing and produces the classic symptoms of "bar ...
broad, muscular, and slightly sloping. The legs are short but sturdy and well muscled, with broad, solid joints and tough hooves. At one point in the breed's history, it was prone to weak legs and low
fertility Fertility in colloquial terms refers the ability to have offspring. In demographic contexts, fertility refers to the actual production of offspring, rather than the physical capability to reproduce, which is termed fecundity. The fertility rate ...
, but these problems have since been corrected. Dole horses closely resemble the British
Fell A fell (from Old Norse ''fell'', ''fjall'', "mountain"Falk and Torp (2006:161).) is a high and barren landscape feature, such as a mountain or Moorland, moor-covered hill. The term is most often employed in Fennoscandia, Iceland, the Isle of M ...
and Dales ponies, which developed from the same ancestral stock.Swinney and Langrish, p. 85Edwards, pp. 280–281 When presented for grading and studbook inspection, the heavy-type Dole Gudbrandsdals are tested for pulling power and trotting. In the lighter type, X-rays showing the knee and lower legs to be free of defects must be presented. Trotting-type mares with proper conformation that are not fast enough during grading may be registered as draft-type Doles.Hendricks, pp. 155–156 These strict and organized standards have improved the quality of the Dole breed over the past few decades. Although the Dole horse is one of the smallest draft breeds, it shows great pulling power, and is also hardy and agile. They are especially known for their excellent trot, as is shown by the lighter subtype of the breed. During the late 20th century, interbreeding between the two types became quite common; due to this, the breed became much more uniform in type, with fewer differences between the trotter and draft sections.


Breed history

The Dole is thought to have originated in the
Gudbrandsdal Gudbrandsdalen (; ) is a valley and traditional district in the Norwegian county of Innlandet (formerly Oppland). The valley is oriented in a north-westerly direction from Lillehammer and the lake of Mjøsa, extending toward the Romsdalen vall ...
, an inland valley in the county of
Oppland Oppland is a former county in Norway which existed from 1781 until its dissolution on 1 January 2020. The old Oppland county bordered the counties of Trøndelag, Møre og Romsdal, Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Akershus, Oslo and Hedmark. The ...
. It is likely that the Dole is in part a descendant of the Friesian, as the two breeds are similar in conformation, and the Frisian people were known traders in the area between 400 and 800 AD. There was also equine movement between western Norway and northern England during the 9th century through the mid-11th century; this extended period of trade between these areas likely influenced the strong resemblance between the Dole, Friesian, Fell Pony and Dale Pony breeds. Two stallions, Odin and Mazarin, had a large influence on the development of the Dole breed. Odin (son of Partisan), was a stallion of Thoroughbred (some sources say
Norfolk Trotter The Norfolk Trotter is a historical horse breed once native to East Anglia and Norfolk, England. It was said to be "a large-sized trotting harness horse originating in and around Norfolk". In 1542, King Henry VIII required the wealthy to keep a ...
Bongianni, Entry 99) breeding, imported to Norway in 1834. Odin was said to cost £257 at the time and to have been bred to over 100 mares in his first four years in Norway. All Dole Trotter horses today contain Odin bloodlines. Mazarin was an
Arabian The Arabian Peninsula (, , or , , ) or Arabia, is a peninsula in West Asia, situated north-east of Africa on the Arabian plate. At , comparable in size to India, the Arabian Peninsula is the largest peninsula in the world. Geographically, the ...
imported to Norway in 1934. In 1849, another influential stallion was foaled, named Veikle Balder 4; he was a grandson of Odin and is considered the foundation stallion of the heavier Dole type. A stallion named Brimen 825 was used by breeders to maintain and improve some horses of the heavier Dole type for draft uses. In the 19th century, harness racing began to rise in popularity in Norway and breeders looked to create a horse suitable for that sport. The Dole Trotter, a smaller, lighter, faster variation of the draft-type Dole Gudbrandsdal, was then developed. Infusions of
Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds, horse breed developed for Thoroughbred racing, horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thorough ...
blood, as well as that of various trotting and heavy draft breeds, was used to create this new type. The Dole Trotter was especially influenced between 1840 and 1860 by two other stallions, Toftebrun and Dovre (an Arabian); the latter is the foundation stallion of the Dole Trotter type. The two types are commonly interbred, especially since 1960. In 1872, the Dole Gudbrandsdal was split into two types, a class for heavier agriculture and driving horses and a class for lighter racing and riding horses. In 1875, the
Norwegian Trotting Association The Norwegian Trotting Association (, DNT) is the sports federation organizing horse racing in Norway. It is an umbrella for the 13 regional federations and 185 local chapters with 17,000 members. Tote betting takes place at eleven harness race c ...
was formed by enthusiasts of the second type. In 1902, the first Dole Gudbrandsdal studbook was published, containing stallions from both types born between 1846 and 1892. In 1903, the Norwegian Trotting Association split their registration between purebred Norwegian trotters and trotting crosses. At the same time, standards for entry were tightened and the first inspection committee was created. In 1965, the Norwegian or Dole Trotter studbook was taken over by the Norwegian Trotting Association, as part of the new coldblood trotter program approved by the Norwegian Ministry for Agriculture. The Dole Trotter studbook is still coordinated with the original Dole Gudbrandsdal registry, and horses have to meet many of the same standards. The Dole Trotter is alternately considered a subtype of the Dole Gudbrandsdal and a separate breed. Interest in the Dole Gudbrandsdal continued through World War II, and the horses were used heavily during Norway's occupation by Germany. Breed numbers and interest diminished after the war, as increasing mechanization reduced demand for draft animals; however, a breeding center was established in 1962 to help maintain population numbers. In 1947, the National Dølehorse Association was formed to promote and preserve the breed. As of 2002, about 4,000 Dole Gudbrandsdals are registered, with around 175 new foals added annually.


Uses

When originally developed, Dole Gudbrandsdals were used as pack horses on overland trade routes across Norway, the main one of which connected Oslo with the North Sea and ran through the Gudbrandsdal Valley. The Dole Gudbrandsdal is used mainly for heavy draft and agricultural work, as well as timber hauling, while the lighter Dole Trotter is used mainly for harness racing. The Dole Gudbrandsdal was an influential breed in the formation of the
North Swedish Horse The North Swedish Horse or is a Swedish breed of small heavy horse. It is closely related to the similar Dølehest breed of Norway. It was traditionally used for forestry and agricultural work. Lighter lines are bred for harness racing, and ...
, and the two breeds are very similar in conformation. When the Dole and North Swedish breeds are crossed, they produce a lighter-weight horse with more
forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People *Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Smal ...
gaits Gait is the pattern of movement of the limbs of animals, including humans, during locomotion over a solid substrate. Most animals use a variety of gaits, selecting gait based on speed, terrain, the need to maneuver, and energetic efficiency. D ...
that is often used for harness racing.Edwards, p. 282 The Dole Gudbrandsdal has also been crossed with
Swedish Warmblood The Swedish Warmblood is a Swedish list of horse breeds, breed of warmblood horse. It was originally bred as a cavalry horse at the Strömsholm, Ottenby and Flyinge studs. In the twentieth century it became a general-purpose riding horse, ridi ...
s to produce riding-type horses, and Dole/Thoroughbred crosses may produce nice hunter horses.


References


Further reading

* * * * *


External links


National Association of Dolehorses
(Norwegian)
Google book
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dolehest Horse breeds Horse breeds originating in Norway