page_title: Finnhorse
section_title: Breed sections
hierarchical_section_title: Finnhorse / Breed sections
caption_attribution_description: English: Finnhorse Stallion Murron-Ryhti 3531 in a horse pulling competition, pulling a cart loaded with stones, in sand.
context_page_description: The Finnhorse or Finnish Horse is a horse breed with both riding horse and draught horse influences and characteristics, and is the only breed developed fully in Finland. In English it is sometimes called the Finnish Universal, as the Finns consider the breed capable of fulfilling all of Finland's horse needs, including agricultural and forestry work, harness racing, and riding. In 2007, the breed was declared the official national horse breed of Finland.
  The Finnhorse is claimed to be among the fastest and most versatile "coldblood" breeds in the world. In Finland, the term "universal horse" is used to describe the Finnhorse and breeds such as the Fjord horse that are relatively small with a body type that is heavy for a riding horse but light for a draught. There are four separate sections within the Finnhorse stud book, each with different goals: to develop a heavier working horse, a lighter trotter type, a versatile riding horse, and a proportionally smaller pony-sized animal. The combined breed standard for all four sections defines the breed as a strong, versatile horse with pleasant disposition.
context_section_description: The Finnhorse stud book was created in 1907. Today it has four sections: the Working section (T; draught type), Trotter section (J), Riding section (R) and Pony-sized section (P) In 1924, the first split in the stud book was created, with the working or draught type (Finnish: työlinja) horses in one section, and the "all-around" or "universal" lighter trotting horses in another. In 1965, this all-around section was renamed the trotter section. Then, in 1971, this lighter horse section was divided into three parts: the trotter (Finnish: juoksijalinja), riding (Finnish: ratsulinja) and pony-sized (Finnish: pienhevoslinja) types. Today, the majority of Finnhorses are of trotter type.
caption: Draught-type stallion Murron-Ryhti 3531 pulling a stone cart at a pulling competition in the 1930s, exhibiting the typical low, effective pulling stature of the breed.
exif: {}