The Finnhorse is Finland's national horse. It is the only Finnish horse
breed, and it has a firm position in the minds of the Finns due to its
diligence and braveness throughout Finnish history. The breed has remained
pure during its 100-year long existence due to strict breeding rules.
This paper studies the Finnhorse as a part of Finnish history. It
describes the development and role of the Finnhorse in modern Finland and
discusses the following questions: Why is the Finnhorse a part of Finnish
identity? How have its roles in Finnish life changed over the years? And
how does the future look for the Finnhorse?
The Origins of the Finnhorse
The oldest signs of horses in the present-day territory of Finland date
back to the Bronze Age. Horses that have lived and developed in Finland
since those days are often referred to as Finnish horses in order
to separate them from purebred Finnhorses, because the Finnhorse as a
breed came into existence only in the year 1907 (Saastamoinen 9).
The Finnish horses were the predecessors of the Finnhorse. These horses
had adapted to the Finnish climate and to the needs of the people.
Although there is much controversy on the actual origins of Finnish
horses, it is almost certain that they had descended from the
Northern-European forest horse. These horses were accustomed to living in
forests, and thus they were more experienced with different forest-origin
threats and hazards than horse breeds that had developed on prairies and
plains. The horses that are descended from the forest breeds are more
sedate, slower and steadier by nature than those who derive from breeds
that have lived on prairies and plains; this in part explains why the
Finnhorse is even today described as a calm and cooperative horse
(Saastamoinen 9).
The breeding of Finnish horses had begun as early as the 14th century;
the first sign of horse breeding dates to 1338, when one part of Eastern
Finland was referred to as "Mare-Carelia", which most likely refers to
extensive and organised horse breeding (Ticklén 5). In those days, horses
were traded to and from Russia. Later, the development of Finnish horses
was influenced by foreign breeds, when the Finnish horses were cross-bred
with various breeds from Europe, the Baltic countries and Russia
(Saastamoinen 9, 10).
The aim of cross-breeding Finnish horses with foreign breeds was mainly
to increase the size of the horses. For example, the Frisian horse, a
muscular draft horse breed from the Netherlands, was brought to Finland in
the early 16th century (Saastamoinen 10). During the period between the
16th and late 19th centuries, Finnish horses were cross-bred with several
other breeds in order to develop a breed suitable for the developing
agriculture. These breeds included the Ardennes horse, a heavy-built draft
horse from the Ardennes area in Belgium, Luxembourg and France, and the
Orlov horse, a Russian trotter breed, which was brought to Finland to
increase the stamina of Finnish horses (Saastamoinen 10, Talaskivi 79).
Creating a Uniquely Finnish Horse Breed
In the late 19th century, Finland was going through a period of
national awakening. Finland had long been under the command of other
nations1, but now, as a grand duchy of
Russia, Finland had more freedom to govern its own issues. The people
started to cherish and value uniquely Finnish traditions. This period of
time created a new concept of being a Finn, and the Finnish horse was
thought to reinforce the national identity (Saastamoinen 13). This was the
beginning of breeding the Finnish horse towards being a breed of its own.
To initiate the breeding, the state appointed so-called "Horse Friends'
Associations" (Hevosystäväin Seura). These associations selected stallions
which represented the desired qualities that were planned to be the main
characteristics of the breed (Talaskivi 80). When the associations
considered what features they should value most when selecting stallions,
they decided that the characteristics of a trotter were the most
favourable for developing this new breed: the agility and speed of a
trotter meant that it would be suitable for tasks in forestry and
transportation, and the trotter's strength and muscularity also made it
suitable for work in fields (Ticklén 9). When the first of group breeding
stallions for the future Finnhorse line was selected in the 1870s, there
were about 60 of them; by 1893 the number had grown to 100 (Talaskivi 80).
After these stallions had been selected, the idea was that there would
be no cross-breeding. The fact that these stallions had qualities and
characteristics from foreign breeds was acknowledged, but the main concern
was that from that point onwards, there would be no new "interference" in
the pool of traits that had been identified (Talaskivi 80). However, the
problem with this system was that there were no definitions which would
have described the characteristics of the breed explicitly enough. Thus,
all of the horses did not represent the same characteristics. Still, this
was the first organised step towards developing the Finnish horse into the
direction of a breed of its own and to becoming a versatile farm horse
(Ojala 14, Pesonen 22).
The most significant event in the history of the Finnhorse occurred in
1907, when the studbook for Finnhorse stallions was established (Ojala
13). In 1894, some horse breeders had established Suomen Hippos, an
association of horse breeders. This association was the first to create
clear definitions for the future breed (Pesonen 25). Their work and
devotion was one of the reasons why an initiative to create a studbook was
made. This studbook consisted of 113 pedigree stallions; from this point
onwards, it is appropriate to talk about the Finnhorse as a breed, as the
studbook is a record of stallions and mares which have been accepted to be
used for breeding (Ojala 13).
The criteria for accepting horses for breeding were defined when
selecting stallions that were thought to be good representatives of the
newly established breed. These horses were very similar to the Finnhorses
of today. This was the beginning of the pure-bred Finnhorse, since after
creating the studbook, no cross-breeding with foreign horses or even with
horses of foreign appearance was allowed (Ojala 13). "Foreign appearance"
included characteristics that did not fit into the image of the Finnhorse,
for example a hooked and overly long head, tall ears that are located near
each other or an arched, delicate neck (Suomen Hippos).
A Short Description of the Breed
The Finnhorse is a so-called "common" horse breed, which means that it
is suitable for a variety of purposes. According to the official
definition of the breed, the Finnhorse is middle-sized, well-postured and
sturdy. Its head has definite features and a straight form, its neck is
rather robust, and its body is round, long and well-proportioned. It has
sturdy and muscular legs and good hooves. It moves smoothly and is
cooperative, humble, persistent and energetic by nature (Suomen).
The Finnhorse is
well-adapted to the cold Finnish climate because of its dense coat and a
relatively thick layer of fat under the coat (Saastamoinen 93). It is one
of the fastest coldblood2 trotters in the
world. Moreover, compared to its size, it can also pull heavier loads than
many draft horse breeds (Saastamoinen 65).
The aim of breeding a good horse for agriculture is visible in the
figure of the Finnhorse. During the history of the breed, Finnhorses have
developed to be lightly-built, but still they have maintained their
characteristic muscularity. Finnhorse mares and stallions are
approximately equal in height, while the length of the body is slightly
longer on mares than on stallions. The average height of a Finnhorse at
the withers3 is about 155 centimetres
(Saastamoinen 99,100).
The differences between Finnhorse individuals are largely explained by
the division of the studbook into four sections in 1971. These sections
are called the trotter4, riding horse,
draft horse and pony sections, according to the purpose of each section.
This division was made so that each section would have the possibility to
breed horses towards the ideal of its own field rather than maintaining
only one Finnhorse standard. The objective was to maintain the versatility
of the Finnhorse in a changing society. The trotter section soon became
the most dominant, largely because of the great demand for trotters,
whereas the draft horse section was diminishing due to the reduced need
for horses to work in agriculture and forestry, since these traditional
horse-centric occupations were now mechanising rapidly (Saastamoinen 81).
The trotter section: The Finnhorses accepted to the trotter
section of the studbook are described as having a lightly-built, yet
muscular body. They should have a relatively long body and long legs
(Ticklén 12).
The riding horse section: The Finnhorses accepted to the mount
section of the studbook should be well-postured and long-necked. Their
body should not be overly long, and they should have a small head, sloping
shoulders and clear withers (Ticklén 13).
The pony section: The Finnhorses accepted to the pony section
are evaluated on the basis of their size: they cannot be higher than 148
centimetres at the withers, and all body parts should be proportionately
small (Ticklén 13, Suomen Hippos).
The draft horse section: The horses in the draft horse section
are heavily built and sturdy. They have a long and deep body. These horses
are expected to be steady and well-suitable for working by nature (Ticklén
12).
The Colours of the Finnhorse
Most Finnhorses are chestnuts, which is usually a reddish shade of
brown. The hue of the chestnut ranges from light to deep brown, the most
common hue being reddish brown. The mane of chestnut Finnhorses ranges
from white to nearly black. Other colours of the Finnhorse include bay,
black and also rarer colours, such as roan, cream and silver. Bay
Finnhorses usually have black on their legs, mane and sides of the ears,
and the colour of the body ranges from light bay to nearly black.
Finnhorses of almost every colour can have some white marks, although
these are rarer in black horses than in horses of other colours
(Saastamoinen 108,109,110).
The Finnhorse as a War Horse
During the history of breeding Finnish horses, the main aim has been to
develop a good breed for agriculture and forestry, but compatibility as a
war horse has also been taken into consideration. The army needed draft
horses as well as riding horses, and the Finnhorse certainly proved its
worthiness when the Winter War began in 1939. One of the chief roles of
the Finnhorse as a war horse was to pull heavy artillery pieces, and its
strength and ability to move quickly made it extremely well suitable for
this task. The Finnhorse was also irreplaceable when helping to transport
supplies and troops in combat areas where no roads existed. The Finnhorse
managed to cope with harsh weather conditions, hardships in the forests
and occasionally irregular care (Saastamoinen 17).
The Divided Nation Suffers from a Lack of Horses during the Civil
War
The significance of horses for the Finnish military became obvious at the
very beginning of Finnish national independence. Finland had declared
independence in December 1917, but the new sovereign nation had severe
problems. The opposing political parties, the Conservatives and the Social
Democrats, had competed for the leadership of the Finnish state, and this
had created a strong feeling of mistrust between the two groups. As
Finland did not have an organised army or police force, both parties
started to build their own security groups. The result was that both
parties formed military troops of their own, the Reds and the Whites.
The atmosphere in Finland grew more and more hostile, and eventually,
Civil War5 broke out in 1918. Despite
their great need for horses for maintenance and transport, neither the Red
nor White forces had proper organisation for arranging the recruitment of
horses. Consequently, both sides suffered from a lack of good horses.
Without a wide base of healthy horses, it was very difficult to organise
and maintain transportation and supply lines. The situation was so
critical that in many cases, the troops did not have any transportation
units, which naturally made it impossible to move the troops quickly
(Ojala 36-38).
When the war was over, the importance of horses for the new, unified
Finnish army was clearly realised. The fact that both the Red and White
armies had suffered from poorly organised recruitment and treatment of
horses during the Civil War made the new Finnish army to realise that it
needed a wide base of strong and healthy horses in order to function
efficiently. This was the starting point for creating a system for
recruiting horses from the civilian sector in case of war. In 1922, a law
was created to ensure that if Finland faced war, it would be able to
obtain enough horses to serve in the army. This law made it possible for
horses to be taken to the army from the countryside if Finland had to go
to war (Ojala 39, 40, Saastamoinen 22).
Apart from a lack of horses and poor organisation of maintenance, both
the Red and the White forces also had a problem with the poor condition of
their horses : the troops had no resources to take care of them; the
longer the war lasted, the worse the lack of healthy horses became. So,
after the war had ended, it was realised that the horses needed more
expert care to remain in good condition. Consequently, more veterinarians
were trained to take care of the horses (Ojala 36-39).
The Finnhorse as the Army's Cornerstone during the Winter War
The steps taken to ensure more efficient recruitment of horses in times
of national emergency proved their necessity when the Winter War6 drew near. It was obvious that the Finnish army
did not have enough horses on its own, and the mobilisation and readiness
of Finnish troops depended almost entirely on horses, especially in areas
where using lorries and trains was not possible, as horses were essential
in transporting troops, artillery and supplies to the front. Thus, the
army turned to the law from 1922 to take civilian horses from the
countryside. In 1939, the law was reviewed and confirmed almost without
any changes, and thus the gathering of horses began (Ojala 39,40).
According to this law, the country was divided into areas of one or two
municipalities; each of these areas was given a specific number of horses
which were to be taken to serve in the army. The Ministry of Defence
appointed a committee for every area which would examine all horses in the
area. In this examination, all horses suitable for war were counted. A
horse which was suitable for war was described as a healthy and viable
horse between the age of five and eighteen years. However, mares carrying
a foal or with a foal younger than five months, as well as pedigree mares,
were generally not selected to serve in the army. In principle, stallions
were not accepted at all, but in some cases a well-mannered stallion was
taken to serve for example in transportation tasks at the home front.
Stallions and pedigree mares were generally left out of the war to ensure
that all quality breeding stock would not be lost in the war. The
municipality and the committee selected the given number of horses, and
when war was declared, these horses were taken to serve in war (Ojala 40,
Saastamoinen 23, 24).
The committees examined horses throughout Finland. According to their
calculations, there were 173,297 (out of a total of 380,000) horses
suitable for war in November 1939 (Ojala 46). During the autumn of 1939,
more than 60,000 Finnhorses were taken to serve in the army. The Finnish
Military Forces had only 4,700 horses on their own, so it was obvious that
horses from the civilian sector were essential for the operation of the
army (Saastamoinen 25, Ojala 45).
Giving up their horses to serve in the army caused much difficulty in
the countryside, because at that time, horses were essential in farm work.
The committees had the aim to not take the farm's only horse to war, but
in some areas there was no other option than to take every suitable horse
to ensure that the quota of war horses was achieved. This naturally caused
some bitterness amongst the farmers who had lost their only horse to war,
but on the other hand, many farmers were willing to give up their horses
to fight for Finland (Saastamoinen 24, 25). The state recognised the loss
the farms suffered when they gave up their horses, and in November 1939,
the Finnish Government decided to grant compensation to the people who had
given their horse to serve in the army. The size of the compensation
varied between 5,000 and 12,0007 Finnish
marks (Ojala 47).
One of the most significant factors in maintaining the mobility of
troops during the war was the expertise of the drivers, horse smiths and
vets who took care of horses. Controlling that the horses were not made to
carry overly heavy loads and that they were harnessed properly, as well as
supervising feeding and housing, were essential to prevent injuries and
sickness. For this purpose, a thorough system to take care of the horses
was created. The importance of this system had been realised during the
Civil War, when the lack of organised care had weakened the condition of
the horses tremendously. In the Winter War, every artillery and infantry
unit had a vet who could give first aid to injured horses (Ojala 51).
The Finnhorse had many duties during war: horses hauled artillery,
transported ammunition and food, carried soldiers who had been injured or
killed, and worked in courier tasks. Horses enabled rapid transportation
of troops from one battlefield to another and secured the possibility to
operate outside the road network (Saastamoinen 25).
However, the horses suffered heavy casualties during the Winter War: a
total of 7,204 horses disappeared, were killed or needed to be put down
during the 105 days of the Winter War. Of these horses, 3,968 were killed
by the enemy; most of them due to artillery fire at the front line or air
raids. During the war, 34,945 injured or sick horses were treated in field
hospitals; 10,135 of those horses recovered so well that they could be
taken back to serve in the front line. Five percent of the horses treated
in field hospitals either died or needed to be put down (Ojala 54,
Saastamoinen 28).
The Continuation War Took A Heavy Toll on the Finnhorse
When the Continuation War8 began in 1941,
the Finnish army had more motor vehicles than during the Winter War, but
the need for horses was still great. Finland started the war with 45,426
horses: the army had 9,565 horses on its own, so the other 35,861 horses
were again brought to serve in the army from the civil front. These horses
were collected much in the same way as in the Winter War, but now the
quotas were revised and decreased to better suit the needs of the
countryside. Again, the army tried to avoid taking the farm's only horse,
but since the proportion of these horses was as large as 80% in some
areas, it is clear some of those horses had to be taken. Giving horses to
serve in the army was troublesome for all farms, but most severe for those
farms that had had to give their only horse. In April 1943, the army
decided to ease these troubles during the period of trench warfare by
allowing farmers to rent horses from the army on a short-term basis to
help with essential farm work. If the renter could provide fodder for the
horse himself, the rent was 20 Finnish marks for a day, but if the army
had to provide the fodder, the daily rent was 55 Finnish marks (Ojala 58).
The total of horses taken to serve in the army between June 1941 and
July 1944 was 62,168. In all, 48,573 horses were later returned to their
owners. The state paid over 45 million Finnish marks to compensate the
injuries and handicaps of returned horses, and almost 300 million Finnish
marks were paid as compensation for killed or disappeared horses (Ojala
58,59). In the continuation war, 14,753 horses were killed, disappeared or
put down. These heavy casualties can be explained by the role of horses in
the Continuation War: the horses were used to transport troops between the
front lines, and thus they faced the worst firing (Ojala 67).
The army had to keep careful records on all horses that had been taken
from the civilian sector to guarantee that the horses could be returned to
their owners after the war. In these records, the most common reasons for
injury or death were listed as "grenades" and "air raids". Horses also had
to haul heavy loads over rough terrain, and this exposed their feet to
severe injuries. For example, walking over rocky and uneven terrain while
carrying heavy loads could often damage the hooves and legs of the horses.
Consequently, hundreds of horses died from over-exertion. Apart from this,
many horses also died from starvation, since fodder was sometimes very
hard to provide when the troops were moving rapidly (Ojala 68).
The Finnhorse in the Finnish Army after the Wars
When the Finnish Army returned to a state of peace in 1945, the number
of horses in the army was reduced drastically. In April 1945, the army had
975 mounts and 2,065 draft horses (Ojala 72). However, soon it became
obvious that the Finnhorse's role in the army was becoming even less
significant: the army was beginning to rely more on motor vehicles.
Moreover, the number of Finnhorses in the whole of Finland was decreasing
rapidly because of the mechanising of agriculture. In 1950, there had been
408,800 Finnhorses in Finland, but by 1970, the number had gone down to
89,000 (Ojala 72). As a consequence, the army could no longer rely on
horses to provide the same kind of support that it had received during the
Winter War and the Continuation War. There simply were not enough horses
in Finland to guarantee the mobility of the army in the time of emergency,
so the army had to find other ways to ensure its operation in the time of
need (Saastamoinen 30).
The army therefore gradually replaced horses with tractors and cars,
and by 1970, there were only 550 Finnhorses left in the army. However,
some horses were kept in the army because it was thought that in the
largely forested country, snowiness and rough terrain would make the
Finnhorse invaluable in situations where using motor vehicles was not
possible. With help from Finnhorses, transportation could be operated in
extreme situations until tractors had succeeded in clearing roads for
motor vehicles (Ojala 72). This idea of the Finnhorse's role in the
Finnish army remained for a while. However, as the technology developed
ever faster and further, the very last detachment that had been trained to
use horses was discontinued in the early 1970s, and the horses that had
been part of this detachment went to serve in the army's Veterinary
School. However, the school was closed in 1994, and the last war horses in
the Finnish army were auctioned (Pesonen 169).
Even though the army gave up keeping Finnhorses, the memory of their
accomplishments and braveness during the war is still cherished. In 1994,
soon after the army had given up the last of its Finnhorses, an initiative
was launched to erect a statue to honour the Finnhorses that had served in
the army during the wars. Funds for this statue were raised by war
veterans as well as younger horse enthusiasts, and in August 1997, the
statue was unveiled in the town of Seinäjoki in Western Finland. Seinäjoki
was chosen as the location for this statue since the area surrounding the
town had given up an exceptionally large percentage of its horses for war
(Saastamoinen 30).
Almost all Finns who had lived during the time of the war had been
connected with Finnhorses, and whether it had been on the war front or on
the home front, all recognised that the Finnhorse had been one of the
reasons why Finland had survived the hardships of war. The statue in
Seinäjoki reminds contemporary Finns of this.
The Finnhorse in Agriculture, Forestry and in the Time of
Rebuilding
Agriculture in Europe was somewhat mechanised already before the World
Wars, but in Finland agriculture was at that time still dependent on
horses. Horses were used in all farm tasks from ploughing to harvesting
hay, and the development of agriculture in the early 20th century was
based on horse-drawn devices, such as the seeder and the mower. At first
these devices were used only on large farms, but gradually they became
available also for smaller farms, when groups of small farms purchased
expensive machines together. This way it was possible for even small farms
to benefit from new technology (Saastamoinen 40).
As a farm horse, the Finnhorse was on-duty throughout the year: in the
spring, it was time for sowing and harrowing; in the summer, for haying;
in the autumn, for ploughing, and in the winter, for forestry and for
transporting fodder. On top of these tasks, horses were also used for
travelling, carrying milk to the dairy and grain to the mill throughout
the year (Saastamoinen 40).
The rapid development of agriculture was interrupted when most men of
working age had to leave for war in 1939, not to mention the fact that a
great proportion of horses had also been taken to serve in war. Young men,
as well as women and girls, were now responsible for taking care of farm
work with the few horses they had left (Saastamoinen 41). Although life on
the home front was hard and there was more work that could possibly be
done, the strong feeling of fighting for the common good gave strength to
those who remained on the farms (Pesonen 119).
The respect that was held for the Finnhorse was obvious in the way
people treated horses who returned home from war: they were given lighter
tasks and special care; they were thought to be war heroes just like the
men who returned from the front (Saastamoinen 42).
The forest industry had started to develop already in the late 19th
century, but the real "golden age" of Finnish forestry began after the
wars. Extensive fellings in the deep forests required lots of work power
from horses as well as from men, and the horses were used to pull loads of
timber to river and lake banks, from where the timber was floated by water
towards factories and cities. In difficult circumstances, such as on
shallow and narrow rivers, and before machines were developed to drive
timber, the Finnhorse was essential for this task. It moved nimbly along
the riverbanks and pulled the rafts of logs. Driving timber along
waterways was the prevailing way to transport timber until the late 1960s,
when water-driving was replaced by lorries and trains (Saastamoinen
42,43).
The Critical Role of the Finnhorse During The Time of Rebuilding
The time after the wars was similar for both the Finnhorse and Finnish
agriculture: both went through a short and intense period of thriving from
the late 1940s to the early 1960s. When the war had ended, Finland had
lost a great deal of land in the East, and thus a large part of the
population had to find new homes. On top of that, the men who had spent
the previous years in the front needed work to provide for their families.
Finnish people had to use all their resources and energy to re-establish
their lives and repair the damage that Finland had faced during the war
(Saastamoinen 43, 44).
The problem with providing new homes for emigrants from the lost areas
was solved by remarkably efficient action: about 90,000 new farms were
established and 400,000 hectares of field were cleared to inhabit
emigrants. Often these fields were cleared in difficult areas, and in this
work the Finnhorse was of utmost importance. As the field area and number
of farms grew, the need for horses was greater than ever, and in the late
1940s and the early 1950s the number of Finnhorses was at its largest, at
over 400,000. A significant number of these horses also worked in forestry
(Saastamoinen 44).
During the time of rebuilding, the link between the Finnhorse and Finns
was almost symbiotic: neither man nor horse could survive without each
other. Finland was trying to survive from the damage caused by the wars,
and it had only horses to rely on for this massive task. Horses were so
important for the people who lived at that time that they were not able
to think of life without them. Even today, when older people tell about
their experiences from those days, the Finnhorses have a special role in
the stories. Their names, appearances and characteristics are still
clearly in the minds of people; this reveals how people lived side by side
with their horses (Saastamoinen 36).
The Time of Change in Agriculture and Finnish Society
In the early 1960s, Finland went through the biggest structural change
in its history when rural society began to lose its significance. Many new
machines were introduced in agriculture, such as the tractor, the chainsaw
and the milking machine. These new machines reduced the need for
traditional manual labour quickly and drastically. Most farms in Finland
had until this time been small farms where all work had been done by only
one horse, but now the number of these farms began to decrease, because it
was not profitable to buy expensive machines for small farms. Without
machines, the small farms could not survive from the competition with
bigger farms. As the machines enhanced the production of farming,
agriculture quickly went to a state of overproduction. Consequently, the
state began to pay compensation to farmers if they gave up farming
completely. All these factors meant an end for Finland as an agricultural
society, as well as an end to the golden age of the Finnhorse
(Saastamoinen 45).
The Status of the Finnhorse in Modern Finland
When agriculture replaced horses with tractors, lorries and other
machines, the most traditional purpose for the Finnhorse came to an end.
This meant that the Finnhorse's role in Finnish society was changing. This
change can be seen in the statistics on the total number of Finnhorses in
Finland: in 1950, there were 408,000 Finnhorses, but by 1970, the number
had gone down to 89,800. During the 1950s and 1960s the change was most
striking, as thousands of Finnhorses were butchered every year. Horses had
to be butchered because there were too many of them, and the farmers could
not afford to keep horses if they did not need them for farm work
(Saastamoinen 66).
The taxation of using horses in forestry work was also changed in the
late 1960s; with the new taxation, it was no longer possible to get a tax
refund for fodder used by the horses in forestry. This did not encourage
people to keep a horse just for the forestry work, especially when
machinery was developing and becoming available for a wide part of
population. Consequently, Finnhorses disappeared from the forests; along
with the horses also vanished the heritage of the old Finnhorse lines that
had been most adapted to hard work in the forests. The individuals that
were preserved were the horses that were most suitable for trotting and
other sports and leisure activities (Saastamoinen 66).
The development of trotting, riding and other horse activities has
maintained the active breeding of the Finnhorse in recent years. Since
the early 1990s, the number of Finnhorses has been increasing slowly in
spite of some passing periods of decline: in 1990, there were 15,900
Finnhorses in Finland, but by 2007 the number had risen to just over
19,000 (Saastamoinen 65, 66). This increase can perhaps be explained by
support given to breeders by the European Union as well as new ways of
using the Finnhorse.
Finnhorse breeders are entitled to a European Union subsidy, since the EU
has classified the Finnhorse as a native breed that is to be preserved.
The European Union wants to keep the Finnhorse because of its uniqueness
as a Finnish breed, its significance during Finnish history and its value
as a Finnish cultural icon. A breeder who has been registered and approved
as a Finnhorse breeder by the local Employment and Economic Development
Centre (TE-keskus) is entitled to the subsidy for breeding
Finnhorses. This subsidy is part of the System for Environmental Subsidies
(Suomenhevosen).
Although subsidies encourage and support the breeding of Finnhorses,
the reasons for breeding are often other than economic. Breeding
Finnhorses is more of a hobby to most breeders (Ticklén 29). Over 75% of
all Finnhorses are nowadays used mainly for trotting, but recently new
trends in riding and other horse activities have developed several other
purposes for Finnhorses (Saastamoinen 64). For example, the Finnhorse is
exceptionally suitable for various types of therapy and rehabilitation.
These activities have existed in Finland since the late 1980s, and
nowadays there are three main branches of using horses for therapy: riding
therapy, which has a physiotherapeutic purpose; social pedagogy, where the
emphasis usually lies in encouraging young, troubled people to take part
in the small community at the stables; and specialised riding therapy for
the physically or mentally handicapped. All these types of therapy require
that the horse has a steady, calm and obedient nature, and the Finnhorse
is thus very suitable (Pesonen 212). Therefore, the characteristics that
once made the Finnhorse invaluable in the wars are now opening new
possibilities.
Farm tourism also opens a wide variety of possibilities for the
Finnhorse: as a uniquely Finnish horse, it can offer visitors
unforgettable experiences by pulling them in a sleigh in winter, pulling
their cart at a traditional Finnish wedding or as their companion on horse
treks.
The Finnhorse as a Part of Finnish National Identity
The Finnhorse as a breed came to existence only a decade before
Independent Finland; thus it is understandable that the struggles of early
Finnish independence are closely connected with the Finnhorse. Even the
actual birth of the Finnhorse as a breed was accomplished due to the
awakening of national identity, and this has left its sign on the
Finnhorse as a part of Finnish national identity. The Finnhorse was
thought of as something that the Finns had created by themselves, which
naturally made them feel proud of their own breed. In the early decades of
independence, the Finnhorse fought along with the Finns in the wars and
then helped them rebuild the nation after the wars. The Finnhorse belonged
to every part of the life of the Finns: it stayed beside its master in
times of happiness as well as of grief. It was during these early decades
of independence when the status of the Finnhorse as a part of Finnish
national identity was established.
The Future of the Finnhorse
The Finnhorse has an important role in the Finnish mindset because of
the economic, cultural and national values associated with it. Thus it is
important that the heritage of the purebred Finnhorse is maintained.
Although the number of Finnhorses will probably never again reach the
level of the 1950s, it is worth keeping in mind that Finnish society has
changed dramatically since those days. Now that the Finnhorse is more of a
hobby than a necessity for Finns, hundreds of thousands of Finnhorses are
no longer required to keep the breed alive. It is more important that
there are people interested in developing and maintaining the breed.
The versatile and unique nature of Finland's native horse breed has
made the horse irreplaceable in many sports and activities, and
fortunately the Finns are proud of their very own horse breed. After all,
the Finnhorse is the only breed that the Finns have developed to suit the
needs of Finland's northern climate, and it has truly been a faithful
companion, in peacetime as well as in war. Although Finland is nowadays an
increasingly modern and urbanising society, the time when nearly all Finns
lived in the countryside is only one or two generations away. Thus the
memory of the Finnhorse as the Finns' everyday friend is still strong.
Perhaps contemporary Finns feel that Finland, as a nation, owes it to
the Finnhorse to make sure that it will continue to remain a part of
Finnish culture and identity. Both the Finnish government and the European
Union have shown their willingness to help preserve this native breed by
granting subsidies to Finnhorse breeders. The breeders in turn have a
deep respect and love for this tenacious and brave horse. Their devotion
ensures that the Finnhorse is in good hands today, and should continue to
be in the future.
Notes:
- From the 12th century to the year 1809, the area of present
Finland had been governed by Sweden, and since 1809, Finland had been
under Russian autonomy.
- "Coldblood" is a word that is used to describe horse breeds that
were developed to work in fields and to pull heavy loads.
- The withers is the highest point on the back of a horse.
- "Trotter" in this paper refers to horses which are used for
harness racing. While racing, the trotters pull two-wheeled carts called
sulkeys.
- The Finnish Civil War was a part of the national and social turmoil
caused by World War I (1914-1918) in Europe. The war was fought in Finland
from 27 January to 15 May, 1918, between the forces of the Social
Democrats led by the People's Deputation of Finland, commonly called the
"Reds", and the forces of the non-socialist, conservative-led Senate,
commonly called the "Whites". The Reds were supported by Bolshevist
Russia, while the Whites received military assistance from the German
Empire. The war ended in White victory.
- The Winter War began when the Soviet Union attacked Finland on 30
November, 1939. The war lasted until March 1940, when the Moscow Peace
Treaty was signed.
- This sum would have equalled 1,502-3,604 euros in 2006, according
to a cost-of-living index converter maintained by the Central
Statistical Office in Finland.
- The Continuation War was the war fought between the Soviet Russia
and Finland during the World War II. It lasted from 25 June 1941 to 19
September 1944.
Works Cited
- Ojala, Ilmari, ed. Suomenhevonen Suomen puolesta 1939-1945.
Hämeenlinna: Karisto,1997.
- Pesonen, Hannu, et al. Liinaharja. Suomenhevosen taival.
Otava, 2007.
- Saastamoinen, Markku, ed. Suomenhevonen. Jyväskylä: Gummerus
Kirjapaino, 2007.
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Suomenhevosen ja muiden alkuperäisrotujen kasvattamiseen
EU-tukea. Euroopan komissio. EU Suomessa. Last Update 12
April 2007.
- Suomen Hippos.
Suomenhevosen rotutyyppi. Last Update 21 November 2001.
- Talaskivi, Soini. Suomalainen hevoskirja. Hevoset ja ratsastus.
Keuruu: Otava, 1990.
- Ticklén, Margit, ed. Tutustu suomenhevoseen. Forssa: Forssan
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