Døle

Origin: Southeastern Norway in the Gudbrandsdal Valley, which connects the Oslo region with the North Sea coast.

Color: Black, bay or dark brown.

Avg Height: 14.3 to 15.2 hh

Avg Weight: 1,190 to 1,390 lbs

Build: This breed sports a profuse mane and tail, a square head, a crested neck, strong, fairly long back, muscular shoulders and quarters, and short, very hard, feathered legs.

Temperament: Patient but energetic temperament.

Main use: It is used for haulage and in agriculture and forestry. It is also now being crossed with trotters to produce a lighter type of horse, suitable for riding and fast driving.

Special abilities: This is a powerful, hardy, and very active animal, and its best gait is the trot. It is one of the smallest cold bloods. It is agile and active and shows great stamina.

History: The Dole Gudbrandsday comes from Norway and was developed in the Gudbrandstal valley between the North Sea and Oslo. In its general appearance the Døle is very like the Dales pony of Britain; the two breeds are believed to have descended from common or very similar ancestral stock. The Døle has received infusions of outside blood of various kinds; the Thoroughbred stallion Odin, imported in 1834, is said to have had a particularly lasting influence on the breed. The Døle horse of today is found in two types. A heavy work horse and a light draft horse, the cold-blooded trotter. The heavier type was rescued in 1962 by state intervention after World War II and mechanization depleted breeding numbers. The difference between the two types has been greatly reduced in recent years due to interbreeding between the types. This interbreeding is now becoming very common and the breed is becoming very uniform.