The Ljutomer Trotter is a Slovenian trotting breed.

The town of Ljutomer and the :
For many centuries, the little town of Ljutomer in Slovenia was a central location for horse breeding. It is not surprising, then, that when trotting races became popular in Slovenia (back then a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire) in the 19th century, the town of Ljutomer was up for the challenge.

The first, official trotting race took place in 1874. A year later, the Ljutomer Trotting Club was established, cementing trotting races as part of the tradition in Ljutomer. This opened a whole new opportunity for the local horse breeders to develop a new, local horse breed fit for trotting horses.

The Ljutomer Trotter :
Ljutomer breeders seized the opportunity, crossing local farm horses with lighter breeds such as Anglo-Arabs, Thoroughbreds, and with trotter breeds, such as the now-extinct Norfolk Trotter. Around 1880, the new breed was fully established, and became known as Ljutomer Trotter.

Originally, Ljutomer Trotters were more of 'all-around' horses rather than pure trotters. They were used for light farm-work and for transporting goods, the latter they excelled at thanks to their speed. However, starting from the 1960s, Ljutomer Trotters were bred solely for their trotting abilities, and that created the Ljutomer Trotter which we know today.

The Ljutomer Trotter today:
Today, the town of Ljutomer still hosts trotting races in its local hippodrome which resides on the grounds of the Ljutomer Trotting Club. Those grounds are also the home for the Ljutomer Trotter Museum, which is dedicated for telling the history of the Ljutomer Trotter as well as for promoting its preservation.

Ljutomer Trotters are bred at the Club's stables, and are used for harness races which are, in themselves, a big attraction in Slovenia.

Conformation:
Ljutomer Trotters have a light head with a straight profile, a long, ewe yet muscular neck of low set but which is carried high, well-defined withers, a muscular croup, and an overall lean and light body.

The mane is short or medium in length, and the tail can be carried somewhat high.

Performance metrics:
The following are the: range, average, (SD), and MOE of performance metrics of ordered Ljutomer Trotters in Horse Isle (not bred ones). In rare cases, horses might have metrics outside of the range. Breeders can produce horses that are beyond this range.

Speed: 16.2-17.6, 16.9 (0.3), 0.06.
Sprint: 50-67, 59 (3), 0.59.

Accel: 0.91-1.09, 0.99 (0.04), 0.01.
Decel: 0.90-1.04, 0.97 (0.03), 0.01.

Jump: 5.17-5.54, 5.33 (0.06), 0.01.
Pull: 2.01-2.62, 2.29 (0.14), 0.03.

Turning: 46.11-59.59, 52.35 (2.79), 0.55.
Reverse: 2.3-2.9, 2.5 (0.1), 0.03.

Stamina: 46.86-51.53, 49.34 (0.97), 0.19.
Reaction: 0.76-0.87, 0.82 (0.02), 0.00.

Coats & Height:
Colors: usually bay, less often chestnut, black, or brown.

Additionals: flaxen, sooty. The coat is always solid.
Markings: Markings are kept to a minimum. Horses are sometimes born with face and leg markings, but it's rare.

Height: 14.3hh to 16.1hh.