The Ukrainian Saddle Horse (also 'Ukrainian Riding Horse') is Ukraine's only native saddle breed.

It all started with the Russian Saddle Horse:
The Ukrainian Saddle Horse emerged from the end of an older breed: the Russian Saddle Horse that roamed Russia prior to World War II.

The Russian Saddle Horse was created during the 1930s, in Russia, by the Russian breeder Semyon Mikhailovich Budyonny, out of Orlov-Rostopchin horses which Budyonny crossed with other breeds (see 'Orlov-Rostopchin' for more info). The Russian Saddle Horse became a popular cavalry horse but was consequently nearly wiped out during World War II, when the entire stock got destroyed save for two stallions and one mare.

From the Russian Saddle Horse to the Ukrainian Saddle Horse:
The only way to save the bloodlines of the Russian Saddle Horse while avoiding excessive inbreeding was by crossing the leftover Russian Saddle Horses with other breeds, namely Arabians, Thoroughbreds, and Akhal-Tekes. In addition, breeders took mares of the Hungarian breeds Furioso, Gidran, and Nonius, and crossed them with Trakehner, Hanoverian, and Thoroughbred stallions.

The result was several bloodlines, some having the blood of Russian Saddle Horses more than others and considered of better quality. The line which, to this very day, has most Russian Saddle Horse blood in it is the Bespechny line, which was therefore used for the recreation of the Orlov-Rostopchin (see 'Orlov-Rostopchin').

The next step involved crossing the resulting mares of the various bloodlines with Anglo-Hanoverian stallions, to get offspring of massiveness and size without excessive heaviness. Further selection for athleticism was followed, and the Ukrainian Saddle Horse was officially born.

The Ukrainian Saddle Horse today:
During the 1970s, Ukrainian Saddle Horses reached international competition levels, with many of them grossing prizes. This prompted their breeding in Ukraine and nearby countries, where they are still bred today and are used primarily for show-jumping, dressage, and eventing.

Although this breed is still being improved and introducing blood of other sport breeds is allowed, this is done to a limited extent. Therefore, in Horse Isle, the Ukrainian Saddle Horse has a closed studbook.

Conformation:
A strong-boned horse of good athleticism, the Ukrainian Saddle Horse is considered to have a somewhat heavier build than other sport warmbloods.

The head of the Ukrainian Saddle Horse is large and has a straight profile, the neck is long and connects to prominent withers, the back is long and straight, the croup is sloping, the girth is deep, and the chest is broad as well as the body.

The mane and tail are fine, with the mane being short or medium in length.

Performance metrics:
The following are the: range, average, (SD), and MOE of performance metrics of ordered Ukrainian Saddle Horses 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: 14.8-16.6, 15.6 (0.4), 0.08.
Sprint: 42-61, 52 (4), 0.75.

Accel: 0.97-1.16, 1.06 (0.04), 0.01.
Decel: 0.94-1.08, 1.02 (0.03), 0.01.

Jump: 5.11-5.44, 5.27 (0.07), 0.01.
Pull: 2.36-3.23, 2.83 (0.19), 0.04.

Turning: 54.26-65.61, 59.96 (2.93), 0.57.
Reverse: 2.4-3.0, 2.7 (0.1), 0.03.

Stamina: 47.84-54.60, 51.53 (1.39), 0.27.
Reaction: 0.79-0.89, 0.84 (0.02), 0.00.

Coats & Height:
Colors: bay, black, brown, and chestnut.

Additionals: flaxen, sooty. The coat is always solid.

Height: 15.1hh to 17.1hh.