Horses influenced daily life in East Prussia. They pulled wagons, carriages, ploughs and in winter horse-drawn sleighs. Until 1945 warmblood horses were indispensable for travel and transport in sparsely populated East Prussia. Hundreds of horses were often kept on large estates. It was not until the beginning of the 20th century that a coldblood horse, the "Ermländer" was bred in East Prussia as a heavy draught horse.
The sale of trained young horses to cavalry units at the regularly held "remount markets" was an important source of income for private horse breeding farms. In borderland East Prussia with its large share of troops the demand for military horses was high. The largest horse market in Europe was held in the district town of Wehlau.
Illustration:
Mares of Trakehner descent drawing potato furrows in Waldkeim (this village near Domtau/Dolgorukovo no longer exists), around 1930.
Photo: East Prussian Picture Archive