National Treasure: Nationalistic Representations of the Finnhorse in Trotting Championships

Every year a trotting race, Kuninkuusravit, occurs in Finland proclaiming its new “king” and “queen” Finnhorse. The fastest stallion and mare, based on three races of varying distance over one weekend, result in this honor. Kuninkuusravit is the biggest annual racing event in Finland. It is important to the trotting and gambling industry, and Finnhorse breeding. It also has recreational, social, cultural, and nationalistic meanings. Since the nineteenth century, romanticism and nationalism intertwine to tell a story of cultural values exemplified through interactions with this breed of horse. The Finnhorse was an integral part of the war efforts in World War II and building of a welfare state in agriculture, rebuilding, and forestry. Finland found a way to resurrect a work horse into a national racing icon, allowing for the merger of agrarian roots and global economic conditions. In 2007, the Finnhorse was named the National horse of Finland and it was given Flag Day on September 6. The 2011 Kuninkuusravit, or the national trotting championships, allows for an examination of the Finnhorse as an icon of Finnish culture over time, which now occupies a new cultural space.