Born in the 19th century from the fusion of the breeding saddle horses of Counts Orlov and Rostopchin, it has had an eventful history.

Thanks to its success in dressage competitions up to international level, Russian breeders have been officially reviving it since 1978, from crosses with Trakehners.

The name "Russian Saddle" (russkyi verkhovod) is more recent, being formalized almost a century later by Soviet Union officials eager to erase traces of the horses' aristocratic origins.

[1] The origins of the breed's development can be traced back to the mid-18th century, when Russia had extensive equine stock for transport, military use and classical dressage, in conjunction with the French court for the latter purpose.

[7] In addition to Anglo-Arab crosses, Frederiksborger, Karabakh,[3] Spanish, Neapolitan, Turkish and Persian stallions (including perhaps an Akhal-Teke and a Turkoman[2]) were used in Count Orlov's exclusively Russian broodmare band.

He applies a strict selection process and practices inbreeding,[3] while continuing to regularly import broodmares, mainly Thoroughbreds, from England.

[9] At the same time, another Anglo-Arabian horse was developed in the early 19th century by Count and Squire Andrei Fedorovich Rostopchin (ru).

[10] From 1802, he imported four Arabian stallions of Siglavy and Koheilan stock, and crossed them with Karabakh, Kabardin, Karabair, Persian and Don mares.

[3][12] In 1867, the stallions Frant, Fakel and Fazan were honored at the 1867 World's Fair as "perfect saddle horses".

[2] The breed became very famous internationally thanks to its presence at the Tsarist court, its use as a gift in Russia's diplomatic relations, and numerous exhibitions from the mid-19th to the early 20th century, during which it won various prizes for excellence.

[2] Some of these world-famous horses are the stallions Fakel, Fazan, Priyatel, Priezd, Vorobei and Bayanchik, out of Felkersam I and II, and Saltan.

[18] The vast majority of these horses destined for the Tsarist army died in the conflict or its aftermath,[19] the Russian Revolution.

A fire killed a large part of the stock, leading to the publication of various documents announcing the disappearance of the Orlov-Rostopchin breed.

[2] Nevertheless, survivors were located and bred by people who respected the breed for its qualities, sometimes in crossbreeding with horses of a similar type.

[2] In 1931, Semion Boudienny took it upon himself to gather the few surviving horses at the Limarev stud and attempt to regenerate the breed.

[2] The Second World War wiped out the herd once again, with the only survivors being the horses shown at the Moscow Agricultural Show.

[19] The attempt to move the horses to the Urals during the German invasion of 1941 was a failure, as the animals were bombed and died.

[2] In the 1970s, the excellence of dressage equitation was recognized by the Breeding Institute of the Soviet Union,[2] which called for the official restoration of the Russian saddle horse.

The Ukrainian Saddle bloodlines that retained traces of the old Orlov-Rostopchin breed were moved to the Starojilovski State Stud, southeast of Moscow.

A few crosses with Persian and Thoroughbred horses were made before the studbook was officially reopened in 1994, with its publication by the National Agronomic Institute in Moscow.

The main breeding group is kept at the Starojilovski stud, but the lack of funding from the Russian Equestrian Federation is detrimental to the Orlov-Rostopchin.

Some of the best horses were sold to competing countries under the name of "Russian Trakehner", but their new buyers were not concerned with preserving the breed's bloodlines.

[21] In 2007, the Russian Saddlebred is suffering from competition from other sport horse breeds and a lack of recognition, even in its own country.

They are usually between 1.55 m and 1.65 m[3] in height, with the modern breed reaching between 1.53 m and 1.74 m.[2] The head is light, with a concave profile, broad forehead and long neck.

[25] The Orlov saddle horse (Orlovskaya verkhovaya) and the Rostopchin are both listed as extinct in the FAO's DAD-IS database.

[2] According to Jean-Louis Gouraud, the Orlov-Rostopchin is often depicted on equestrian portraits commissioned by Russian aristocrats in the 19th century, particularly those by Nicolas Swertschkoff.