Posts Tagged ‘Horse Type’

There are four heavy draft horse breeds recognized in Great Britain: The Shire Horse, the Clydesdale, the Suffolk Punch and the Percheron.

In former times heavy horses had been used for pulling loads and as the “heart”of transportation. Tractors and lorries haven’t been invented yet, only after the Second World War, when the diesel engine was introduced into the world of farming and transportation their importance decreased suddenly and they almost disappeared.

Nowadays those horses are becoming popular again: due to their docile temperament, stamina and versatility they can be used for all sorts of equestrian activities: showing, driving, pulling logs or agricultural machinery, riding and even dressage and show jumping.

The Shire Horse

This is the tallest of the modern heavy horse breeds, their height reaches 18 hh and they can grow even taller. Their weight is about a ton. The world’s tallest horse “Sampson”, born in 1846 in Bedfordshire in England, was 21.2 hh (2.20m) at the whither and his weight was estimated for 1.5 tonnes.

The Shire horse was developed out of the medieval Great Horse, which William the Conqueror brought 1066 to the British Islands. By planned improvement of a breed called the Black horse or later the Bake well Black, the Shire horse breed was formed. The number of Shire Horses decreased considerably after the Second World War, because of a more and more motorized agriculture and haulage business. Nowadays numbers are slowly rising again, because they are used for crossbreeding and showing.

In former times it was used for pulling heavy loads and for heavy farm work. It was originally used to pull ale-delivery carts. Nowadays it is still used as a brewery horse, e.g. the grey Shires of Samuel Smith Brewery in Tadcaster and the Tetley brewery in Leeds.
The Shire horse is also seen in Draft horse competitions and shows. They are used for crossbreeding with Thoroughbreds to produce a heavy hunter horse type.

The Clydesdale

This breed originates in the Clydesdale in Scotland, where it was bred and developed over the last 300 years.

It was used for heavy farm work, pulling carts and in the timber industry for pulling logs. These heavy draft horses have been exported all over the world.

The Clydesdale became like the Shire horse a victim of the motorization and would almost disappear, but it has regained popularity and its biggest population is now in the United States with yearly 600 new foal registrations.

Two stallions are recognized as the founders of the breed (“Lord Darney” and “The Prince of Wales”) and all Clydesdales nowadays originate from these two bloodlines. Clydesdales have been used for heavy farm work and today they are still used for farming and pulling logs, where machines are not suitable to be used.

They are a symbol for the Anheuser-Busch brewery (Budweiser).
And they are performing in shows in halter and performance classes. In performance classes the horse is judged on how it is behaving in harness, on how it is moving in the ring and its capability to work in a team, its responsiveness to the driver and on the quality of the horse and the equipment.

The Suffolk Punch

It is like the Shire horse a descendant of the medieval Great Horse. The Suffolk Punch was developed in the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk in England and is one of the oldest heavy horse breeds. This heavy horse has got stamina and is very powerful. Its temperament is docile and it is well known for easy handling.

It reaches in average16.1 hh. It has got a very muscular, arched neck, a short strong back and strong, upright shoulders. The hips are broad and the tail high in onset. The legs appear short and have no feathering. The usual hair coat color is chestnut in various shades. White markings occur.
It was used for heavy farm work and pulling heavy loads in the past.

Today it still performs in draft horse competitions and is used for driving and showing.

The Percheron

The Percheron is a very popular heavy horse breed and in the UK amongst the four recognized heavy draft horse breeds.

This breed is named after the Perche valley in the North of France. Its exact origin is unknown, but it is believed that Moores brought them to Europe and their ancestors are Arabian horses.
in the middle age it was used as a heavy warhorse. Then it was used for heavy work, like pulling stagecoaches etc. The forehead is square with a straight profile. The neck is muscular and strong, some individuals have a long and heavy neck.

The chest is broad, the back short and they have a deep girth. The hindquarters are very muscular and powerful. They should have a round hip and a long croup. The mane is thick; the hair coat color is gray or black. They can reach heights of 15 – 19 hh and weigh up to a ton and above and lives 27 – 39 years. A modern variation of the Percheron is longer and slender in appearance. This type is used for showing competitions.

This is a very gentle and intelligent horse and ideal for driving. It can pull heavy loads as well as perform in front of a fine carriage.
It is also suitable for riding and competes even as a show jumper.

Dr.med.vet. Ellen Schmidt
I am a veterinary surgeon living and working in Scotland, United Kingdom. My passion are horses and horse driving for pleasure and recreation. In my spare time I am creating and writing on my website http://www.discover-horse-carriage-driving.com

This is an “Infoport” for hobby drivers and horse lovers who would like to get expert information about most aspects of equine driving.

Author: Dr Ellen Schmidt
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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The Friesian (or Frisian) horse breed are a relatively rare, black colored breed that originated in Friesland, a province of the Netherlands. Breeding Friesian Horses and dealing in them was very important for the Friesians. The monks in the many monasteries in Friesland before the reformation did a lot of horse breeding. Formerly used as warhorses, the black pearls of the north have come a long way.

Friesian horses are dramatic, graceful, and very fairytale-like with long, wavy manes and tails. They are unusually friendly, well mannered and gentle by nature. Friesian horses are really peaceful and sweet, so much so that in Holland, they often carry stallions round with just a halter on. Friesian horses are popular in both Europe and the United States, and are often used today for Dressage competition and pleasure riding. Friesian and Friesian-mixed horses can do well in dressage competition due the breed’s strong intellect, appearance, power, and body control. They also have an intelligent, willing spirit.

There is truly no other breed similar to the Friesian. Graceful enough for riding and powerful enough for farming, the breed has been used by medieval knights, 17th-century cavalry and World War II soldiers. Friesian horses are always black dressed up with the important characteristics of the breed; the luxuriance of the mane, forelock, tail and the fetlocks.

Today, there are two distinct conformation types of the Friesian horse. The baroque type has the more robust build. The modern, sport horse type is finer-boned.

Due to the strict breeding regulations of this breed there are less then 100 approved breeding stallions in the world and approximately 20 here in North America. Therefore purebred Friesians are considered somewhat of a rarity here. Due to a strict process of selection over the centuries, these are also the movement characteristics that are deeply embedded in the genetics of the Friesian breed. This also applies to the unique character of the Friesian horse: lively, intelligent, honest and reliable, always willing to work, but as proud as the Frisians themselves.

As hard as it might be to believe, the breed nearly became extinct on several occasions over time. Due to fuel rationing during World War II the Freisian’s farm and carriage use was revived, saving the breed long enough for both its population and popularity to rebound. Due to the fuel shortages, Dutch farmers turned to horses for transportation and fieldwork. The Friesian is one of the best carriage horses in the world. Due to its flashy appearance, the Friesian has become popular in the film industry. The breed owes much of its current popularity to the appearance of the Friesian stallion Othello in the 1985 film, Ladyhawke, which ignited a worldwide interest in these horses.

The modern day Friesian horse is as popular today as it has ever been, used both in harness and under saddle. With that type of versatility, they will be around for a long time.

Do you want more information on Friesians? Then visit http://www.ElegantHorsePictures.com/friesian-horse-pictures.html where you can view prints by artists Lesley Harrison and Janet Griffin-Scott

Author: Patrick Mooney
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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