Equine Breeds

The Brabant, most commonly know as the Belgian is one of the most prominent breed of draft horse in the United States today.  But that isn't how it has always been the breed, originated Brabant a region in Belgium where they were referred to as the "great horse." Belgians originated in this area around the medieval times, unfortunately there is no specific date as to when they originated.

Belgians were used in Belgium to fieldwork where they would haul they would haul they hays and grains from the fields, then also having the honor of carrying knights into battle. Once people started recognizing the things the breed had to offer, Belgium began shipping the stallions to other countries so they too could have a larger breed of horse. The countries include Russia, Italy, Germany, France, and the old Austria- Hungary Empire. Soon enough the Belgian breed was introduced to the United States in 1889. However it wasn't until the 1980 until the breed began to gain ground in breeding and population, not to mention use. Now the Belgian is the leading draft horse breed in the United States.

The Belgian is so prominent in the draft horse breed because they are one color, for their entire live. Where as Percherons who turn gray as they age, and Clydesdales can either be brown and white or black and white. Belgians color scales from a sorrel to a roan and everything in between. Most Belgians can be seen with having a star or strip on their faces, along with either having flaxen, socks or stocks on their legs. Belgians stand roughly around 16 to 18 hands. They weigh more then a light horse and can top the scales at 2,400 pounds. With a heavy weight means they are also big boned and muscular.

Many people look at Belgians are immediately timid and scared of their height and apparent weight. But what make the Belgian so special are their temperaments. They are the most laid back horses. Belgians are also the easiest horse to keep and willing workers. Many draft horses today are used for farm work, showing or even under saddle classes.

Fun fact: The Belgian breed holds the record for the world's tallest horse, Radar.

http://horsebreedslist.com/horse-breeds/61/belgian-draft

http://www.belgiancorp.com/

History

The Kentucky Mountain Saddle Horse (henceforth referred to as KMSH) was developed in the mountains of Eastern Kentucky and became a recognized breed in the late 1980's. While originally used for farm life in the hills and valleys of eastern Kentucky the breed is today used more as a pleasure horse. The KMSH Association contends that the horse is still a good "all-around utility horse."

Characteristics

The KMSH is a mid size hose with heights ranging from 13.1 to 16 hands. It has a distinguishable  "four gait beat, called an amble or rack" that is well maintained over difficult terrain; helping to support it's reputation as a utility mountain horse. The horse is similar to the Spotted Mountain Horse but the two do have uniquely different DNA's.  According to the International Museum of the Horse the KMSH Association is working with the University of Kentucky to further identify individual breed characteristics.

Links

http://www.kmsha.com/

http://horses.about.com/od/breeds/p/kentuckyhorse.htm

History

 The Lipizzaner horse breed was first breed in 1580 in Lipizza, the Hapsburg Family was looking for a horse which would be light and fast for use in the military and riding schools.  The Hapsburg Family controlled both Austria and Spain during that time period. The horse breed got it's name from the location in which it was first bred.    

Physical Caracteristics

  The most defining caracteristic of this breed is their color.  They are generally a type of grey and as they become older their coat will eventually change to almost white.  It is very rare to see Lipizzans that are very dark in color, like black to dark brown in their adult years.  Their white coat has become dominant to the breed.  The breed is not extremely large with them ranging from 14.2-15.2 hands tall and an overall weight of 1000-1300 pounds.

Interesting Facts

  The Lipizzan breed is the preferred horse of the Spanish Riding School in Austria because of its elegance and gentleness.  This breed is trained mostly for dressage, but is also used for driving and showjumping.  This breed typically lives for 30 years, but some have lived up to 35 years. 

http://www.srs.at/  The Spanish Riding School

http://www.hlipizzans.com/index.htm

http://www.lipizzan.org/

History: In 1978, the American Miniature Horse Association officially established the miniature horse breed as its own breed for the first time.  Many countries all over the world have had similar experiences with miniatures and establishing them as a breed over the past hundred years. Because many people have trouble deciding what perfect conformation a miniature horse should have, there are now over 20 different registries.

Origin: The first miniature horse on record was in 1650 AD at the Palace of Versailles where King Louis XIV had his own zoo.

Characteristics: There are two different classes of Miniature Horses; in Class A, the horse must be 34 inches tall or less and in Class B, the horse must be between 34 and 38 inches. The goal of the breed is to be as small as possible while still maintaining correct conformation of a normal horse.

Links: For more information on Miniature horses, you can visit http://www.mini-horse.org/index.html, http://www.guidehorse.com/miniature_horse_history.htm, or http://www.horses-and-horse-information.com/articles/miniaturehorses.shtml.

The origin of the Percheron horse is questionable, and there does not exist a true consensus as to where this breed exactly began.  Some people argue they are the horses that survived the Ice Age while others believe they were introduced by the Romans during the invasion of Brittany.  The majority of people conclude that this horse developed in the Le Perche district in Normandy.  In the 8th century, native horses were bred with Arabians to create the first Percheron.  The breed had a Spanish influence that was brought about in during the Middle Ages when several Spanish stallions were bred to Percheron mares.  All of the Percherons of today are traced back to a stallion named Jean Le Blanc, who was first brought the Le Perche region in 1823.  In 1839, the first Percheron horse was brought to the United States.

Throughout their history, Percherons have been used in many different industries.  They have served as warhorses and artillery horses in addition to pulling carriages and working as agricultural animals.  Despite their multifaceted use, Percherons were almost wiped out in the United States following World War II, largely due to the innovation of the tractor.  In 1954, the Percheron Horse Association, which got its start in Chicago in the early 1900s, had recorded 85 Percheron horses in the U.S.!  The Amish and several others who still relied on these horses as farm animals are credited with saving the breed.

The Percheron breed we know today has many defining characteristics.  They have short, pointed ears on top of a straight, broad face.  The Percheron Horse Association characterizes their eyes as being "large and full[y] prominent."  They also have broad, muscular necks and chests; short, strong legs with unusually muscular lower thighs; and "well-formed" hooves.  They also have light feathering around their fetlocks.  Percherons usually have docked tails, especially if they are to be used as farming horses.  On average, Percherons are between 15 and 19 hands and about 1900 pounds, but some can weigh up to 2600 pounds.  Most are either black or grey, but other colors also exist.

Many great websites exist to learn more about the Percheron breed.  There is the Percheron Horse Association website, which offers information about every aspect of the breed.  There is also a Canadian Percheron site that provides a great interactive tool to learn more about the characteristics of the Percheron breed.

History

The Norwegian Fjord is one of the world's oldest and purest horse breeds. According to the Norwegian Horse Registry, the Fjord migrated to Norway where it was domesticated about 4,000 years ago. Since about 2,000 years ago, the Norwegian Fjord has been selectively bred based on Viking findings. The Fjord was used for a number of activites such as farming and carrying heavy loads up mountains and through rocky conditions. Also, up to WWII, the Fjord was used for mountainous work. In today's modern world, however, the Fjord is bred for various activities based on the desires of their owners. It can be noted that the first Norwegian Fjord bought in the United States was in Pennsylvania. A famous publisher named J. Bertram Lippincott from Philadelphia bought a Fjord from a man in Lancaster in 1888. Since then, it was not until FDR, who brought more of these horses over during his presidency; however, the horse did not become extremely popular until the 1950s and 60s.

Physical Characteristics

Most Fjords are a brown dun color but other dun colors such as red, grey, white or yellow dun can also be found. As we spoke about in class on Wednesday, the Fjord has "primative" markings that distinguish it from other "modern" horse breeds of today. For example, the Fjord has zebra stripes on the legs as well as a dorsal strip that runs from the forelock down the neck and back and into the tail. Perhaps one of the most defining characteristics, besides their beautiful color, is their mane. The center of the mane is dark with white hairs on the outside and cut in a crescent shape so that the mane stands straight up and excentuates the muscling in the Fjord's neck. Fjords come in many different shapes and sizes since they can be bred to do just about anything from jumping to pulling wagons. Their draft like structure but smaller stature provide endless activities for the horses to do.

I have also inserted a video of a Fjord in action so you could get a better idea of what this horse can potentially do with the right training.

Helpful Links

I received most of my information from the Norwegian Fjord Horse Registry. They have a lot of useful tools if you want to find out more about the Norwegian Fjord as well as how to find them using a Farm Directory. I have also found the link for the Norwegian Fjord Studbook of Great Britain.

 History of the Shire

     How the Shire was developed is not completely certain. It is said that a Medieval great horse was brought to England in the 9th century that was large enough to carry heavy armor and weaponry yet agile enough to be used in battle. After the use of this giant as a war horse diminished, it is said that the breed was influenced by Dutch draft horses and the Friesian.

     Eighteenth century England marked the beginning of a system of canals that revolutionized the way of transporting goods over long distances. It was for the purpose of pulling heavy barges that the modern Shire breed began to appear. It is said that selective breeding, led by Robert Bakewell, created the breed we see today as the need arose for a horse that could pull loads of over 3,000 lbs. Now considered the one of the world's largest horses, this draft breed was popular throughout the nation, being used for farming in the countryside and as a carthorse and tram horse in the cities and towns. Like the more famous Clydesdale, these horses were commonly used by brewing companies and even in the coal industry. Today, the desire for tradition lures many people to work with these docile, gentle giants. They are also frequently used for logging, where horse hooves are much less damaging to the environment than heavy machinery. Plowing matches are also a popular sport throughout the countryside in which these amazing horses show off their brute strength.

Characteristics of the Shire

     There are several important standards for the Shire breed. Allowed coat colors include only black, bay, brown (mix of black/bay), and grey. Strangely, roan coloration is allowed in mares, but not stallions. These giants average 17.2 hands, and weigh over 2,000 lbs. The largest horse ever recorded was a Shire named Sampson, born in 1846 in Bedfordshire, England. He stood 21.2 hands and weighed about 3,353lbs (1,524 kg)! He was later renamed "Mammoth" for obvious reasons.

     It can be difficult to distinguish the Shire from other large drafts, such as the Percheron and the Cydesdale. Shires were said to have been used to create the modern Clydesdale. Can you tell which is the Cydesdale and which is the Shire?

     The answer: The bay Clydesdale stallion is on the left, and the bay Shire stallion is on the right.

     So how do you tell them apart? It took a lot of searching through tons of pages, but here's what I've come up with. Personality wise, a Shire is a more calm, mellow animal while the Clydesdale tends to be more lively and headstrong. Shires also live longer, to over 25 years. Also, Clydesdales tend to have more white markings and tails are usually docked. Feathering on the lower legs can be misleading, because some trends in Shire breeding have favored less feathering, so the Clydesdale will sometimes have more feathering than the Shire. The Shire looks shorter than the Clydesdale due to his shorter neck and head, and tends to carry his head lower than a Clydesdale when walking. Below are some examples of this:

     To the left is a Clydesdale mare, and to the right is a Shire mare. When they look their best, its easy to see the key differences between the two breeds. However, its not a simple task to distinguish the two when they are not groomed for show.

     To read more about these magnificent animals, check out the links below. All of the photos shown in this blog were aquired from google.com. The information in this blog comes from the following websites:

http://www.shire-horse.org.uk/

http://www.easternctdrafthorse.com/draftbreeds.html

http://www.differencebetween.com/difference-between-clydesdale-and-vs-shire/

http://horse-breeds.findthebest.com/compare/9-50-61/Clydesdale-vs-Shire-horse-vs-Percheron

and from my personal book (which proved to be MUCH more helpful than anything online): The Ultimate Guide to Horses by Debbie Sly. Parragon, 2009.

          The Clydesdale Horse Society first breed registry as formed in 1877. Following this in 1879 was the American Clydesdale Association (later renamed the Clydesdale Breeders of the USA) which served both American and Canadian Clydesdale enthusiasts. Throughout the late 19^th and 20^th centuries the Clydesdales were exported from Scotland throughout the world, North and South America, continental Europe and Russia, even Australia and New Zealand. During their highest recorded breeding records the Clydesdale in Scotland had created over 140,000 of the breed. 

          During WWI even the draft horses were drafted (Ha! get it?) into the war effort. After the war however, and as farms became increasingly more mechanized, breed numbers declined. The decline continued between the wars. After WWII the number of recorded breeding stallions in England dropped from around 200 in 1946 to 80 in 1949.  As of 2010, it is estimated there are around 5,000 Clydesdale's worldwide, 4,000 in the US and Canada, around 800 in the UK, and the rest in other countries, including Russia, Japan, Germany, and South Africa.  

Budweiser Clydesdale "Generations" Commercial

Defining Characteristics

          Typically when a person hears the term "Clydesdale" besides thinking "Oh that's the one kind that's really huge isn't it?" they usually thing of a bay or black color horse, white marking on their legs with longer hair known as feathering, and white facial markings. The Budweiser Clydesdale's are some of the most famous Clydesdale's after making their first appearance in April of 1933. They were first owned by the Anheuser-Busch Brewing Company at the time prohibition was ending in the U.S. and have since become an international symbol of both the breed and the brand. The Budweiser breeding program has strict standards of color and conformation, which has over the years influenced the look of the breed that many people believe that Clydesdale's are always bays with the white markings.

          Clydesdale usually measure at 17.00-17.20 hands while most other breeds range in at about 14.14 hands. In terms of lbs, they tend to weigh around 2,000lbs compared to the Quarter Horses or Thoroughbreds 1,100lbs. Contrary to popular belief, Clydesdale's are not the biggest horse breed in the world measuring by height or weight. Many Shire horses stand over 19 hands and can average a weight of well over a ton. Clydesdale's are usually bay in color, but also come in roan, black, grey, and chestnut coat colors. Most have white markings including white on the face, feet, legs and occasional body spotting (generally on the lower belly). Roaning, body spotting and extensive white markings are thought to be the result of sabino genetics. Some Clydesdale breeders as with the Budweiser horses want white face and leg markings without the spotting on the body. To try and get this "ideal" set of markings, they often only breed horses with only one white leg to horses with four white legs and sabino roaning on their bodies. On average, the result is a foal with the desired amount of white markings. Many buyers pay a premium for bay and black horses, especially those with four white legs and white facial markings. Breed associations, however, state that there are no "bad colors", and that horses with roaning and body spots are increasingly accepted.