Heavy Horse Breeds
Some of these may be seen ay Hollowell Steam
Shire
Origin
The
Shire Horse is a native of England, but the Midland counties of Lincoln,
Derby, Cambridge, Norfolk, Nottingham, Leicester and Huntington, collectively
known as “The Shires”, were the special homes. History mentions the horse
by different names: the Great Horse, the War Horse, the Cart Horse, the Old
England Black Horse, the Lincolnshire Giant as well as the Shire.
The
Shire breed began over 1000 years ago, developing from the horses of Julius
Caesar and infusions of the blood of Belgians, Horses of Flanders, and in the
18th century, Friesians. It was also during the 18th century that Shires came
into use for drayage, farming, and coach use. The Shire Horse Society of
England, the original registry for the Shire, was officially established in
1878 as the English Cart Horse Society, but changed it’s name to Shire Horse
Society in 1883, as the term “cart horse” was used then much as “draft
horse” is used today. The first Shires were imported to the United States
around the middle of the 19th century, and the American Shire Horse
Association was established in 1885.
Character
The Shire is a good and faithful worker in agriculture and commerce, and has been said to be a synonym for strength, constitution, energy, and endurance. They are docile and kind, but have personality to spare and a strong desire to form a genuine partnership with the people who handle them. They are used for every discipline a horse can be used for, from logging to commercial carriage driving to dressage to trail riding.
Living
up to his calm and accepting nature, the Shire has shown himself to be a
champion in all these areas, from the show ring to the furrow.
Physical
Characteristics:
Colour
Shires may be
black, brown, bay or gray. Occasionally a
sorrel
will be seen. They
usually have some sort of white facial marking, typically a blaze, and white
stockings, often on all 4 legs and reaching up to or over the knees and hocks.
The legs will always bear the famous “feather”, long thick hairs springing
from the legs below the knees and hocks that will in most cases cover the
entire hoof down to the ground.
Height
Shires range from
16.2 hands upward, average height being
Weight
Shires can weigh
as much as 2800 lbs or more, but weights between 1800 and 2100 lbs are most
common.
Percheron
Origin
The Percheron
horse originated in the province of Le Perche, near Normandy in France. The “true”
Percheron horse
was developed in the 17th and 18th centuries, but there is evidence that the
breed existed during the ice age. In the 19th century, the French government
established an official stud at Le Pin for the
development of
army mounts and
for the encouragement of the breeding industry.
Character
The
Percheron horse of today has a very pleasing disposition.
Physical
Characteristics:
Colour
Percherons
are usually black or grey, but sorrels, bays and roans do exist. White
markings sometimes appear on the head and/or feet, but an excessive amount of
white is undesirable.
Height
Percherons
range in height from 15 to 19 hands high, but the average Percheron stands
between 16.2 and 17.3 hands high.
Weight
Percherons
can weigh up to 2,700 pounds or more, but average around 2,000 pounds.
Clydesdale
Origin
The
Clydesdale was developed by the farmers in a district in Scotland called
Lanarkshire. Although the breed was developed primarily to suit the needs of
the Lanarkshire farmers, it also widely used for heavy haulage in the streets
of Glasgow. The Clydesdale Association was formed in 1877, and proved to be a
major driving source for the breed.
Character
Clydesdales
are quite active horses. They are gentle for their large size and enjoy
interacting with people. They certainly earn their nickname of “The Gentle
Giants”.
Physical
Characteristics:
Colour
The
most common color of Clydesdales is bay. Browns, black, chestnut, and roan
also occur in some instances. The preferred markings are four white socks,
extending to the knee or hock, along with a well defined blaze on the face.
Height
Clydesdales
stand between 16.2 hands and 18 hands high, but can be over 19 hands high in
some cases.
Weight
Most
Clydesdales range in weight from 1,600 to 1,800 pounds, but some of the mature
stallions will weigh up to 2,200 pounds or more.
Suffolk
Origin
The
Suffolk Punch was developed in eastern England, during the medieval times. The
homeland of the Suffolk horses was Norfolk and Suffolk counties. With the
mechanization, which followed the Second World War, the Suffolk breed took a
drastic cut in numbers. Although the 1950’s were tough on the
draft horse
industry, it rebounded during the 1960’s, and the 1970’s, importations
from England were on an upswing.
Character
The
Suffolk breed of horse has a splendid disposition, and easy temperament. They
are a willing worker and have superb endurance.
Physical
Characteristics:
Colour
Their
color is chestnut, ranging from light golden to dark liver.
White
markings occur in the breed, however it is usually
limited
to the face and feet.
Height
The
average height of a Suffolk horse is 16.1 hands, but many stallions stand 17
hands or more.
Weight
Information unavailable.
Working
Horses in today’s world
The
20th century has seen wild swings in the fortunes of the working horse. From
its heyday in the first quarter, when it was the engine of industry in a way
which is generally unappreciated, to its decline after the war years, its near
disappearance in the 1950s and 1960s and its revival in the 1970s and 1980s,
the future of working horses has been at the impulse of man and his
inventions. The 1990's can probably be seen as a period of consolidation of
those revival years.
Despite
recession and the dramatic/effects on agriculture of various public health
scares affecting the finances of many heavy horse owners, the numbers and
activities of draught horses appear to have been maintained As at other times
during the century, the tenacity of individuals and a few organisations have
been responsible for the survival of this draught animal in roles which may
appear incongruous in the modern age.
As
we enter the new century, men who worked daily with horses on farms and fields
in towns and cities, in docks and on railways, in factories and yards are
passing on -
and
with them their intimate knowledge of the skills and techniques of
horsemanship at its best.
Yet
they are being replaced, by younger men and woman keen to work with horses
whose temperament and
usefulness is
both endearing and challenging. The most forward thinking of the traditional
carters and
experienced
horsemen are prepared to pass on their knowledge, and there now exists a
national training
framework through which they can do so. For others, chats over the fence are
preferred, and many of today’s younger Horsemen
and woman are pleased to acknowledge their older mentors.
Great
interest is now being shown in developing modern machinery suitable for
horse-drawn use. The indomitable machines of the horse age remain in use on
smallholdings throughout the UK, but new equipment has been developed for
today’s agricultural situations. Some modern machinery has been imported
from the USA, Scandinavia and Eastern European countries where horse-drawn
equipment continued to evolve during the low point of the draught horse in the
UK.
Today’s
world of the working horse is a kaleidoscope of activity, albeit specialist
and small-scale. From breeding draught horses, through shows, parades, matches
and workings, leisure activities, marketing and promotion, to agriculture,
horticulture and forestry, each aspect has an important part to play and
contributes to a new role for the working horse.
Breeding
The breeding of pedigree draught horses remains predominantly in the hands of those who saved them during the 1950s and 1960s and their successors, very often sons and daughters. Yet the traditional ways, which are still important, are giving ground to modern techniques. Greater mobility within the UK means that mare owners are prepared to travel many miles to a suitable, or fashionable, stallion. Stallions once ‘walked’ to mares at local farms, but now they stand at stud either with their owner or with a society, which hires them for a season. Other stallions, not of championship quality but sound in all other aspects, are probably just as good a sire for most mares, and worth some research before they are rejected. Appropriate stallions can best be found through the secretaries of the various breed societies, which receive financial assistance towards breeding programes from the Horserace Betting Levy Board.
Crossbreeding
is also an important element for the breeders of both stallions and mares to
bear in mind. A crossbred animal can be useful to a wider sector of the
population, perhaps as a heavy hunter, a driving horse for leisure use, or for
general hacking. Crossing can be an important source of income for the
breeder.
In
the show ring judges of all pedigree breeds are looking for certain
conformation characteristics. In some breeds this has changed considerably in
recent years. The modern Shire is taller, less feathered on the leg, has a
narrower chest and less bone than its predecessor, partly through cross
breeding with the Clydesdale, and partly as a result of greater demand as a
driven draught horse in dray teams and for promotional purposes. Height and
silky feathers have given both these breeds a majesty, which is attractive,
not least to the new European enthusiasts. Some would claim the Suffolk has
been bred too tall, compared with its sometimes shorter draught ancestors.
Whilst a tall animal is dramatic in shows, parades and promotions, a shorter,
compact, more heavily built animal with a broad chest is necessary for
‘real’ agricultural draught work in timber extraction.
Both
types have their place in the modern draught horse world and breeders need to
provide both sorts for the market. Judges at shows should acknowledge the
qualities of both. In practice, breeders tend to concentrate on one type or
another. Judging tends to favour those being produced for promotional
purposes.
Exports
of pedigree draught horses increased in the 1970s and 1980s. Clydesdale
breeders were very successful at selling to Canada, the USA and Australia in
particular. Some concern is expressed that many of the best animals go
overseas. The Shire found a new market in Europe, Germany, France and the
Netherlands
especially. In these countries new societies have been established which are
affiliated to the mother society in Britain. The USA continues to import
Shires including sonic notable champion stallions.
The
Rare Breeds Survival Trust (RBST) monitors the fortunes of the breeds. The
Suffolk is on the priority list in category 1 (critical), and has some 80
breeding females. The Clydesdale is in category 4 (at risk). The Shire remains
the most numerous of the heavy breeds, staying off the priority list, but
included among minority breeds, being constantly monitored. Economic factors
could easily shift it into the priority category however, and some, especially
its American supporters, believe that its numbers are sufficiently low to
cause concern. Other horses and ponies on the RBST priority or minority lists
are the Cleveland Bay, Eriskay, Exmoor, Dales, Irish Draught and Fell, all of
which were traditionally used for draught work in their native regions. The
British Percheron, while not a native breed, is given financial help towards
breeding programes by the Horserace Betting Levy Board, on the basis that its
breeding statistics are comparable to those on the RBST list. Fortunately its
relationship with its relatively numerous French cousins gives it stability.
Agriculture
and Horticulture
It
is always surprising to those unfamiliar with heavy horses to discover that
they can still be found working the land on farms, smallholdings and in market
gardens. No middle to large-scale commercial farmer is going to reintroduce
horses onto his land, but for smaller farms and those who care for natural
power and quiet friendship which working with a horse can bring, there is
still a place for draught animals. In practice, such a farmer will
Probably also have a tractor in the yard, but for some tasks a working horse
is ideal. Harrowing, rolling, cultivating and carting are all jobs for which
the horse is suited on small farms. Horses can carry winter feed out to cattle
and sheep, keep pasture in good heart, hoe between vegetable or vine rows and
move endless objects about the farm, whether gate posts and fencing wire, or
pig arks and troughs.
Such a farmer who ‘thinks horse’ will have no difficulty in running his business substantially, or even completely, by horse, comforted in the knowledge that increasing interest in our natural environment and its protection, particularly among the younger generation, may actually lead to an increase in people like him in the future.
Forestry
Timber extraction by horse has been the surprising growth area in the use of working horses in the UK over the last 20 years. From a handful of people in the early 1970s, this activity has grown until the new British Horse Loggers Association was subsumed into the larger, professional Forestry Contractors Association in the mid 1990s — the clearest indication that horses were accepted by the Forestry Industry. Prior to that, the forestry authority had carried out technical research surveys into the production levels of horse-drawn extraction operations and found in their favour. Where environmentally sensitive ground, conservation areas or steep slopes were involved, horses were economically sound. Their production levels were less than those of modern machines, but not drastically so. While machinery could still do the job, the damage to the forest floor was unacceptable the imprint of hooves and dragged timber was negligible in comparison.
In addition to the Forestry Authority, the National Trust, Countryside Commission and individual landowners took a serious interest in the use of horses in forestry, sealing its acceptance and putting it on a commercially viable footing.
A number of horsemen used to agricultural work began extracting timber as part of their living, a few eventually turning to work full-time. Some foresters were prepared to turn away from machines to horses — an important factor, since a knowledge of forestry is vital to horse operations in woodland. Courses encouraged the safe efficient practice of horse extraction using horses. There are now some 70 professional or part-professional horse loggers working throughout Britain.
“Fire”
Horses
Much
of the romance of the steam fire engine can be attributed to the horses that
pull them.
Most
breeds of draft horses today are much larger than they were one hundred years
ago. Large cities often had beautiful matched teams of recognized breeds, but
in smaller communities many of the horses used to pull the steam fire engines
were mixed breeds, whatever type of carriage horses that were available.
Horses with obvious Morgan bloodlines were often seen.
Just
as the firemen who ran them, the horses that pulled them were frequently
volunteers who had other jobs to do when there were no fires. The teams that
pulled our engine over the years belonged to a local livery and pulled an ice
wagon. The town had a loud alarm to signal a fire, and the horses so loved
their volunteer duty, that if the ice wagon driver was not on his wagon when
the alarm sounded, he would find his wagon at the fire station with the horses
ready to pull the engine.
When the steamer was no longer used and the last team was put out to pasture to relax for the rest of their days a few miles from town. One day the prevailing wind carried the sound of the alarm to the old fire horses. They promptly went over or through the fences that held them and down the highway to the fire station where they were found waiting to be hitched to the old steamer gathering dust in the corner.