Draft horses – not just for the farm
Draft horses are most commonly associated with heavy farming – pulling plows, uprooting trees, pulling wagons. They are bred for heavy work, and they are good at it. But some of the very characteristics that make draft horses great for the farm make them pretty influential for riding horses too!
But what are the characteristics of draft horses? Many breeds, such as Clydesdales and Shires, are associated with being very tall, and they often are, commonly reaching 19 or 20 hands or even more. Other draft breeds though, like Percherons and Suffolk Punches, are often only around 15 hands. All draft horses though are pretty solid, with plenty of ‘bone’ (meaning they have large leg bones), and very muscular frames. Most draft horses are close-coupled, being short from nose to tail, compressing their muscles on their frame and making them even more powerful. Consequently though, most draft horses aren’t fast, although over short distances they can surprise you with their agility and powerful bursts of speed.
Draft horses have an elegance of their own. Designed for pulling, their more upright bone structure often gives them a very elevated, prancing gait, exaggerated by their long ‘feathers’ or leg hair. Large, noble heads, despite roman noses, are impressive and handsome. Best of all, most draft horse have a naturally docile and trainable nature, to help with managing their large size and make them easy to train.
The draft horse is not a direct ancestor of the medieval war hose, as is often thought. These horses were more smilax to heavier riding horses like Friesians or Andalusians, although the modern Percheron is about as close a parallel as you can find for a draft horse. Draft horses were selectively bred for farm work, not for mounted warfare (although draft horses were used as recently as World War II to pull artillery and supply wagons). For centuries they became divergent form the riding horse, developing their unique characteristics. Similarly, it is often thought that a warmblood is a cross between a thoroughbred and a draft horse; this isn’t the case. Draft horses certainly were used in the breeding of warmbloods decades ago, but the development of the warmblood is much more complex than a simple cross.
That said, draft crosses often make excellent riding horses. It’s no surprise then that when looking for a riding horse, many would wish for all the characteristics of a draft horse but with a little more speed and maybe a little less height. Even pure bred draft horses of lighter types, such as Percherons, make excellent riding horses, excelling as show hunters or in traditional classes such as side saddle. They are naturals for driving too, and can adapt as easily to the faster events such as combined driving as to show ring classes with heavy wagons.
Crossing draft horses with lighter breeds such as thoroughbreds makes an excellent result. Adding speed and agility to the draft horse’s intelligence, trainability, and power has long been known as an excellent source of showjumpers, and many successful show hunters win because of the temperament and paces the draft breeds add to the thoroughbred.
Draft horses are often overlooked as riding horses, and that combined with their diminishing role as a working horse thanks to tractors, combines and trains means that many draft breeds are now exceedingly rare. At one time, there was believed to be only 200 pure Suffolk Punch horses in existence. Choosing a draft horse as your next riding horse is a noble undertaking. Contrary to what you might think, most draft breeds are comparably ‘easy keepers’ and do not require excessive amounts of forage or grains. Many draft horses used for pleasure riding can get by on good quality grass alone.
So, next time you are looking for a trusty schoolmaster or a powerful sport horse, why not look at draft and draft crosses? Chances are you’ll find an economical, trainable, and powerful horse, one with elegance and presence, and one that wants nothing more than to be your best friend!
