The History of the Draft Horse - Amazing Animals

The History of the Draft Horse

September 26, 2022

The draft horse is extremely powerful, with powerful legs and a broad body. It has impressive strength and was historically bred to pull a plow or sled. Although draft horses are still seen today for pleasure and competition, it is important to remember how far back the history of these powerful horses goes and how long they have served competently and well in many different capacities. Throughout their longest history, they were believed to be descended from the draft subtype of the old wood horse, but very early on they were bred for the desirable a soft and docile temperament and strong structure traits.

When the horse was domesticated, it was realized that there were many different purposes that it could be used for. While riding horses needed to be fast and very responsive, heavier, more patient horses were thought to be more desirable for farm work. They could be used to move heavy loads or to plow fields, and their steadfastness was an advantage in work of this kind. Millennia of selective breeding resulted in the draft horses we see today, from the great Clydesdales to the popular Belgians.

When people in medieval Europe think of draft horses, they instinctively think of the destroyers, horses that carried knights into battle. While it's true that destroyers had to be strong enough to carry a knight in full armor, the truth was that the medieval destroyer had little in common with a draft horse. While a draft horse was bred to be docile and stable, a Destrier had to be both fast and extremely responsive, both to its rider and to the combat going on around them. It has been theorized that the lighter draft horses, such as the Friesian or the Andalusian, might be more similar to the destroyers.

Just because they weren't seen during the Crusades doesn't mean the draft horse wasn't seen in the war at all. Indeed, patient and consistent draft horses would continue to play an important role in World War I support work. To understand how many horses came to Western Europe from the United States, consider the fact that in nineteen ninety-three less than one thousand horses were shipped from America. In the midst of World War I, over the next five years, more than one million horses were shipped. With the innovation of trench warfare, lighter Calvary-style horses could not effectively maneuver across the field. The draft horses were more useful; They were the ones who could tow artillery with near-relentless power, and carried both ammunition and stores. Of the more than a million horses that went to Europe for World War I, only 200 horses returned home.

The horses we know today as draft horses, with their powerful bodies and impressive size, may have first appeared on the scene in the early 19th century. These horses were bred for transporting goods and farming, and were used to pull carriages and carts, especially in the pre-railway era. In America, thousands of draft horses were shipped from Europe in the early 20th century. Many American enlistment registries were established during the last half of the nineteenth century, and by 1915 the Percheron was the most numerous draft horse found in America.

After a decline after the invention of the automobile and the truck, the modern workhorse is experiencing a significant increase. More and more people are realizing that the heavy draft horse breeds can make a very important contribution, be it in trail riding or in the show rings. Today's draft horses are still used for entertainment purposes around the world, but this is far from their only function.

Whether you are interested in seeing draft horses in action or interested in owning one, take some time and really consider learning more about the history of this breed.

percheron horse size
#History #Draft #Horse

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