Breed Characteristics

Clydesdale Characteristics

Height: 16.2 - 18 h

Color: Bay, Black, Brown, Chestnut, Roan

• White socks to the knees and hocks with blazer.

Weight: 1600 - 1800 lbs

“Watch'“ Status": 5000 adult horses.

Percheron Characteristics

Height: 17 - 18 h

Color: Grey or black

Weight: 2000 - 2200 lbs

French pop: 1700

• Use registers ~2500 horses/yr

Belgian Characteristics

Height: 16 h - 18 h

Color: Chest

• No feathers

Weight: ~2000

Shire Characteristics

Height: 16.2 - 17.2

• Slightly Roman nose

Color: Black, Brown, Bay, Grey

• Lots of feather

Weight: 2200lbs

• British Breed Assoc. 1887

• U.S. Breed assoc.: 1885

• Critical Status < 500

Suffolk Characteristics

Height: ~16h - 17h

Color: Various shades of chestnut

• Deep chest with short legs

• No feathers

Weight: 1400 - 2100 lbs

• Numbers: Critical <500

Ardennes Characteristics

Height: 15 h

Weight: 1500 - 2200 lbs

Color: Bay, roan, Chestnut, or grey

• Descended from Caesar’s heavy horses

• Bred on Andrennes Plateau for 2000 yrs

• Oldest of the eurpoean heavy horses

• Used in Crusades by knights

• Works in hilly rough terrain

Breton Characteristics

Height: 15.2 - 16.2

Color: Chestnut or chestnut roan witha flaxen mane and tail

• Shorter neck with thich short cannon bones

• no feathers

• 3 types from different regions

• ~ 6000 registered in France

Boulbonias Characteristics

• Descended from the horses of Caesar’s legions

• NW coast of France

• Andalusian and Mecklenburg influence

• Speed, elegant, refined head, no feather

• used fro pulling fish carts

• < 1000 in Europe

Color: Grey

Weight: >2000 lbs

Comtois Characteristics

Height: 14.2 - 16 h

Color: Chestnut to dark brown or bay

• Stright neck with a stocky body

• Short strong leg with little feather

• Deep chest

• Used for logging in the pine forest and work in hilly vineyards

• 2nd most popular draft in France ~ 3500

Oberlander Characteristics

Height: 15.2 h - 16.2 h

Weight: 1500 - 1600 lbs

Color: Sorrel with flaxen man and tail or bay

• Strong, lots of stamina well muscled

• Used for loggin, carriages, and farm work

• 4000 horses in S. Germany/Bavaria, 37 in North America

Russian Heavy Draft Characteristics

Height: ~15.2 h

Color: Chestnut

Weight: 1250 - 1500 lbs

• Strong - can pull about 1500 lbs

• Mares used fro milk production ~ 60 lbs/d

• Breeding began in 1860’s

• Not heavily muscled

Jutland Characteristics

Height: 15 - 16 h

Color: various shades of Chestnut

• Deep chest with short legs and thich neck

• Feathers

• Date back to 12th C

• Denmark

• Suffolk and Shire Origin

• ~1000 Horses in Europ

American Cream

Color: Med cream with a white mane and tail, pink skin and amber eyes

Height: 15.1 - 16.3 h

Weight: 1600 - 1800 lbs

• Medium Draft

• Good Action

• “Critical” Status < 300 registered