The History of the Draft Horse

The draft horse is extremely powerful, with strong legsdraft horses would go on to play an important part in
and a wide body. It has an impressive quality ofthe support work of World War I. To understand how
strength and in times past it was bred to pull a plow ormany horses came in to Western Europe from the
a sledge. Though draft horses are still seen forUnited States, consider the fact that in 1913, fewer than
pleasure riding and for competition today, it is importantone thousand horses were shipped in from America.
to remember how far back the history of theseDuring the next five years, at the height of World War
powerful horses go, and how long they have servedI, more than 1 million horses were shipped in. With the
capably and well in many different capacities. In theirinnovation of trench warfare, lighter Calvary style
furthest history, it was thought that they came fromhorses could not effectively maneuver over the field. It
the draft subtype of the ancient Forest Horse, butwas the draft horses that were more useful; they
extremely early on, they were bred for the desirablewere the ones who could pull artillery with nearly
traits of a strong frame and a gentle, dociletireless strength, carrying both ammunition and supplies.
temperament.Of the one million plus horses that went to Europe for
When the horse was domesticated, it was recognizedWorld War I, only 200 horses returned home.
that there were many different purposes that theyThe horses that we recognize as draft horses today,
could be put to. While riding horses needed to be quickwith their powerful bodies and impressive height may
and very responsive, heavier, more patient horseshave first appeared on the scene in the beginning of
were thought to be more desirable for farm labor.the nineteenth century. These horses were bred for
They might be called into action in order to movetransporting freight and for farming, and they were of
heavy loads or to plow fields, and their steadiness wasa particular use when it came to pulling carriages and
an asset when it came to work of this nature.carts, especially in the time before the railroads. In
Selective breeding over thousands of years resulted inAmerica, the early twentieth century saw thousands
the draft horses that we see today, ranging from theof draft horses being shipped in from Europe. During
large Clydesdales to the popular Belgians.the last part of the nineteenth century, there were
When people think of draft horses in medieval Europe,many American draft registries founded, and by 1915,
their minds instinctively go to the destriers, horses thatthe Percheron was the most numerous draft horse to
carried knights into battle. While it is true that destriersbe found in America.
needed to be powerful enough to carry a knight in fullAfter a decline following the invention of the
armor, the truth was that there was little the medievalautomobile and the truck, the modern draft horse is
destrier had in common with a draft horse. Where aseeing a marked increase in numbers. More and more
draft horse was bred to be docile and stable, apeople are realizing that the heavy draft horse breeds
destrier needed to be both quick and extremelyhave some very important contributions to make,
responsive both to its rider and to the battle going onwhether it is for trail riding or in the show rings. Today's
around it. It has been theorized that the lighter draftdraft horses are still in use in an entertainment capacity
horses, like the Friesian or the Andalusian, might beall over the world, but this is far from their only function.
more similar to the destriers.Whether you are interested in seeing draft horses in
Just because they were not seen during the Crusadesaction or you are interested in owning one, take some
does not mean that the draft horse was not seen attime and really consider learning more about the history
all in warfare. As a matter of fact, patient and steadyof this breed.