The Irish Draught Horse incorporating an audio interview with Pam Symonds of the Irish Draught Horse Society of Great Britain

The name Irish Draught may be misleading in that many people are surprised to find that the breed is a lighter free-moving animal than the traditional image of the heavy horse. Nevertheless, the ancestry of the breed goes back to the small Irish farm where the farm horse doubled up as a hunter as well as taking the trap or dogcart into the town. However, today the Irish Draught is more sought after for its breeding qualities. In England, the brood mare has been acknowledged as an excellent dam of a hunter when mated with a thoroughbred stallion. Now the Irish Draught stallion is being used more and more to get extra bone and substance in the progeny of the lighter type mare.

The breed has been existence for a century or more, though it has been nearly lost on several occasions. During periods of poverty and famine in Irish history, many breeders gave up registering their animals and it took many hours of work by breed enthusiasts and the Irish Horse Board to get a new stud book started. They found that hundreds were going to the slaughter houses each week and that there were very few left.

Traditionally, the Draught was the farm horse in Ireland and it also had to be capable of being hunted and ridden. It pulled the cart, tilled the fields, and it had to be capable of keeping up a good jog in the trap. The horse had to be docile, strong and economical to keep. Its traditional winter feed was young gorse put through a chaff-cutter, boiled turnips and bran or meal of some sort that could be spared from the cows. Gradually the breed developed into an animal around 15.2hh - 16.2hh in mares and 16hh - 17hh in stallions and of any whole colour.

The horse has a graceful carriage of head and neck with a big, kind eye, strong limbs with particularly short cannon bones. Despite the power the horse should be free moving and not ponderous. The feet should be like those of a hunter and not like a cart horse. The feet are one of the most important points and the reason why the Irish Draught is required for the breeding of show jumpers is that they have to withstand the concussion from jumping, often on hard surfaces.

Horses by our Registered Irish Draught Stallions are now well to the fore in every discipline. With qualifying horses at the Horse of the Year Show in the Working Hunter, Ridden Hunter, Show Jumping and Cob categories. Our Irish Draught stock is also consistently making best prices at sales.

Breed Standard and Guidelines

Type & Character

The Irish Draught is an active short legged powerful horse with substance and quality. It is proud of bearing, deep of girth and strong of back and quarters. Standing over a lot ground it has an exceptionally strong and sound constitution. It has an intelligent and gentle nature and is noted for its docility and sense.

Height: to mature at

Stallions: 15.3hh - 16.3hh approx.
Mares: 15.1hh - 16.1hh approx.

Bone

Good strong clean bone

Head

Good bold eyes well set apart, long well set ears, wide of forehead. Head should be generous and and pleasant, not coarse or hatchet headed, though a slight roman nose is permissible. The jaw bones should have enough room to take the gullet and allow ease of breathing.

Shoulders, Neck and Front

Shoulders should be clean cut and not loaded, withers well defined, not coarse. The neck set is high and carried proudly. The chest should not be too broad and beefy. The forearms should be long and muscular, not caught in at the elbows. The knee large and generous, set near the ground. The cannon bone straight and short with plenty of flat, clean bone, never back of the knee (calf kneed) , i.e. not sloping forward from knee to fetlock. The bone must not be round and coarse. The legs should be clean and hard with a little hair permissible at the back of the fetlock as a necessary protection. The pasterns strong and in proportion, not short and upright nor too long and weak. The hoof should be generous and sound, not boxy or contracted and there should be plenty of room at the heel.

Back, Hindquarters, Body and Hind Leg

The back to be powerful, the girth very deep, the loins must not be weak but mares must have enough room to carry a foal. The croup to buttocks to be long and sloping, not short and rounded or flat topped. Hips not wide and plain, thighs strong and powerful and at least as wide from the back view as the hips. The second thighs long and well developed, the hocks near the ground and generous, points not too close together or wide apart but straight. They should not be out behind the horse but should be in line from the back of the quarters to the heel to the ground. They should not be overbent or in any way weak. The cannon bone etc. as for the foreleg, short and strong.

Action

Smooth and free but without exaggeration and not heavy or ponderous. Walk and trot to be straight and true with good flexion of the hocks and freedom of the shoulders.

Colour

Any strong whole colour, including grey. White legs, above the knees or hocks, not desirable.

Listen to the Interview John Crawford of equiworld.net met with Pam Symonds, President of the Irish Draught Society (GB) at the British Equine Event 2001. To listen to their fascinating discussion of the Irish Draught Horse and its origins, please click the link below /archive/equiworld-net/video/ewvideo.exe?bb506 (Note: to listen to this file you will need Real Player. A free download is available at www.real.com )

This article and the accompanying photographs are courtesy of the Irish Draught Horse Society of Great Britain. To learn more about the Irish Draught, please visit their website at http://www.irishdraughthorsesociety.com