- Breeding
- Horse Breeding: Covering a Mare
- What do do when the Panic is On to keep our Horses Safe!
- The History of Horse Breeding
- Buying a Horse
- The Top 4 Places to Find Horses for Sale
- When Good Gaits Deteriorate
- How to Buy Horses: A Step by Step Process
- General Horse Articles
- Using Anti-Discrimnation Laws to Find the Best Employees
- Keeping the Horse Replenished - Equine Electrolytes
- Tips for Finding the Right Riding Instructor
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- You’ve Got the Right Feed, Now What?: Proper Feeding Practices
- Essential Fatty Acids – The Functions and Benefits in Horses
- Healthy Horse Boutique Supports Haddad Staller In Her Olympic Quest
- Horse Grooming
- Equine Experts Send Us Your Best Tip - Win $750 Worth of KAM’s Healthy Horse Products and More
- Mane Saving Ideas
- When Dealing With Horses Get It in Writing - Sign Up for May 16 FREE Webinar
- Horse Health Issues
- Equine Health 101: How to Keep Your Horse Healthy
- Healthy Horse Boutique Supports Haddad Staller In Her Olympic Quest
- A Look at Horse Vision
- Horses & History
- What do do when the Panic is On to keep our Horses Safe!
- Horses in Art: An Abridged History
- A Brief History of Draft Horses
- Horses & Sports
- Halter Horse Show
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- Ask Chelsie Natural Horsemanship - What Does It Mean To Disengage My Horse?
A Brief History of Draft Horses
05/26/2008
A draft horse is a large horse bred for heavy tasks, such as plowing and other forms of farm labor. They are strong and patient, and they were extremely valuable before the Industrial Revolution. Today, they are used mainly for crossbreeding,
A draft horse is a large horse bred for heavy tasks, such as plowing and other forms of farm labor. They are strong and patient, and they were extremely valuable before the Industrial Revolution. Today, they are used mainly for crossbreeding, although some are still in use. Here’s a look back at the history of this working horse.
Humans needed to domesticate horses to use them for work, such as farm work and carrying heavy loads. While they used light, quick horses for transportation, they needed an animal that was strong, calm, and patient for pulling these heavy loads.
Many think that the medieval destrier war horse was an ancestor of today’s draft horse, but they fit the bill of an Andalusian or Friesian horse much closer. Some work horses of that time pulled military wagons and did some farm work as well. However, it is still believed that these horses were smaller than the draft horses of today.
In the 1800s, before the railroad, the heavy work horse was invaluable and in high demand. The draft horse aided farmers, carried large loads of supplies and equipment, and dragged wagons of passengers. This even carried through to the early 1900s, as draft horses were used during World War I to help the military effort.
At that time, draft horses were being imported from Europe into the United States – from Belgium, France, England, and Scotland. The most numerous of these breeds in America were the Percheron from France, with 40,000 broodmares by 1915. The American Cream Draft breed was developed as an American draft breed.
Unfortunately, due to the Industrial Revolution in the 20th century, the internal combustion engine greatly reduced the demand for the draft horse. After World War I, the tractor began to replace the draft horse on the farm. Many breeds became depleted after horses were sold to slaughterhouses for horsemeat.
Today, some smaller farms still employ the draft horse in both the United States and Europe. The Amish and Mennonite farmers especially use horses for their power. Outside of that, draft horses can be seen at pulling shows and competitions, or used as exhibition animals.
