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Belgian Draft
The Belgian Draft is a massive, powerful workhorse. It pulls plows, wagons, and even sleighs.
The biggest Belgian Drafts can weigh over 2,400 pounds (1,089 kg) and stand 19 hands (6 ft 4 in, 193 cm) high.
Height: 16-17 hh (horse hands)
Color: Red-roan, Chestnut, Sorrel
Body Type: Heavy
This breed comes from...
Belgium
Explore the traits of this breed!
SIDE VIEW
The neck is short and thick. This trait makes the neck strong, but not very agile.
At the withers, this big horse stands 17 hands (5 ft 8 in, 173 cm) high.
It has a very muscular back. It provides great power for pulling.
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FRONT and BACK VIEW
Its limbs are short, but they're powerful. Draft horses can pull very heavy loads.
See the white blaze on its face and four "socks" on its legs? Many Belgian Drafts have these traits.
When harnessed, the horse uses its wide chest to pull against a collar.
This horse's coat color is sorrel—a light reddish-brown color. Its mane and tail are flaxen, a pale-yellow color.
Look at its lush and wavy tail. When the horse is working, its tail is often cropped or tied up.
The hindquarters are muscular, huge, and round. This is a common trait in a draft horse.
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The Belgian Draft Story
In the 1800s, Belgium was a major center for draft horse breeding. Using local heavy horses, breeders worked to create the Belgian Draft. It was big, powerful, and one of the best workhorses in Europe.
The Belgian Draft was exported to Russia, Germany, Italy, and the United States in the late 1800s. People used it to pull plows and heavily-loaded wagons.
Today, the Belgian Draft is still popular in the United States. Horses of this breed tend to be taller in the United States than their European counterparts.
Appaloosa | Arabian | Belgian Draft | Connemara | Friesian | Haflinger | Hanoverian | Icelandic Horse | Lusitano | Miniature Horse | Morgan | Oldenburg | Paint | Percheron | Quarter Horse | Selle Français | Thoroughbred
Credits:
All images, © AMNH