24-510: The Lithuanian Heavy Draught is a draught horse breed created in Lithuania during the 19th and 20th centuries. They are used mainly for heavy draught and farm work, as well as meat production and the improvement of other breeds. The breed is currently near extinction.. The Lithuanian Heavy Draught was created during the late 19th century by crossing local Zhmud mares with Ardennes , Percheron , Brabant , and other heavy breeds. The breeding
48-499: A day. Overfeeding can lead to obesity, and risk of laminitis can be a concern. The largest horse in recorded history was probably a Shire born in 1846 named Sampson (renamed Mammoth). He stood 218 cm (21.2 hands) high, and his peak weight was estimated at 1,524 kilograms (3,360 lb). At over 193 cm (19 hands), a Shire gelding named Goliath (1977–2001) was the Guinness Book of World Records record holder for
72-404: A million draft horses were used during World War I . The British were importing American draft horses to supplement their dwindling stock even before America joined the war, preferring Percheron crosses which they said had "great endurance, fine physique, soundness, activity, willingness to work, and almost unfailing good temper". British buyers were buying 10,000 to 25,000 American horses and mules
96-431: A modern draft horse, and some of these Medieval war horses may have provided some bloodlines for some of the modern draft breeds. The reality was that the high-spirited, quick-moving Destrier was closer to the size, build, and temperament of a modern Andalusian or Friesian . There also were horses of more phlegmatic temperaments used for pulling military wagons or performing ordinary farm work which provided bloodlines of
120-517: A month, eventually making up about two-thirds of British Army war horses. In the late 19th century and early 20th century, thousands of draft horses were imported from Western Europe into the United States . Percherons came from France, Belgians from Brabant , Shires from England, Clydesdales from Scotland. Many American draft breed registries were founded in the late 19th century. The Percheron, with 40,000 broodmares registered as of 1915,
144-412: A source of horsepower for farming, hauling freight and moving passengers. The advent of railroads increased demand for working horses, as a growing economy still needed transport over the 'last mile' between the goods yard or station and the final customer. Even in the 20th century, until motor vehicles became an affordable and reliable substitute, draft horses were used for practical work. Over half
168-589: Is a unit of length in the International System of Units (SI) equal to one hundredth of a metre , centi being the SI prefix for a factor of 1 / 100 . Equivalently, there are 100 centimetres in 1 metre. The centimetre was the base unit of length in the now deprecated centimetre–gram–second (CGS) system of units. Though for many physical quantities, SI prefixes for factors of 10 —like milli- and kilo- —are often preferred by technicians,
192-536: Is a bit slower than lighter horse breeds, more akin to that of ponies, requiring less feed per pound of body weight. This is possibly due to their calmer nature. Nonetheless, because of their sheer size, most require a significant amount of feed per day. Generally a supplement to balance nutrients is preferred over a large quantity of grain. They consume hay or other forage from 1.5% to 3% of their body weight per day, depending on work level. They also can drink up to 95 litres; 21 imperial gallons (25 US gal) of water
216-525: Is a large horse bred to be a working animal hauling freight and doing heavy agricultural tasks such as plowing . There are a number of breeds, with varying characteristics, but all share common traits of strength, patience, and a docile temperament. While indispensable to generations of pre-industrial farmers, draft horses are used today for a multitude of purposes, including farming, draft horse showing , logging, recreation, and other uses. Draft breeds have been crossbred with light riding breeds such as
240-491: Is well suited for pulling. Many draft breeds have heavier hair, called feathering on their lower legs. Draft breeds range from approximately 163 to 193 cm (16 to 19 hands) high and from 640 to 910 kg (1,400 to 2,000 lb). Humans domesticated horses and used them to perform a variety of duties. One type of horse-powered work was the hauling of heavy loads, plowing fields, and other tasks that required pulling ability. A heavy, calm, patient, and well-muscled animal
264-592: The Amish and Mennonites . Draft horses are still used for logging , a forestry management practice to remove logs from dense woodland where there is insufficient space for mechanized vehicles or for other conservation considerations. Draft horse breeds have played a significant role in the development of many warmblood breeds, popular today in advanced level equine sports. Small areas still exist where draft horses are widely used as transportation due to legislation preventing automotive traffic, such as on Mackinac Island in
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#1732898848784288-523: The Thoroughbred to create sport horses or warmbloods . While most draft horses are used for driving , they can be ridden and some of the lighter draft breeds are capable performers under saddle. Draft horses are recognizable by their extremely muscular build. They tend to have broad, short backs with powerful hindquarters. In general, they are taller and tend to have heavier bone and a more upright shoulder than riding horses, producing conformation that
312-487: The tractor , reduced the need for the draft horse. Many were sold to slaughter for horse meat and a number of breeds went into significant decline. Today, draft horses can be seen in horse shows , pulling competitions , heavy horse trials, parades pulling large wagons , and pulling tourist carriages. However, they are still seen on some smaller farms in the US and Europe. They are particularly popular with agrarian groups such as
336-599: The Lithuanian Horse Breeders Association has taken over the responsibility of heavy horse testing. Recently, more have begun to be exported for meat. They are also used to improve other breeds. When crossed with native Altai horses, they improved the meat and milk yield and also increased the weight, growth rate, and ability to withstand year-round grazing conditions. Draught horse A draft horse (US) or draught horse (UK), also known as dray horse , carthorse , work horse or heavy horse ,
360-606: The United States. Management of a large draft horse can be costly, including feed, shoeing, and veterinary care. Although many draft horses can work without a need for shoes, if they are required, farriers may charge twice the price to shoe a draft horse as a light riding horse because of the extra labor and specialized equipment required. Historically, draft horses were shod with horseshoes that were significantly wider and heavier than those for other types of horses, custom-made, often with caulkins . The draft horse's metabolism
384-415: The breed is close to extinction, with less than 1000 horses thought to exist as of 2003. The Lithuanian Heavy Draught generally stands 15 to 16 hands high, and may be bay , chestnut , black , grey or roan . Overall the breed is large and solid. The head is well-proportioned with a straight profile and heavy jaw. The neck is short, muscular, and arched, the withers broad and moderately pronounced and
408-409: The centimetre remains a practical unit of length for many everyday measurements; for instance, human height is commonly measured in centimetres. A centimetre is approximately the width of the fingernail of an average adult person. One millilitre is defined as one cubic centimetre, under the SI system of units. In addition to its use in the measurement of length , the centimetre is used: For
432-476: The chest wide, deep and muscular. The back is long, and generally straight, although it can be slightly dipped, and the croup rounded, long and muscled. The legs are short, solid, and muscular with broad, strong joints and well-formed hooves. Defects occasionally shown include a coarse head and an excessively dipped back. The Lithuanian Heavy Draught is used mainly for heavy draught and farm work. In Lithuania draught capacity testing began in 1857, and since 2002
456-456: The modern draft horse. Records indicate that even medieval drafts were not as large as those today. Of the modern draft breeds, the Percheron probably has the closest ties to the medieval war horse. By the 19th century horses weighing more than 730 kilograms (1,600 lb) that also moved at a quick pace were in demand. Tall stature, muscular backs, and powerful hindquarters made the draft horse
480-434: The world's tallest living horse (until his death). Big Jake (2001–2021), an American Belgian standing 210.2 cm (20.275 hands), held the record for tallest living horse from 2010 until his death in 2021. As of 2024, there is no living record holder. The following breeds of horse are considered draft breeds: Centimetre A centimetre or centimeter ( US/Philippine spelling ), with SI symbol cm ,
504-549: Was America's most numerous draft breed at the turn of the 20th century. A breed developed exclusively in the U.S. was the American Cream Draft , which had a stud book established by the 1930s. Beginning in the late 19th century, and with increasing mechanization in the 20th century, especially following World War I in the US and after World War II in Europe, the popularity of the internal combustion engine, and particularly
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#1732898848784528-502: Was desired for this work. Conversely, a light, more energetic horse was needed for riding and rapid transport. Thus, to the extent possible, a certain amount of selective breeding was used to develop different types of horse for different types of work. It is a common misunderstanding that the Destrier that carried the armoured knight of the Middle Ages had the size and conformation of
552-508: Was issued from 1951 to 1996. The herd books for Lithuanian Heavy Draughts are now issued by the Lithuanian Horse Breeders Association, with purebred Lithuanian Draughts identified by their colour, conformation, and markings. In 1964 there were 62,000 Lithuanian Heavy Draughts in Lithuania. Recently, there has been a dramatic decrease in the breed population, with stallion numbers declining and breeding and working conditions deteriorating. Currently,
576-534: Was overseen by the Lithuanian Society for Breeding Work and Driving Horses beginning in 1894. In 1923 additional heavy horses were imported from the Netherlands to re-establish the breed following World War I , and in 1925, 2000, and 2001 additional Ardennes horses were imported from Sweden . Initially, Lithuanian Heavy Draughts were included into herd books as Ardennes crossbreds. A breed-specific herd book
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