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The Irish Draught Horse

The Irish Draught Horse Society in Ireland, defines the type and character of  the Irish Draught as:
"an active, short-shinned, powerful  horse with substance and quality. It is proud of bearing, deep of girth and strong of back
 and quarters. Standing over a lot of ground, it has an exceptionally strong and sound constitution. It has an intelligent and
gentle nature and is noted for its docility and sense."

Rare breed status

The purebred Irish Draught is currently classified as a rare breed. The  approximate population of purebred breeding mares is only 1400 worldwide, and  less than 200 purebred breeding stallions.
To be removed from this status to the  next level of endangered, the purebred population needs to have
at least 5000  breeding animals.

Picture

Irish Draught Horse Breed Standard

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

Height
Stallions 15.3hh to 16.3hh  approx.
Mares 15.1hh to 16.1hh approx.

Bone
Good, strong, clean bone.

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

Shoulders, Neck and Front
Shoulders should be clean-cut and not loaded, withers well  defined, not coarse; the neck set in high and carried proudly, showing a good  length of rein. 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, and the cannon bone straight and short, with plenty of flat  clean bone, and never back at the knee (calf-kneed) i.e. not sloping forward  from knee to fetlock. The bone must not be round or 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 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 Legs
The back is to be powerful, the  girth very deep. The loins must not be weak but the mares must have enough room  to carry a foal. The croup to buttocks is to be long and sloping, not short and  rounded or flat-topped; hips not wide and plain. Thighs are strong and powerful  and at least as wide from the back view as the hips, with the second thighs long  and well-developed. The hocks are 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 th ground; they should not be over bent or in any way weak. The cannon bone, etc. as for the foreleg should be 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 color, including greys.

 


 

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