Origin
Ireland
History
The horse has enjoyed an honored place in Ireland since before recorded time. Scientists have established that the early Irish horse stood from 12 to 14 hands, and historians believe that it began to increase in size with the arrival in 1172 of the Normans, who brought with them the larger, heavier horses needed to carry men at arms. The medieval Irish horse was, of course, the famous Irish hobby, a riding and cavalry horse which found its way to Scotland in the 13th century and was in demand all over Europe until the end of the 16th century. Many of these early „hobbies" were Asturians from the northern tip of Spain. The arrival of heavy horses with the Norman knights, and later the Andalusian or Spanish barb which came with the Spanish trade, and finally, the Thoroughbred , eradicated the hobby and led to development of the Irish Hunter or halfbred horse as we know it today.
The first authenticated mention of the Irish Draft dates from the close of the 18th century. It was described as a low-built animal with much bone and substance and short, strong, clean legs. This animal could both trot in harness and canter and gallop under saddle. It was also said to jump very well; this quality resulted from the Irish love of hunting, which encouraged the Irish horses to develop their innate talent for going over the most fearsome of obstacles. Thoroughbred blood added quality, scope, and more speed without detracting from the inherited hunting ability.
After the famine of 1847, the number of Irish Drafts declined, and efforts were later to improve the remaining stock with Clydesdale and Shire crosses. These were not successful and had a coarsening influence.
The breed was much improved by the stallion subsidies made available in 1904. Ireland always recognized its horses as a national asset and encouraged their breeding and sale accordingly. In 1917, a „Book for Horses of the Irish Draught Type" was introduced. Until the Second World War there was a good trade in vanners, army remounts, draft horses, and the half-bred hunter.
The Irish Draught Society was formed in 1976, followed in 1979 by the Irish Draught Horse Society, which soon became one of the most progessive British horse societies. It operates a grading system to produce animals suitable for registration, and its influence on hunter breeding has been remarkable.
Description
- Head:
well shaped with a wide forehead and well-set ears; straight profile - Conformation:
-long, arched neck
-the wither position, set to the rear, is distinctive and contributes to the slope and shape of the powerful shoulders
-deep body with an oval rib cage and deep chest
-strong back, maybe a little too long
-powerful quarters
-long croup, gently sloping
-massive legs carrying minimal feather; flat and hard bone; big, well shaped joints
-very powerful hind legswith strongly muscled thighs and big hock joints which ensure exceptional jumping ability - Average height:
16 to 17 h.h. - Colour:
any colour is allowed in the Irish Draft - Temperament:
easily managed, agreeable - Today:
crosses to the Thoroughbred produced the Irish Hunter -probably the best cross-country horse. Today, greater quality in the Draft mares results in faster event-type horses, with greater scope over fences. The Irish Draft is an excellent performer at horse trials at international level and has a natural talent for cross-country jumping.
Minimum height is 15,2 for mares.
Only whole or full colours such as grey, chestnut, bay, black or dun are allowed. Obvious Clydsdale markings such as white above the knee or white markings on the underside of the body are not allowed.