The Irish Draught horse
The origins of the Irish Draught horse can be traced back to the Celtic pony, the Connemara pony, and the small Irish horse, crossed with Normans. Later, infusions of Andalusian and probably Oriental blood were made. Attempts to add Clydesdale and Shire were unsuccessful. The Stud Book was instituted in 1917. Crossbreeding with Thoroughbred stallions produced the Irish Hunter, perhaps the world’s finest hunter and cross-country horse. The Irish Draught Horse Society was founded in 1976.
Caractère et aptitudes du cheval
Calm-tempered and docile, Irish Hunters are courageous, robust, agile, and active. A very good jumper, its action is straight, energetic, and long.
Utilisations du cheval
A versatile horse, used for saddling, light drafting and farm work. Crossbred with the Thoroughbred, it produces the Irish Hunter, an excellent show jumper.
Morphologie du cheval
Proportionate head. Broad forehead. Straight profile. Long ears. Compact, round, robust, medio-bred type body. Rather short neck. Fairly high withers. Powerful, sloping shoulders. Deep chest. Straight, solid back. Strong loins. Powerful hindquarters. Croup rather sloping. Limbs fairly short, vigorous, solid, strong boned. Wide joints. No dewlap. Rounded hooves. Tail set low. Coat: all simple colors. Size: 1.55 to 1.72 m.
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