The Irish Draught

In the early 20th century, Irish farmers needed a more versatile horse than the heavy draft. He needed an animal that could work the land all week, go fox-hunting on Saturdays, and then still be ready to bring the family trap to church on Sunday morning. It was from this need that the Irish Draught was born. Over a century of selection has produced a warmblooded breed which are very sound, sensible animals with good bone, substance and quality. The Irish Draught is neither as massive nor as heavily feathered as it's name implies and has movement that is smooth and free, without exaggeration, and not heavy. The Draught is exceptionally strong and sound, has great stamina and an uncanny jumping ability. In addition, this breed possesses a fabulous temperament made up of willingness, intelligence, docility and common sense.   Not only is the Irish Draught a perfect companion mount for riders of all ages, but it possesses the ability and versatility to participate in various levels of jumping, eventing, dressage, hunting and driving events.   It has an intelligent and gentle nature and is noted for its docility and common sense, especially when hunting.   It is all these exceptional qualities that make the Irish Draught an invaluable part in the production of the highly successful Irish sport horse.  After some time the Thoroughbred was introduced to Ireland and inevitably bred to the Irish Draught. The offspring of this pairing turned out to be an amazing hunting horse, and was named the Irish Hunter. The Irish Hunter was highly popular, but the Irish Draught retained its exclusive position as the draft horse of choice in Ireland. During World War I, the Irish Draught was commandeered into service as an artillery horse, hauling guns and ammunition through the European battlefields. The deaths of so many Irish Draught horses while in the War, combined with economic hardship in Ireland caused the Irish Draught population to dwindle. With no registry to keep tabs on the Irish Draught, it was feared that it might become extinct all together. So in the early nineteen hundreds, the Irish Department of Agriculture set up a registry and inspection of Irish Draught mares, as well as supplying monetary compensation for owners of approved and registered stallions. Not long after the war, the Industrial Revolution occurred and many of the Irish Draught horses were sent to the slaughterhouse when their owners shifted to using mechanical farming equipment. What kept the Irish Draught alive was the Irish Hunter. The Irish Hunter was in such demand that Draught mares were cherished, because when they were bred to Thoroughbred stallions the Irish Hunter was produced. But because the Irish Draught itself was not so so popular, the number of purebreds began to decline dramatically. The Thoroughbred blood was diluting the Irish Draught population. In 1976 the Irish Draught Horse Society was founded. Because there was no foundation stallion, the registry could not be run as others were. So the system that the Society settled on was that each horse would be inspected and classified, and either put into the main studbook, or into the supplementary studbook. Thus purebred lines of the Irish Draught could be continued. They can be large horses, ranging in height from 15.2hh to as high as 17hh.   In the breed standard, an Irish draught should have good, strong, clean bone, good, bold eyes set well apart, wide forehead and long,well-set ears. Head should be generous and pleasant, not coarse.  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,  The forearms should be long and muscular,  the legs should be clean and hard with a little feathering. the hooves should be hard and sound.   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.  The action of the irish draught should be smooth and free but without exaggeration and not heavy. The irish draught is found in most solid colors, but the most common being bay and grey.

Written by Salina Covich. - 2004 (c)

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