The Irish Draft actually originated from the Irish Hobby. It was a small horse that bared many similarities of the primitive horses Garrano and Sorraia, which were from Northern Spain and Portugal. War horses that were brought to Ireland during the Anglo-Norman invasion and they were bred with the local stock, and then later Iberian blood was added because horses that were shipwrecked found their way to Ashore near Cork and southwestern Ireland.
Today the Irish Draft Horse is actually the national breed horse of Ireland and they are primarily bred for farm work; the breed has become very popular for its successful breeding with Thoroughbreds and warm bloods to produce the well-known Irish Sport Horse. It is also called the Irish Draught Horse; they earned their sport reputation for excelling at the highest levels of competition and show jumping. Beyond the show ring, they were used for pulling plows and carts, riding, and hunting horses; during the great European wars, they were also used as army artillery horses.
To further the promotion of the breed for better horses, the Irish government became involved at the beginning of the 20th century, starting with introducing the registration. Like a lot of registration processes for a lot of breed, they have to go through a series of inspections and evaluations. When the studbook was opened in 1917, 375 mares and 44 stallions were selected as the foundation of the breed. Clydesdale horse were later imported from Britain to cross breed with the Irish horses because there had been a rising demand for plow horses that could move through the thick and sometimes clay-like soil. However, the Clydesdale was blamed for the poor stamina and limbs. As a result, the practice of cross breeding with Clydesdales was discontinued.
The Irish Draft horse has produced many notable horses throughout history. Take a look at the following: "King of Diamonds" who produced a number of world-class show jumpers, ranked 7th as a sire of show jumpers in world rankings from 1990 to 1995. The sire left a number of sons behind to continue his legacy such as "Special Envoy," "Mill Pearl," and "Millstreet Ruby." Another famous sire was and still is "Clover Hill", he was ranked 16th as a sire of show in the world rankings from 1990 to 1995. Some of his progeny are "Cagney," "Skyview," and "Flo Jo".
The Irish Draft is often referred to as "the horse of the countryside." This was because of its use on many small Irish farms; the breed came close to being wiped out after the famine of 1847. After the Thoroughbred was introduced into the bloodline of the Irish Draft, the Irish Hunter came into the world; it was said to be one of the most versatile cross country horses.
|
