The gentle giants of the horse world, drafts have dominated agriculture for years before the machinery arrived. These horses were bred for power and gentleness, so that they could work on the farm and be handled by children. While there are dozens of draft breeds, these five are the largest in size and in weight: the Shire, the Clydesdale, the Belgian Draft, the Percheron, and the Suffolk Punch.
1# Shire
Height: 16-19 hands
Weight: 1870 to 2430 lbs
About: From the farms and fields of England came a horse full of strength and beauty. Going back to the days when they were knight’s horses, Shires are deeply rooted in England’s history. From knight’s charger to farmer’s plow, the largest of the gentle giants helped build Britain.
The largest horse in the world, Sampson, was a Shire. He was born in 1846 and measured 21.1 hands– that’s a little over seven feet tall at the withers!
Shires are usually bay, black, or gray and have a convex head profile and heavy leg feathering. Despite their large size this horse has some fine knee action and strides. Some horses have their tails cut short so they don’t get tangled in the harness.
Historically, Shires were used to pull barges, cart loads, pull plows, pull cut logs, or just as a riding horse. With the advance of machinery, Shires began to die out or were crossbred with other horses. It’s considered an “at risk” breed currently.
The Shire stud-book and breed society were formed in 1876, making it one of the oldest breed organizations in the world.
To Learn More: https://shirehorse.org/
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2# Clydesdale
Height: 16-18 hands
Weight: 1, 600- 2,400 lbs
About: From the highlands of Scotland comes one of the most iconic of draft breeds. Known for their appearance in the Budweiser beer commercials and their unique sabino coloring, Clydesdales are arguably the most popular draft breed in the world. Charismatic, goofy, and clever, Clydesdales have been used in everything from dressage to barrel racing, their poise and leg action in no way limited by their large size.
Clydesdales have a finer head than Shires and higher knee action. Because of the large amounts of white on their face they are particularly prone to sunburn. Clydesdales were also primarily used in creating the Gypsy Vanner and the Australian Draught Horse.
To Learn More: https://www.clydesusa.com/
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3# Belgian Draft
Height: 16- 17 hands
Weight: 1,800-2,200 lbs
About: The second tallest horse in the world was a 21 hand Belgian Draft named Big Jake, and “big” is an understatement of this breed! While they aren’t as tall as some of the other breeds, Belgians are one of the heaviest. This is a horse built to work, from their heavily muscled bodies to the minimal feathering on their lower legs, keeping the legs cleaner and helping prevent a type of mange known as “Clyde’s Itch”.
Also called the Brabant, though this is not technically correct since that is a completely different breed, the Belgian is known as the strongest horse breed in the world. They come in mostly chestnut, but there are also occasionally sorrel, bay, and black. Belgians are quite brave and loyal, known for taking care of their owners. They are one of the last horse breeds still widely used for agriculture.
To Learn More: https://www.belgiancorp.com/
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4# Percheron
Height: 15-19 hands
Weight: 1,800-2,600
About: The breed of “blacks and grays”, the Percheron traces back to France and the knights of medieval times, though their influence stretches far and wide. Percherons were used for stagecoaches, fire engines, forestry, and carriages; their attractive knee action made them excellent for driving, especially in pairs.
Percherons are used for the Heinz company float at the Tournament of Roses parade and at Disneyland Paris to pull the trams. It contributed to the breeding of the Spanish-Norman, and it is one of the few breeds still used agriculturally. In France, it is also used for meat.
Percherons are elegant, rugged horses often described as “proud and alert”. Their legs have little feathering and unlike some of the other draft horse breeds, they have a straight face profile, probably owing to their Arabian blood lines. In Europe, they only register grays and blacks, however the American registry also allows bay, chestnut, and roan.
To Learn More: https://www.percheronhorse.org/
5# Suffolk Punch
Height: 15.2- 16.2 hands
Weight: 1,600- 2,000 lbs
About: The rarest and smallest of the breeds mentioned here, Suffolk Punches hail from England and are considered “critical” by the Livestock Breeds Conservancy.
The Suffolk Punch registry is the oldest horse registry in England, with the first recorded mention of the horses written in William Camden’s Britannia in 1586. Genetically, they are related to Fell and Dales ponies, also from England, but intriguingly they also hail from Halflingers, another all chestnut breed that was created high in the mountains of Austria.
Because it was a cheerful easy keeper and smaller in size (thus needing to eat less), Suffolk Punches took over some of the jobs formerly done by Shires and other heavier horses after World War I. But they, like many draft horses, were shipped out to meat factories to make food for soldiers.
The breed is always chestnut, though the English registry spells it as “chesnut”. The registry has four categories of chestnut: dark liver, dark dull, red, and bright. As Marguerite Henry put it:
“His color is bright chestnut – like a tongue of fire against black field furrows, against green corn blades, against yellow wheat, against blue horizons. Never is he any other color.”
They are more heavily built than some other draft horses since they are more of an agriculture horse. Once used to pull plows and artillery, the horses are used mainly for forestry work and draught pulling today.
To Learn More: https://suffolkpunch.com/
This was so cool to read! Very informative and I will have to read more into these horse breeds
Very interesting!