HORSING AROUND BY TRIANA ELAN

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Gentle Giants In Danger

I like to call horses Land Whales. They have the same magical quality of whales, the same type of effect on many people, similar majestic presence and symbolic meaning of freedom.

Like whales, the Draft Horse breeds are in danger due to changing circumstances in human society. Where they were once noble steeds carrying knights into battle, these big horses have been rebred to work as farming animals. Now, few people farm with horses anymore. Mostly draft horses are being used for showing, and this caries with it its own breed of problems.

One thing I am personally against is docking the tail. This is commonly done by the Amish and breeders. The excuse is that it looks better and keeps the tail from getting caught in the rigging. The problem is, the tail is an extension of the spine, and important for balance. Cutting off a part of a horse's spine is absurd in my book. The tail hairs could be cut shorter, or the tail could be braided or tied. But no, folks don't want to go to the trouble. Better to just cut the tail off. It's tradition.

Being the owner of two draft horses myself, I have a great appreciation for this special breed of "heavy horse" (as they call them in England).

Draft horses have five breeds: The famous Clydesdale, whose origins are in Scotland; the Shire, an English breed, which is the largest of the draft breed. Shires are either black or bay with the white blaze down the face and big white, feathered feet. The Suffolk Punch is a small, stocky English draft horse breed. It is usually sorrel (chestnut) in color and Suffolks are compact and make terrific farming horses.

The Percheron (like Star) is a very popular breed for farming and showing. They are a "hotter" breed, showing more animation and spirit than their counterparts. This breed hails from the Perche region of the Loire Valley in France. The Percheron will be black or dapple gray, and they can also be white. Last but not least is the Belgian (not "Belgium," as some people incorrectly call them. Belgium is a country. Belgian is something that comes from Belgium). My other draft horse Don is a Belgian. They are most often sorrel with a flaxen mane and tail. They are gentle and easy to handle. Belgians are the descendants of the Flemish War Horse.

Draft horses are expensive to feed and maintain, due to the fact that they equal two light horses in weight. If you have a regular horse and are considering getting a draft, multiply everything times two to figure out the cost.

They also have different dietary needs than light horses. For instance, their diet needs to be lower in protein and higher in fat due to the way they metabolize their food. Breeds of horses are just like races of people; each has its own needs genetically determined by its country and land of origin.

These big horses are moving toward extinction in this country, due to changing needs of human. Breeders are crossing the draft breeds with other breeds to produce a lighter, more streamlined look appropriate for a sport horse or a carriage horse.

While some folks still use draft horses for farming, carriage driving and showing, they are becoming more popular as riding horses, especially in Europe. In Holland, Shires are used for dressage! While in England, I saw groups of people riding Shires down the road.

Draft horses are also now being used for vaulting (gymnastic maneuvers on horseback, like in the circus). The Belgians are especially popular for this because they have a very smooth stride and the topline doesn't bounce up and down at the trot or the canter (the Top Line is the top of the back, where a rider sits or a vaulter stands).

At a plowing competition in Southern Washington, I had the opportunity to watch these animals at work. If you look carefully, you'll see that all five breeds of Draft Horse are in these photos I took.

Drafts are precious and the breed needs to be helped along. Once final kicker that should pull at your heartstrings is this: There are stockyards where draft horses are raised like cattle, fed until they're three or four (fully grown), then sent on ships to Asia and Japan where they are slaughtered for food. It's not that hard to find out where these stockyards are, but good luck getting to them, they won't let you in unless you have an "in."

© 2002 Island Star