Little can match the majesty and grace of a Clydesdale. They stand between 16 to 17 hands, 64 to 68 inches from the hoof to the withers (shoulders) and have impressively broad backs. The record for height of a Clydesdale is 20 hands that is 80 inches! At five foot two inches that would mean that the horse’s shoulders would have been one foot and six inches taller than me! That would have been quite a site.
The horse is named after the Scottish town where the draft horse was bred and eventually exported to the United States. The breed is believed to be more than 300 years old. The horse was used in farms commonly until the 1940′s when tractors became popular. A few dedicated breeders kept the breed’s line strong during World War II. After the Second World War the Clydesdale’s were used to advertise various beer brands and still are today by Anheuser-Busch, the owner of Budweiser.
Clydesdale’s as draft and workhorses were historically used to pull heavy loads, carriages or to pull farming implements. Today however they are sometimes used in English foxhunts and for usa womens sports. The breed is also commonly used in organic farming in the United States and in logging, where tractors are of no use in the narrow and uneven passageways of dense forests.
The horses are known for their feather, the long hair that falls below their knee to cover their hooves. The horse’s body and athleticism is best seen when it is in a trot. Its animated trot is characterized by a high kick of its feathered hooves from all four legs.
Clydesdales are typically brown, chestnut or black with a white stripe down the front of their face. Their feet are commonly white as well with a white underbelly.
Clydesdales foals are 180 lbs at birth and gain 4.4 lbs on average per day. The mare must produce 55 lbs of milk per day to sustain this development.
The breed was not only popular for its strength and size, but for its docility and surprising agility. The breed is nicknamed the gentle giant for its calm temperament.
Because of their size and temperament they are commonly used for crossbreeding with thoroughbred. This created a faster, lighter horse with an excellent temperament. Today numerous breeders exist in the United States and 600 foals are born every year in the country.