Despite all the advances in science and technology, a good working horse is still valued by residents of agricultural areas. Preference is given to heavy draft breeds. There are a lot of them bred all over the world. Each has its own characteristics, but what is common to all is the ability to perform heavy physical work. Animals attract people with their strength, endurance and surprisingly good-natured disposition.
Breeding history
The Belgian workhorse is one of the oldest breeds in the world. In the Middle Ages, “big horses” were considered knightly. Only they were able to carry heavy riders on their backs. They were not tall, on average 140-145 cm, but they had very strong bones and excellent muscles.
The modern type began to take shape in the mid-nineteenth century. Strong horses were needed for agriculture and industry. The selection was carried out among the most massive large individuals. Undesirable stallions were castrated to prevent the quality of the stock from deteriorating. The selection was accompanied by appropriate housing and feeding conditions. The horses spent most of their time on pastures, which significantly improved their health.
There are three main lines in the breed:
- Gros de la Dendre, from the stallion Orange I, is characterized by its bay color and powerful build.
- Greysof Hainault is from the stallion Bayard, distinguished by roan, grey, red and dun colors.
- Collosses de la Mehaigne from the stallion Jean I, are famous for their incredible endurance, strength and strength of legs.
Systematic mass exhibitions of horses and a studbook, which has been ongoing since 1886, made it possible to achieve the development of the modern Belgian breed.
Description of the breed
The Belgian Draft Workhorse has the following characteristics:
Comparative table of measurements:
They are distinguished by good health, unpretentiousness to living and feeding conditions, and good manners. They begin working at the age of two.
Role in the development of new breeds of heavy trucks
The Belgian workhorse has the unique ability to persistently pass on its qualities to its offspring. The genes and blood of the Belgians were inherited by:
- shires;
- Clydesdales;
- Suffolk Punchy;
- Marakosi;
- Dutch worker;
- Russian draft horse: stallions of the Belgian breed are winged by draft mares, the breed was officially registered in 1925;
- Soviet heavy truck: stallions of the Belgian breed were used on crosses of Bityugs, Ardens, Percherons, registered in 1952.
Working qualities
Breeding working horses is one of the areas of horse breeding. To assess the working qualities of horses, the following indicators were developed and adopted:
Any of the above qualities is important and must be taken into account when breeding horses of heavy breeds. No less significant, and sometimes a decisive factor, is the horse’s good character - the absence of any aggression towards humans and their fellow tribesmen. No strongman can hold back a 900-kilogram raging giant. A calm character and willingness to cooperate are a must when selecting breeding animals.
Factors affecting performance
The following factors influence the performance of an animal:
Modern use
The use of working horses in modern conditions can be divided into three categories:
Curious facts
The history of the “Belgians” goes back hundreds of years and contains many interesting facts:
In many countries of the world, a reliable human assistant is treated with respect and love. In Russia, in the Yaroslavl region, in the village of Ivashkovo, the “Work Horse Museum” was created. An interesting and educational excursion tells about the role of the horse in the history of Russia, its epic heroes. Introduces the unique breeds of Russia: Altai, Vyatka, Yakut, Bashkir and others. Visitors will learn everything about harnessing and saddling horses, and caring for animals.
Brabançons were bred at the end of the 19th century on the basis of two draft breeds: Ardennes and Flanders. It is known that in the 20th century, Brabançons were imported to the USA, Canada, and also to Russia.
Heavy draft breed: Brabançon
Brabançons were bred at the end of the 19th century on the basis of two draft breeds: Ardennes and Flanders. It is known that in the 20th century, Brabançons were imported to the USA, Canada, and also to Russia.
| Brabançon |
The history of Brabançons goes back to the Middle Ages. One of the Brabançon's ancestors, the Flanders horse, was then used in the knightly cavalry, under warriors clad in heavy armor. This breed was characterized by low withers (about 140 cm), but strong bones. It was precisely these qualities that horses needed for a heavy rider: short stature to be able to lift and throw a heavily armored leg over the horse’s back, as well as strong bones so that the horse’s spine and legs would not break under the monstrous weight of a rider in armor.
Features of the horse's exterior
The most common color among Brabançons is roan, but red and bay colors are also sometimes found. A little less often in the breed you can see gray, dun or nightingale colors. Light-colored cats have long “stockings” made of dark hair growing on their legs. The head of the Brabançon is not very large, expressive, elongated a little more than that of other breeds. The breed is also characterized by a broad forehead and a straight or slightly flattened profile; muscular ganaches, straight ears. The eyes are also small, soft and expressive, the lips are thick and fleshy, the nostrils are wide. The neck is strong, short and strong, wide at the base, arched, well set. The back is powerful, muscular, long. The withers are low and wide, the dorso-lumbar line is short, which is typical of heavy draft breeds, the back is often arched, the loin is wide and short. The croup is very developed, rounded and double. The chest is developed and massive, the belly is wide and deep, with wide, rounded ribs. Brabançons, like most other draft breeds, have short legs with broad, strong articulation. It is thanks to their legs that Brabançons are characterized by great endurance: the forearms are muscular and powerful, the pasterns are wide in diameter and strong; the hock joints are thick and wide, with a good bend angle, the tendons are dense and lean. The pasterns of the legs are short and covered, like the fetlock joints, with lush bangs. The hooves are large, round, slightly flat, with a light-colored horn. Unfortunately, some Brabançon owners find the hooves quite fragile for their body weight.
Brabançon XX and XXI centuries. - This is a strong, tall and strong horse. The height at the withers of the average individual is 160-170 centimeters, however, as an exception, Brabançons with a height of 180 centimeters and above are sometimes found. The Brabançon also weighs quite a bit: as a rule, from 800 to 1000 kilograms.
Application
The Brabançon is an extremely popular farm horse in Europe. In agriculture, they are still happily used as a working draft horse. Indeed, these animals are undemanding when it comes to food and care. In the mild European climate, Brabançons are not prone to colds. With good owners, these horses are characterized by a calm disposition.
In the world history of breeding, Belgian Brabançons were used in the development of the Soviet draft horse breed and a number of Western European draft horse breeds: Dutch, Rhine, Norian, Shire, Suffolk and Clydesdale.
In conclusion, I would like to note that, according to many horse breeders, the Belgian draft horse is considered one of the best and most important (from a historical point of view) draft breeds, and is also rightfully one of the oldest breeds in the world.
The Brabançon horse breed is of Belgian origin and belongs to the heavy draft variety. For her country, she became a source of pride and a national treasure. Over time, horses have undergone many changes in appearance, as the requirements for them have constantly changed.
Origin of the breed
The Ardennes and Flanders horses are considered the ancestors of the Brabançons. They once lived on the border of modern Belgium and France and were distinguished by their short stature, strong constitution, frantic strength and endurance. These were the kind of horses that knights needed in those days.
The ancient descendants of modern Brabançons were short in stature, up to 140 cm at the withers, but were able to carry a heavy rider for a long time. The animals showed no fear and easily overcame obstacles along the way.
When the times of chivalry were left behind, horses were still used in wars, only now they carried artillery. In the 18th and 19th centuries, when agriculture was actively developing, the need arose for assistants who could tirelessly work in the fields and transport goods. At that time, heavy draft horses were bred in the Belgian province of Brabant, as well as in Flanders.
By the end of the 19th century, they decided to improve the breed, since over time it had undergone changes in the genotype. A special organization was created in Belgium to control the selection of Brabançons. From that moment on, exhibitions of the best representatives of the breed line were regularly held and a stud book was kept.
During the First and Second World Wars, the breed went into decline; little attention was paid to horse breeding at that time, but the breeding stock was preserved. Today, Brabançons are protected and considered the national treasure of Belgium.
Belgian working horses influenced the development of breeds:
- shire;
- Clydesdale;
- Dutch heavy truck;
- Russian draft horse;
- Soviet heavy truck;
- murakozi.
Exterior
Brabançons are short horses with strong bones. The height at the withers of a heavy draft horse is 156–165 cm. Unlike other breeds created for use in heavy harness, these horses have dry and sinewy limbs with large joints. There are lush brushes on the lower part of the legs. The hooves are quite wide and massive.
Brabançons have a small head. The frontal part is wide and the profile is slightly hook-nosed. The ears are compact and mobile. The neck is wide and powerful, smoothly turning into a rounded deep chest, the girth of which exceeds 2 meters. The back line of horses is straight, the sacrum is wide and elastic. The croup is slightly forked, the muscle relief is clearly visible on it. There are no high requirements for color; the breed includes roan, bay, red, black and gray horses.
Attention! The weight of an adult Belgian draft stallion reaches 800–1000 kg.
Character
Despite their heroic appearance, Belgian draft horses are good-natured animals. They are smart and submissive. These horses are valued not only for their working qualities and flexibility, but also for their unpretentiousness to living conditions and food supply.
Another advantage of the breed is strong immunity. The average life expectancy of Brabançons is 28 years. Mares can be used for procreation up to 20–22 years of age. Young animals are brought to work at the age of 2 years. After 3 years, stallions become sires.
Use of the breed today
Modern Brabançons do not participate in wars, but this does not mean that their strength is no longer needed. Rural residents continue to use powerful horses to work in the fields and transport goods in areas with uneven terrain. Horses carry timber, building materials, fodder, and animal feed.
Horse help is needed where equipment cannot pass, for example in mountainous areas. Brabançons are also used for herding sheep. Belgian draft horses take part in carnival parades in sleds.
At the end of the 19th century, when the stallion Diamond won the International Championship in Paris, the demand for Brabançons increased greatly. Many European countries became interested in horses. Representatives of the Belgian draft breed spread to France, Germany and Sweden.
Brabançon horses, which carried knights during the Crusades, have been declared a national treasure of Belgium. They had a huge influence on the development of other heavy draft breed lines. Their blood flows even in the veins of the Shires, horses considered the largest in the world.
Origin: Belgium
Height: 165-173 cm.
Suits: predominantly red roan, also bay saurus and brown.
Exterior: small head on a very muscular short neck, deep compact body, short strong legs with thick brushes.
Usage: heavy truck.
The Brabançons have absorbed all the best from the Flemish ones. The Brabançon or Belgian draft horse breed most closely meets all state standards that all working horses in the modern world must meet.
Today, Brabançons have spread massively throughout Belgium and are best known as the Belgian working breed or the Belgian draft breed. This is the only type of heavy truck whose homeland is Belgium. They are not very tall, but despite this, Brabançons have become multiple champions at many exhibitions.
Brabançon horse
Belgian draft horses are very powerful with a short back, and thin legs with clearly visible, protruding muscles. Brabançons represent power and strength. Everything about them is large, from the head to the bones and chest. In Belgium, these horses are considered real heroes.
Previously, the breed of Belgian draft horses had a defect in the form of a sagging lumbar region, but later this defect was eliminated. These heavy horses have very developed joints on their legs, which makes them fast and resilient when moving. Dry legs further protrude the powerful and large hooves of Brabançons. The neck of heavy trucks is also powerful and slightly arched.
Brabançons are more often found in red and black colors. Belgian workers mature quickly and already in the second year of life, the individual is completely ready for ordinary work. Moreover, they are not just long-livers. Brabançons are able to work productively into old age. They are not fussy about food and care, and have strong immunity. They have an easy-going and calm disposition.
Brabançon mares are extremely fertile during this period, with mostly male foals being born.
Brabançon horse Such extraordinary resilience of these horses is explained by their harsh and critical conditions of detention, which over many years have instilled in heavy horses an irresistible desire to live and survive. The Belgians did not spare mares that had just given birth, who on the ninth day after were again sent for mating. Newly born babies were soon weaned off milk and fed grain and bran. And pregnant mares worked equally with other special ones.
To ensure the purity of the horse breed, the Belgians castrated “rejected” foals so that they would not accidentally spoil future offspring.
The Brabançon or Belgian draft horse breed began its era during the reign of Caesar, but since then the type of Brabançon has undergone changes many times, which is explained by the difference in requirements in different time periods.
In the 15th century, the need for heavy horses abruptly disappeared. Then Belgium and other countries began to demand a lighter breed. Breeders crossed Brabançons with trotters, which led to a change in the breed. But after this, the peasants began to complain about the lack of strength and power of the improved horses, and then the division of Brabançons into two types appeared.
Today, the value of these horses, which are famous for their exceptional work ethic, is only increasing. Belgian grooms are aimed at increasing the number of Belgian draft horses for domestic farms and large cities. The Belgian draft horse breed not only has a number of advantages, but also, when crossed with ordinary outbred mares, can improve their offspring. After such unions, excellent workhorses appear, although not purebreds.
The Belgian draft horse (Brabançon) is a famous breed of horse bred in Belgium for heavy work that requires great strength and endurance. It is an intermediate form between the Flemish and Ardenese horses. However, in our time, this beautiful heroic horse has become the property and calling card of the country.
Brabançon is a breed of horse bred for heavy work.
Main characteristics
The exterior of this unusually powerful horse can be described as follows.
- The height of an adult Belgian heavyweight ranges between 156 and 168 cm at the withers. These figures cannot be called large. However, the tallness of horses is achieved due to long legs, and this is not the main thing in this breed. A heavy truck must carry, and not gallop, overtaking the wind.
- Powerful, compact physique. The body of this treasure of Belgium is deep, the bones are massive and at the same time strong and dense. The chest is wide and large, the ribs are particularly rounded. The croup, like all heavy trucks, is round, wide, and forked. Most of the power comes from the front of the body, which is why the back and lower back are short. The back sagging that is typical for heavy horses is absent.
- This horse's legs are dry, which distinguishes this breed from other similar ones.. The hock joints and wrists are distinguished by their volume. The hooves have small brushes. The hooves themselves are strong, which is not surprising for a horse that must move heavy loads. The girth at the wrist is on average 41 cm. The girth of the hock joint is 52 cm.
- This horse is also distinguished by its heroic neck. It is short, wide, set high, with a rounded profile. Compared to the heavy body and short powerful neck, the head seems light and seemingly small, with a developed forehead and a small hump.
- There is no strict standard for color. However, light bay and red horses predominate. It is rare to see black and gray draft horses.
Thus, the heroic horse from Belgium is a magnificent spectacle of a combination of power and mobility.
The horse of this breed has a powerful, but at the same time elegant appearance.
Story
The history of this breed goes back to the distant past of the Roman Empire. It is not surprising that over the centuries it has undergone significant changes.
The peak of prosperity and demand occurred, of course, in the Middle Ages, when heavy knights, shackled with tens of kilograms of iron, required horses of heroic physique.
After the times of chivalry ended, and people mastered remote methods of killing their own kind, the use of firearms did not eliminate horses from the battlefield. Horses were still in demand, but only for light cavalry. The appearance of guns did not greatly change the fate of heavy trucks. The war still needed versatile, lightweight horses.
So the draft horse switched to peaceful service. Strong horses were first in demand for peasant work. Then, when cities began to grow, road construction began, industry developed, heavy trucks again pulled their cart of peaceful life.
This demand and the development of science have taken the formation of the breed to a new level. The stage of targeted selective selection and preservation of a pure breed line of horses, which were the pride of the people, began.
Previously, Belgian draft horses were widely used on the farm, but now the breed has acquired a decorative character.
In 1885, an organization called the Society for the Improvement of the Belgian Horse arose. The main purpose of this society was to purify the breed from genetic branches that had formed in different regions of the country. The Brabançon breed was taken as the selection sample. 6 years after the establishment of the society, a single studbook was adopted for all horses in the country. After 9 years, the studbook was closed, resulting in a situation in which a thoroughbred line was formed only from the descendants of horses that were once included in the studbook.
Since then, in addition to maintaining the pedigree and other activities related to the selection of this breed, regular exhibitions of the Belgian draft horse began to be held. The purpose of each exhibition is to select the best representatives of the breed. In other words, the exhibitions became an element of the overall work to improve the breed qualities of the heavy truck.
Two world wars played a negative role in the work to maintain this breed. After all, the country was at the very epicenter of the fighting during the First World War. Moreover, it was here that chemical warfare agents were first used. The Second World War was not so destructive for the country, but it also had a negative impact on the work on breeding the Belgian draft horse.
However, the breed was preserved and even developed. Currently, the pure breed line of the Belgian draft horse is under the protection of specialists and the state, being a kind of landmark.
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