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Brabant |
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Brabant |
Also known as the Belgian Heavy Draft or the Flanders Horse, the Brabant is a native of the Brabant area of Belgium around Brussels, although it is found throughout Flanders, Anvers, Limberg, Luxemburg, and several other places.
The Brabant has very distant origins, and it is probably linked to the prehistoric horse that existed in the alluvial period of the Quarternary. Fossilized remains of this prehistoric horse have been found in the territory which stretches from Liège to Dinant, along the right bank of the Meuse River. It is considered to be of the Brachymorphic type.
Strict selective breeding was practical, and by the turn of the century, three types developed:
The Brabant, a one time, was exported from Belgium into the United States, where American breeders have produced the American Belgian. The American Belgian is considerably taller than it's European ancestors, standing from 17 to 18.3 hands at the withers. The Stud Book for the Brabant is published by the Societe Royale pour le Cheval de Trait Belge, and dates back to 1885.
This breed has a characteristic sluggish constitution, which is noticed by its docility and obedience, but generally over-impassive temperament. The Brabant develops at an early age and lives a long life. The Belgian Brabant has a strong and willing disposition, a docile and phlegmatic temperament, and a strong and vigorous action. It is used primarily for slow heavy draft and farm work. It has been crossed with other European breeds and has influenced the Clydesdale and the Ardennais among others.
Standing 15.3 to 16.3 hands, the Belgian is immensely powerful, strong and muscular with a short back and great depth through the girth. Legs are short and sturdy with a great deal of feather; the joints are broad and solid; and it has a very active walk. The cannons have a remarkable circumference, and the pasterns are short and feathered. The hoof is large but flat, and of rather soft horn. Its head is squarish, and small in relation to its body. Ears and eyes are small, and it has a full forelock. The neck is short, well muscled, very broad at the base, arched and well set-on. The withers are low, broad and muscular; and the back is broad and muscular, and sometimes slightly hollow. Their coat colors are generally roan, most of which are reddish.
An example of what selective breeding can produce within one single breed, there are several varieties of the Belgian breed, which is likely to be the most typical example of a heavy horse. All the general characteristics of heavy horses (distinguishing them form lighter breeds) are found in the Belgian - as in a massive head on a muscular neck, and a heavy and powerful body which is supported by very substantial legs. The average height of these Belgian horse on either side of the Atlantic Ocean is around 17 hands, with the American Belgian tending to be closer to 18 hands. While these heavy horses are not the tallest of the heavy breeds, they most certainly can be the heaviest (some over one ton). Some even consider them to be the strongest.
The generic term "Belgian" is applied to several slightly different breeds in Europe. The Old Flemish horse of western Flanders. Flanders is a region which is renowned for its heavy horses from the Early Middle Ages. It was then that these horse were first imported into England and Scotland to improve the local stock. The Ardennes is from the hill country between France and Belgium. Though now considered to be a strain of the Ardennais, this horse was tougher than any other, subsisting on less food. These virtues could also be considered as misfortunes, as these horses were used as war horses from the time of the Crusades on up through World War I. The Brabant is the heaviest type of the Belgians, resembling the original type in its purest form. This horse was preserved by tradition-conscious breeders who resisted all attempts to introduce fresh blood from other sources.
The European and American Belgian share origins, name, and history to the mid-1800s, but apart from these areas, they have little else in common. In the 1860s, Americans preferred the Brabant type - the sorrel-colored variety in particular. But the breeders in Belgium preferred roans, and still do to this day. Today's American Belgian is lighter in color than its ancestors, most horses being chestnut with a blond mane and tail. While Europeans breed for the enormous body, American breeders strive for taller horses with more action, resulting in slimmer lines and plenty of power. The taller American Belgian is suitable for commercial hitches, as well as in agriculture.
From the beginning of American Belgian breeding, publicity and shows played an important role in its development. Taste was instrumentally dictated by powerful marketing forces. In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, an impressive display is made by the Schlitz Circus bandwagon being pulled by Dick Sparrow's forty-horse hitch in the Fourth of July parade. In agriculture, the American Belgian can be seen at work on the farms of the Amish as well as elsewhere throughout the United States.
For more information on Belgian draft horses visit:
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© 1997-2007
NW Breyer Horse Club & Refiner of Gold Creations Equinealities in place since 1997, Section in place 2001, Updated 3/13/2007 |
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