Horse of the Month...

Dutch Draft

This informations is courtesy Livestock breeds.com
For photos and same info...click on.
http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/horses/dutchdraft/index.htm

The Dutch Draft horse originated in Holland. It used for heavy draft and farm work. The average height is 16 h.h.
The purpose of draft breeding in Holland is to produce a large, massive horse, strong and solidly built. It should have a head with a straight profile, short, lively ears, a strongly muscled front, good withers, a heavily muscled loin and hind quarters, with good muscle in the legs and good feet. The movements should be spacious and easy. The Dutch Draft must be able to do hard work for extended periods of time. Coat color is usually chestnut, bay or gray, and sometimes black.

Closely resembling the Belgian Heavy Draft, the Dutch Draft was developed from the Zeeland horse with crosses to the Belgian and Belgian Ardennes. This breed was found in great numbers in the provinces of Zeeland and North Brabant, where it did excellent work on large arable farms in the heavy marine clay. It was also represented in fairly considerable numbers on large farms in the marine clay areas of the province of Groningen, although it did not succeed in out doing the Groningen horse, whose qualities were more in keeping with the character of the farming population. In the province of South Holland, and more particularly on the island, on large farms where practices were influenced by those of Zeeland and western North Brabant, the Dutch Draft horse was also used.

The most valuable characteristic of this draft horse is its exceptionally quiet disposition and the unhurriedness of its movements. Although its known as a quiet horse, it can "turn a lively foot" when required. This makes it a good animal for many small farmers on mixed farms in sandy regions and largely explains why the Dutch Draft is so often found in Gelderland and to some extent in North Brabant and Limburg. The popularity of this horse in the provinces of Overijssel and Drenthe, adjoining Gelderland to the north, may well have been due to thesesame qualities. All this, however, is now largely a thing of the past.

This is the heaviest of all Dutch breeds and is particularly suitable for prolonged and heavy haulage or traction. Increasing mechanization and motorization have decreased the decline for heavy horses, but a number of good, sound breeding animals still exist.

Population Status: Uncommon

Reference:
Hendricks, Bonnie L., International Encyclopedia of Horse Breeds, Univ of Oklahoma Press, 1995.


Photographs:

Hubert Peffer, Rue haute 33, 1430 Rebecq, Belgium

GENERAL FEEDING GUIDELINES & CARE BASICS

1. Know the weight and age of your horse.
2. Feed and water at regular times, especially when horses do.
not have access to pasture.
Make sure to have water available to you horse at all times, except...
Allow horses to have sips of cool water, timed approx. 10 minutes apart, when heated from a workout.
Do not let them drink freely until cooled .
3. Feed small amounts often and hay before grain.
I feed four times a day. Grain twice a day with hay, and hay four times a day, when not pastured.
Wait until horse is completely cooled after hard work
before feeding grain.
4. Avoid sudden and radical changes in the horse's diet.
5. Make sure to lock all grains in a secured area. Some horses are glutinous if get loose and will not stop eating if they find their way into a feed bin
Hence, Colic, Founder and maybe death.
6. Avoid moldy and dusty feeds (especially important for preventing
respiratory problems) and keep feed boxes clean.
If your hay is dusty, but mold free, soak or wet it thoroughly in water.
7. Feed horses as individuals, according to their nutritional.
needs for the type of work they are doing, and for their condition, age and health issues.
8. Examine teeth regularly and have teeth floated ( sharp edges filed).
9. Control internal and external parasites with regular treatment program (an absolute must for healthy horses).
10. Provide adequate exercise for horses not working.
11. Don't overfeed (overfeeding and fattening horses with lack of exercise is a major cause of Founder).
12. Make sure you have a regular de-worming program. Parasite infestation is the number one cause of Colic .
Colic can cause founder.


Take me to learn more about parasites of the horse.