Page 61 - IDHSNA 2016 Annual Blarney

The Irish Draught Horse is an active, THE IRISH DRAUGHT
shortshinned, powerful horse with substance
and quality. It is proud of bearing, deep of
girth and strong of back and quarters.
Standing over a lot of ground, it has an
exceptionally strong and sound constitution.
It has an intelligent and gentle nature and is
noted for its docility and common sense.
heIght: stallions 15.3hh to 16.3hh approx. mares 15.1hh to 16.1hh approx.
BoNe: good, strong, clean bone. for a stallion of 16 hh, the IDhsNa recommends
a minimum of 9” bone.
heaD: good, bold eyes set well apart, wide forehead and long,well-set ears. head
should be generous and pleasant, not coarse or hatchet headed, though a slight ro-
man nose is permissible. the jawbones should have enough room to take the gullet
and allow for ease of breathing.
shoulDers, NecK aND froNt: shoulders should be clean-cut and not loaded,
withers well defined, not coarse; the neck set in high and carried proudly, showing a
good length of rein.
the chest should not be too broad and beefy. the forearms should be long and mus-
cular, not caught in at the elbows; the knee large and generous, set near the ground,
and the cannon bone straight and short, with plenty of flat clean bone, and never back and athleticism of the thoroughbred, creates a potent mix that is well up to the demands
at the knee (calf-kneed) i.e. not sloping forward from knee to fetlock.
the bone must not be round or coarse. the legs should be clean and hard with a little
hair permissible at the back of the fetlock, as a necessary protection; the pasterns
strong and in proportion, not short and upright nor long and weak. the hoof should
be generous and sound, not boxy or contracted and there should be plenty of room
at the heel.
BacK, hINDQuarters, BoDy aND hIND legs: the back is to be powerful,
the girth very deep. the loins must not be weak but the mares must have enough
room to carry a foal. the croup to buttocks is to be long and sloping, not short and
rounded or flat-topped; hips not wide and plain. thighs are strong and powerful
and at least as wide from the back view as the hips, with the second thighs long and
well-developed. the hocks are near the ground and generous, points not too close
together or wide apart but straight; they should not be out behind the horse but
should be in line from the back of the quarters to the heel to the ground; they should While it may seem confusing, there is a reason for the difference in names. the Irish
not be overbent or in any way weak. the cannon bone, etc. as for the foreleg, short
and strong.
actIoN: smooth and free but without exaggeration and not heavy or ponderous.
Walk and trot to be straight and true with good flexion of the hocks and freedom of
the shoulders.
color: any strong whole color, including grays. White legs, above the knees or
hocks not desirable.
IrIsh Draught horse socIety of North amerIca | 2016 aNNual BlarNey eDItIoN
over a century of selection has produced a warm-blood breed which is very sound,
sensible animal with good bone, substance and quality. the Irish Draught is neither as
massive nor feathered as its name infers and has movement that is smooth and free,
without exaggeration, and not heavy or ponderous.
standing over a lot of ground, the Irish Draught has an exceptionally strong constitution,
great stamina and an uncanny jumping ability. In addition, this breed is very people-
oriented and posses a fabulous temperament made up of willingness, intelligence, docil-
ity and common sense.
the Irish Draught make excellent mounts for the amateur, novice and professional rider,
having the ability and versatility to participate in various levels of jumping, eventing,
dressage, hunting and driving events.
It is these exceptional qualities that also make the Irish Draught highly sought after in
the breeding world as an invaluable and irreplaceable element in the production of the
highly successful Irish Draught sport horse.
ever since show jumping had its birth in Ireland, the Irish Draught has played a major
role. a complete package in its purist form, the Irish Draught must be acknowledged
for its potent and unparalleled contribution in the creation of the magical cross; the Irish
Draught sport horse.
THE IRISH DRAUGHTSPORT HORSE
the even temperament, durability and power of the Irish Draught, mixed with the speed
of modern day competition. World famous for its jumping and cross-country ability, this
Irish Draught / thoroughbred cross is not only a top caliber international athlete, but
can serve as a perfect novice mount, adeptly boosting the confidence of a lower-level
rider. the Irish (Draught) sport horse is a great ambassador of the Irish horse industry
and is responsible for Ireland’s position as the number one horse Breeding Nation.
although we have recently seen the introduction of crosses with other bloodlines, such
as top quality Warmbloods, arabians and Quarter horses which are showing great
promise, it is still the rIDxtB cross that has achieved world-wide recognition. cruising,
cagney, el campion’s ado annie, eezy carling King and hopes are high are some of
the shining stars of the grand Prix circuit, and custom made, supreme rock, giltedge
and sailing have thrilled us in the eventing world.
this magical cross was once known as the ‘Irish hunter’ and is now referred to as the
Irish Draught sport horse in North america and the Irish sport horse in europe.
Draught sport horse is recognized by North america (IDhsNa and IDhscan) as a
crossbred animal with a portion of rID (registered Irish Draught) blood. the Irish
sport horse is recognized by the Irish horse Board, as an animal of aNy breeding,
which may or may not have Irish Draught blood in its pedigree, although quite a few of
the top Irish sport horses do possess some Irish Draught blood.
It should be understood that the IDsh is not a special breed or a ‘product’ of an “ameri-
can” breeding program. It is simply a moniker aimed at educating the public about the
Irish Draught blood that is so prevalent in many of the top performance animals.
Whether the cross is known as an Irish Draught sport horse, an Irish sport horse or
even as an Irish hunter, if there is Irish Draught blood running in those veins, you have
one great horse!
59