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With Saint Patrick's day in mind, I am making a suggestion for a particular Irish breed of horse to be added to Redwood Valley Equestrian Centre. This breed is the Irish Draught Horse.║
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The Irish Draught Horse may bear a name which is pronounced as 'Draft' but, despite their strength, these horses are by no means traditional heavy horses. Irish Draught Horses were selectively bred so that one horse would be fit for many uses. The traditional Irish Draught Horse would be capable of pulling its weight on the farm, but also being a good harness horse and an excellent jumping horse. The breed has been on the verge of extinction more than once; the Irish Famine, the First World War and the grim period of the 1960s, to name a few. Despite this, the Irish Draught Horse goes without parallels when it comes to tackling the leaps required while crossing country. The Irish Draught is indeed a tall horse, yet it has a well-earned reputation as a horse which can thrive on considerably less feed than other horses of similar stature. The Irish Draught Horse is often breed to Thoroughbred horses in order to create the Irish Sport Horse. The Irish Draught often has a grey coat, although other colours certainly exist.
The Irish Draught Horse is Ireland's national horse breed. Considering the current demand for warmbloods at RVEC, I believe that the Irish Draught Horse will be a welcome addition.
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For more information on the Irish Draught Horse, I recommend:
A Wikipedia page on the Irish Draught
The breed standard of the Irish Draught Horse Society
The breed standard of the Irish Draught Breeders Association
An article on the breed at Pets.ie
Images courtesy of Heather Moreton and Just chaos in respective order.
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For more information on the Irish Draught Horse, I recommend:
A Wikipedia page on the Irish Draught
The breed standard of the Irish Draught Horse Society
The breed standard of the Irish Draught Breeders Association
An article on the breed at Pets.ie
Images courtesy of Heather Moreton and Just chaos in respective order.
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