Russian Heavy Draft Horse

Russian Heavy Draft Horse 

a breed of medium-sized draft horses, developed in Russia in the late 19th and the early 20th century by grading up local harness horses with Belgian Ardennes horses and other draft breeds.

The Russian heavy draft horse is of medium height, is massive and well proportioned, and has a strong constitution. The coat is chestnut or chestnut roan, less often bay, and sometimes gray or black. Average measurements for stallions are as follows: height at the withers, 150 cm; body length, 158.3 cm; girth, 194 cm; and circumference of the cannon bone, 22 cm. The average liveweight of stallions is 590 kg, and of mares, 560 kg. Russian heavy draft horses are early-maturing, fertile, long-lived (they are used up to 25 years), and hardy; they hold promise as meat-producing animals.

Pedigree work with the breed is directed toward increasing the size and work capacity. These horses are raised in the northern and northwestern European section of the USSR, the Ukraine, Byelorussia, the Urals, and Siberia.

REFERENCE

Konnozavodstvo i konnyi sport. Edited by Iu. N. Barmintsev. [Moscow] 1972.