TYPE AND CHARACTER
The Irish Draught Horse is an active short-shinned
powerful horse with substance and quality. Standing over
a lot of ground he is proud of bearing, deep of girth,
strong of back, loins and quarters. He has an
exceptionally strong and sound constitution and is known
for his intelligent and gentle nature and good sense.
Height at 3 years old, stallions 16.0 h.h. and over,
mares from 15.2 h.h. and to be expected to have 9 inches
or more of clean flat 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. The jaw bones should have
enough room to take the gullet and allow 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 large
and generous, set near the ground. The cannon bone or
shin short and straight with plenty of clean flat bone.
Being back of knee (calf-kneed) is forbidden in
stallions and most undesirable in mares i.e. should not
slope forward from knee to fetlock. The bone never round
or coarse, the legs should be clean and hard with a
little silky hair at the back of the fetlock as a
necessary protection. In winter the legs may become
"woolly" but never should the hair be stiff and coarse
and at no time grow down the front of the hoof. The
pasterns strong and in proportion, not short and upright
nor long and weak. Hooves should be hard and sound, not
large and flat like a cart horse, nor boxy or contracted
and there should be plenty of room at the heel.
BACK, HINDQUARTERS, BODY AND HIND LEGS
The back strong and girth deep with strong loins and
quarters, not forgetting the mares must have enough room
to carry a foal. The croup to buttocks to be long and
gently sloping, not short and rounded or flat-topped.
Hips not wide and plain, the upper thighs very strong
and powerful and at least as wide from the back view as
the hips. The second thighs long and broad and powerful
like forearm and well-developed. The hocks sound and
generous and like the knees set into a good short shim.
Hocks should not be too wide apart or close together.
They must not be bent or weak in any way but should be
in a line with the buttocks to the heel. The cannon bone
short and strong like the front leg or shin and not
sloping forward or weak.
ACTION
Smooth and free but without exaggeration, and not heavy
and ponderous. Walk and trot straight and true with good
flexion of the hocks and freedom of the shoulders.
COLOUR
Any strong whole colour including greys. Obvious Clyde
markings not permitted i.e. bay with white legs above
the hocks and knees.
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Natural
service
