Belgian workhorse: description, characteristics and features

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:46

Despite all the advances in science and technology, a good workhorse is still valued by the inhabitants of agricultural areas. Preference is given to heavy-duty breeds. There are many of them around the world. Each has its own characteristics, but common to all is the ability to perform heavy physical work. Animals attract with their strength, endurance and surprisingly good-natured disposition.

History of Breeding

The Belgian workhorse is one of the oldest breeds in the world. In the Middle Ages, "big horses" were considered knightly. Only they could carry heavy riders on their backs. They were not tall, on average 140-145 cm, but they had very strong bones and excellent muscles.

The modern type began to take shape from the middle of the nineteenth century. Strong horses were needed for agriculture and industry. The selection was carried out among the most massive large individuals. unwantedstallions were castrated to prevent deterioration in the quality of livestock. The selection was accompanied by appropriate conditions of keeping and feeding. Most of the time the horses spent on pastures, which greatly improved their he alth.

There are three main lines in the breed:

• Gros de la Dendre from stallion Orange I, characterized by a bay color and a powerful physique.
• Greysof Hainault from Bayard stallion, distinguished by roan, grey, red and tan colors.
• Collossesde la Mehaigne by Jean I stallion, famous for their incredible endurance, strength and leg strength.

Systematic mass exhibitions of horses and a studbook, which has been ongoing since 1886, have made it possible to develop the modern Belgian breed.

Description of the breed

The Belgian draft horse has the following characteristics:

• Torso. Massive, with well-defined muscles. Powerful long back, low and wide withers, wide loin, rounded forked croup.
• Chest. Deep, spread, barrel-shaped, rounded ribs.
• Neck. Broad at the base, well set, arched. Short, strong and robust.
• Head. Large, broad, flat forehead, slightly flattened profile, muscular ganaches. The ears are straight, small, the mane is thick. Expressive small eyes, fleshy thick lips, wide nostrils.
• Legs. Massive, well placed. The pasterns are covered with thick brushes, the forearm is powerful, the hocks are wide and thick, they have a good angulation.
• Live weight averages 800-1000 kg.
• Suit. Roan of all shades, red, bay, less often nightingale, gray.

Comparison table of measurements:

	Height at withers	Slanting body length	Bust	Pastern girth	Wrist circumference	Girth of the hock
Stallions	160-167cm	175-176cm	215-220cm	26-25 cm	40-41cm	52cm
Mares	160-163cm	174-175cm	205-210cm	24-26cm	39-40cm	51cm

Different in good he alth, unpretentiousness to the conditions of keeping and feeding, good-natured. They start working at the age of two.

Role in breeding new breeds of heavy trucks

The Belgian workhorse has a unique ability to steadfastly pass on its qualities to offspring. The genes and blood of the Belgians inherited:

• shires;
• Cleydesdale;
• suffolk punches;
• maracosi;
• Dutch worker;
• Russian heavy truck: stallions of the Belgian breed were winged draft mares, the breed was officially registered in 1925;
• Soviet heavy truck:Belgian stallions were used on crossbreeds of Bityugs, Ardennes, Percherons, registered in 1952.

Performance

Breeding working horses is one of the directions of horse breeding. To assess the working qualities of horses, the following indicators were developed and adopted:

• Traction force. Determines the effort that the animal makes to move the load, overcoming its resistance to movement. It is noted that a trio of horses creates a draft force of 85%, and a team of eight heads - only 47%.
• Power. The amount of work done per unit of time, expressed in kilogram meters per second. The formula is N= R/t, where power is N, time is t, volume of work is R. In practice, it can be measured in ton-kilometers, hectares. For a 500 kg horse it is 75 kg per m/s or "one horsepower". When tested at a short distance, some individuals are able to exceed it by 2 or even 5 times.



• Movement speed. The gallop is rarely used in hauling or agricultural work. Trotting is allowed for no more than 10-20 minutes, it depends on the quality of the road surface. At a trot, the animal gets tired faster. 60 steps per minute is considered a normal indicator, an accelerated step leads to a decrease in performance.
• Stamina. Determines how long a horse can maintain its ability to work and the rate of recovery of the body after a short rest and feeding. An indicator of overwork of an animal is itspulse, respiratory rate and body temperature. If, after 30 minutes from the moment of stopping work, the pulse is above 100 beats per minute, breathing is 70 and above, t -400 - these are clear signs of severe overwork of the horse.
• Kindness. Characterized by the willingness and desire of the animal to work.

Any of the above qualities is important and must be taken into account when breeding horses of heavy draft breeds. An equally significant, and sometimes decisive factor is the good nature of the horse - the absence of any kind of aggression towards a person and his fellow tribesmen. No strong man can hold a 900-kilogram raging giant. Calm character and willingness to cooperate are a must when selecting breeding animals.

Factors affecting performance

The following factors affect the performance of an animal:

• strength of adhesion to the surface, horseshoes with spikes or rubber pads are used to strengthen it;
• gait, the greatest value is possible only on the step;
• straightness, riding in a circle forces the horse to make extra effort to turn his own body;
• moveability, with a multi-horse harness it is important to select animals as similar as possible in height, weight, temperament;
• body type;
• fatness;
• live weight;
• engaged in work;
• physiological condition (an old workhorse will not be able to carry the load performed by a young he althy animal);
• feeding and maintenance conditions;
• breed;
• working time;
• type of higher nervous activity.

Modern usage

The use of working horses in modern conditions can be roughly divided into three categories:

• Transportation of goods. The transportation of various cargoes accounts for a greater volume of the use of manpower. On livestock farms, it is more convenient and cheaper to transport fodder, bedding, fuel, building materials by horse-drawn transport. In hard-to-reach forests, on the slopes of the mountains, no one is better than a working horse to help pull out a felled tree. In cities, the tradition of transporting products in wagons, especially beer barrels, is preserved. Numerous carnivals in many countries of the world are not complete without painted carriages.
• Working with agricultural equipment. In small areas with uneven terrain or in small greenhouses, it is more convenient to carry out any tillage on horseback. Harvesting hay in mountainous regions, where it is impossible to deliver modern equipment, is not complete without the participation of animals.



• Work under saddle or packs. Working horses are often used to herd domestic animals. How pack horses are used in other areas of human activity: in geology, climbing mountains, archeology and others.

Curious facts

The history of the "Belgians" has more than one hundred years and many interesting facts:

• The breed is declared a national treasureBelgium.
• The record holder of the Brooklyn Supreme breed, with a height of 198 cm, weighed 1440 kg.
• The highest price of $47,500 was paid at auction for the seven-year-old "Belgian" Farceur.
• The Belgian horse is not the largest in the world, however, it is the progenitor of the world record giants - Shires.
• Foals of this breed have their tail shortened at the age of a few weeks.
• In the 20th century, the annual export of "Belgians" was up to 30 thousand heads, the lion's share was in Germany.
• One of the most famous breeders Avenir d'Erz in 1933 gave two winners of the breed show: the first places went to his son d'Anti and daughter Astrid Pandour.
• Belgian mares often produce colts.
• Roan is the most common color of the breed.
• The blood of the "Belgians" flows in the veins of most modern draft horses.
• In 2013, the Oostdunkerk shrimp equestrian fishery was inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List, using only the Belgian horse.

In many countries of the world, a reliable assistant to a person is treated with respect and love. In Russia, in the Yaroslavl region in the village of Ivashkovo, a "Museum of the working horse" was created. An interesting and informative excursion tells about the role of the horse in the history of Russia, its epic heroes. Introduces the unique breeds of Russia: Altai, Vyatka, Yakut, Bashkir and others. Visitors will learn everything about harnessing and saddling horses, caring for animals.