Explore large and small draft horse breeds used on the American farm. Horse breeds like the Morgan or Shire are types of draft horses that might be right for you!
This article is also in audio form for your listening enjoyment. Scroll down just a bit to find the recording.
At one time, most farms had at least one team of draft horses. Different types of draft horses were used to pull lumber from forests and stumps from fields. They plowed cleared fields to raise crops, delivered goods to market, and returned with needed supplies. (Try to do that with your tractor.) Horses fertilized the fields and forests in which they worked, and they did it all with minimal environmental impact. If you consider that some of the land they plowed was used to grow hay and grain, then you can safely say these horses helped produce some of the “fuel” that kept them going.
With the arrival of the combustion engine, these once-indispensable members of the farm team became obsolete. According to Steve Bjerklie of Sanborn Mills Farm in Loudon, New Hampshire, “By the second half of the 20th century, the efficiency of gas- and diesel-powered machinery had pushed draft-animal logging [and farming] largely to the fringes.” With today’s growing concerns about climate change and rising fuel costs, many people are taking a second look at horses on the homestead.
Farm Horse Breeds
Popular draft breeds in North America include Morgan, American Cream Draft, Belgian Draft, Clydesdale, Percheron, and Shire. Of these breeds, the Belgian and the Percheron are most popular. The Shire is the largest, the Morgan is the smallest, and the American Cream is the most endangered.
Draft horse breeds are categorized into light, medium, and heavy classes. The designations have less to do with the actual size of the horses and more to do with the work each breed is designed to do. For example, the American Cream and the Percheron are roughly the same size, but the American Cream is considered a medium draft breed and the Percheron is in the heavy draft class.
Historically, the type of draft horses used depended on the area where they were developed and how and where they were worked. Smaller properties with hilly and rocky terrain often required light and medium draft horses, such as the Morgan and the American Cream. On larger properties, farmers used heavy draft breeds, such as the Percheron, the Belgium, and the Shire. The timber industry relied on the heavy draft breeds to haul logs out of the woods.
Types of Draft Horses for Your Farm
If you’re considering adding draft horses to your farm, you’ll first need to ask a few questions.
- How large is the property being worked?
- What type of terrain is it?
- What type of work do you intend to do? Would you use the horses for logging, farming, clearing land, or a little of everything?
Cathy Wells, who runs a team of Shires at Unity Farm in Vermont, says, “I think working horses are best on small farms. If you’re farming large fields, you don’t have a lot of time to spend getting the horses ready and putting them away.”
Ray Ramsey, farm manager at Sanborn Mills Farm, states, “It all depends on what you want to do. It also depends on the property size and terrain. The horses and how they’re used will be different on property in New Hampshire, where plots tend to be smaller, than on a larger spread in the Midwest.”
Audio Article
Light (Small) Draft Horse Breeds
Small draft horse breeds (or light draft horses) are perfect for working smaller properties.
Morgan
The Morgan falls into this category, weighing between 900 and 1,000 pounds and measuring 14.2 to 15.2 hands. In the hilly and rocky New England countryside, where the Morgan came into being, this horse was used to plow fields and pull firewood out of the surrounding forests. In winter, it was used to pull sleighs and maple sap to the sugar shack. As a medium-sized horse, the Morgan was also immensely popular as a riding horse.
American Cream Draft
Another choice for small-to-medium properties is the American Cream Draft. The American Cream is one of North America’s most critically threatened draft horse breeds. I traveled to MerEquus Equine Rescue and Sanctuary in Poland, Maine, to speak to Kerrie Beckett to find out just how remarkable this horse is.
The American Cream is a medium-sized draft horse weighing between 1,800 and 2,000 pounds and standing between 15.1 and 16.3 hands tall. According to Beckett, the American Cream is the only draft horse developed in America that’s still in its genetically pure form. These horses are powerful, perfect for pulling stumps, plowing fields, hauling logs, pulling a wagon, or even riding. Beckett says American Creams are calm, docile, intelligent, adaptable, and love to work. This makes them perfect for work on small farms and with novice drivers.
Heavy Draft Horse Breeds
Larger properties and heavier work require horses that fall into the heavy class of draft breeds, including Percherons, Belgians, Clydesdales, and Shires.
Percheron
The Percheron has its origins in the Le Perche region of northwestern France. Percherons weigh about 1,500 pounds and measure between 15.2 and 17 hands tall. Percherons are good-natured and intelligent. They’re also energetic, so they aren’t the best choice for a novice driver.
Percherons have long been the most common draft horse. Powerfully built, Percherons were used to pull stumps and logs, turn stones in grist mills, plow, pull wagons, and for riding.
Belgian Drafts
Belgian Drafts weigh in between 1,400 and 1,500 pounds and stand 16 to 17 hands tall. They’re wide horses and heavily muscled. Above all, they’re eager to work. Belgians are popular among loggers who need heavy loads pulled out of the woods.
Clydesdales
Clydesdales are probably best known for pulling beer wagons, but the horses were originally bred for heavy field work. Originating in the River Clyde valley of Scotland, this breed was used to plow the steep, rocky hills of the Highlands and pull freight wagons. The breed’s high head and trademark feathering of its feet make these horses easily distinguishable.
Clydesdales weigh between 1,700 and 2,200 pounds and stand 16.2 to 18.2 hands tall. They’re large horses that, despite their size, are gentle and responsive. That being said, unless you have a great deal of property to care for, Clydesdales probably aren’t for you.
Shire
The largest of the draft horse breeds is the Shire, with horses weighing between 1,700 to 2,000-plus pounds and standing 17.1 hands tall. It’s the tallest of all horse breeds, and the animals have extremely muscled bodies. They were bred to work in teams to plow the massive fields of the old English shires, hence the breed’s name. Unless you’ve come face to face with these horses, it’s hard to appreciate just how large they are.
Pros and Cons of Owning Draft Horses
Everything we do has pros and cons, and working with any farm horse breed is no exception. “Horses don’t burn gasoline, and, in many cases, they’re easier on the land,” Wells says. “The bond of trust and respect [between horse and driver] can’t be replaced with any kind of mechanization.”
Ramsey showed me an area that had been logged using draft oxen and horses. In less than a year, the area showed no obvious sign of the animals ever being there. He told me if a mechanized skidder had been used, the impact would’ve been visible for many years.
According to Wells, one major drawback to using draft horses is finding farriers that will work on the animals, especially Shires, which have exceptionally large feet. Then there’s the cost of buying and maintaining equipment, such as harnesses and bits. She adds hay and feed costs (if you don’t grow your own) and vet bills to the list. Ramsey also emphasized the expenses associated with horses. Most types of draft horses eat more than other draft animals, and their initial cost is more.
Although the cons to owning a draft horse may sound daunting, comparing the costs to those of owning machinery can put things into perspective. Farriers bills are comparable to replacing tires on a tractor, loader, or other piece of equipment. When a horse is hurt or sick, it’s the same as your machinery breaking down. If you don’t pay the money to fix it, you don’t work. Hay and feed to a horse are the same as fuel for a machine, but unlike a machine, hay and feed turn into fertilizer.
Before You Get Started
Whether operating one horse or a team of horses, it’s serious business. If you plan to use draft horses, you must give it your all. Before investing in a draft horse, consider that they’ll need to be properly trained. “I highly recommend a mentor to anyone who wants to use drafts to work or farm and isn’t familiar with it,” Wells says.
Another consideration is the amount of time you’ll have to invest. Unlike machines that you can return to the barn, turn off, and be done with, horses require a great deal of work, both before and after a job. “I’ve seen a lot of people enthusiastically get started and then fail to continue because there’s so much to handle,” Wells says. Ramsey adds, “Owning horses is a full-time job. Even when they aren’t working, they need care. You can’t just park them at the end of the day. This is something everyone needs to consider.”
Having a draft horse may not be the best option for you — they require a great deal of work — but they’re worth considering. Draft animals offer a solution to the growing costs of fuel, high interest rates, and environmental concerns associated with heavy machinery. If you decide to make the leap, do your research to find the best breed for your farm, and take the time to ensure both you and the animal are well-trained. Then, take a step back in time and enjoy working your land alongside these beautiful animals.
Dana Benner has been writing about all aspects of the outdoors and self-sufficiency for over 30 years. His work has appeared in numerous publications.
Originally published as “Draft Horses on the Homestead: Historical Skills in Use Today” in the May/June 2023 issue of Grit magazine and regularly vetted for accuracy.
