Clydesdale Horse

Origin: Scotland - Lanarkshire.

Height: Average 16.2hh.

Color: Bay, brown, black, roan, with much white on the face and legs andsometimes on the body. Bay and brown are the commonest colors.Character: Active, brave and friendly.

Physique: Broad, flat face, neither dished nor roman, wide muzzle withlarge nostrils, clear, intelligent eyes. Long, well-arched neck, high withers;short, strong back setting into heavily-muscled hindquarters. Forelegsstraight and directly under shoulder, hind legs also straight. Much feather,covering long pasterns and hard feet. Action straight with a long, free stride,feet picked up cleanly with the inside of every hoof visible to anyonewalking behind. Active movers for their bulk.

Clydesdales originate from Lanarkshire, the Lowland county through
''NNwhich the Clyde runs (the old name for Lanarkshire was Clydesdale). Inthe mid-18th century development of the Lanarkshire coalfields led to agreat improvement in road surfaces, so that shoulder-haulage by horsescould be substituted for pack carrying. Local farmers, anxious to profit fromthe need for heavier, stronger horses to pull the loads, crossed their hardynative Mares with much heavier Flemish stallions, which were imported forthis purpose. They named the result the Clydesdale.

The new breed quickly became popular, and has been a regular exportfrom the British Isles for more than a century, going wherever horses wererequired for haulage. In 1911 a Clydesdale established a British record forheavy horse prices when the stallion Baron of Buchlyvie was sold at auctionfor ?9,500.