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The Clydesdale breed originated
in Scotland and takes its name from the river Clyde which flows through
the district from which they come. The country there is rough and
broken. The Clydesdale was bred to meet not only needs of those Lanackshire farmers, but the demands of commerce for the coalfields and for the heavy haulage on the streets of Glasgow. |
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The Clydesdale Breeders
Association of the United States was founded in 1879. The
Clydesdale is a very active horse. He is not bred for action like
the Hackney, but he must have action. He is straight and snappy
in movement. They carry their hocks close together both at the
walk and the trot. He should have broad, clean sharply developed
hocks and big knees, broad in front. No draft breed have laid more stress on "bottom" than the Clyde. The breed shows a sloping pasturn that is adapted to wear on harder surfaces, where the shock of the feet striking the ground needs the softening effect of a springy pasturn. The hoof head must be wide and springy. |
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The Clydesdale is endowed with a
silky feather. The impression created by a thoughly well-built Clyde is
that of strength and activity, with minimum of superfluous
tissue. The idea is not bulk, but quality and weight. The most common color of this breed today is bay, with a generous number of of browns, blacks, and chestnuts. The preferred markings are four white socks to the knees and hocks and a well-defined blaze or bald face. There are many roans in the breed. The Clyde with his flowing feathers, straight and snappy movement, and generous white markings is a popular hitch horse. Though ranking third numerically and fourth in size in this country, the Clydesdale may well be the best known of all the draft breeds to our urbanized countymen. The spendid Anheuser-Busch eight hitches have brought Clydesdales down hundreds of streets and into millions of homes across the nation. |