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The Irish Draught is a
breed whose ancient history lies as much in battle as it does in agriculture. As long ago
as 1 BC, chariot horses of a smaller Irish Draught type were described by an Irish writer
in the sagas of the day. Centuries later the Normans introduced the blood of their huge
chargers to the native horses and later again the trade between southern Ireland and Spain
resulted in an infusion of Spanish blood whose influence can still be seen today. As
recently as the First World War their strength, stamina, agility and quiet temperaments
took them to Europe in their thousands to serve on the front lines as remounts and
artillery horses.
However, the Irish Draught
as we know him today is largely the product of his work over the last century or so. The
horse of the Irish country-side, the Irish Draught lived in close quarters with the
farming family. Except in a few districts, there was less need for the type of heavy horse
that developed in other areas of Europe. Instead, the Irish farmer required a versatile
horse that would work the farm during the week, pull a trap in style to church on Sunday
and still be fast and athletic enough to take him fox-hunting on Saturday. The sporting
renown of Irish folk must be due, in no small part, to their great horses!
One of the greatest
contributions of the Irish Draught, to the horse world, is that of a foundation in the
breeding of the great Irish Hunters....now known as Irish Sport Horses (ISH).
Sadly, the very qualities
that made the Irish Draught so ideally suited for cross-breeding so very nearly caused the
breed's demise. Very often the good mare on the farm was bred to a Thoroughbred stallion
rather than back to an Irish Draught as the resulting ISH was much in demand. Happily, the
rapidly falling numbers of purebreds were recognized in the nick of time and efforts are
now being made to increase numbers once more. Nonetheless, the Irish Draught is still an
endangered breed with less than 2000 purebreds registered worldwide.
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