Clydesdale

The Clydesdale hails from the Clyde Valley in Scotland and is a heavy draft horse to its core. It's one of the cold-blood breeds, developed for pulling great weight rather than covering ground quickly. Most grown horses stand between 16 and 18 hands and carry anywhere from 1,600 to 2,300 pounds, so there's no doubt this fella belongs in the giant category.

There's a lovely, unmistakable look to the breed. Long white hair, known as feathering, grows down the lower legs and falls softly over the hooves. The way they move catches the eye too, a high, rounded action with every foot lifted well clear of the ground, and that's precisely why Clydesdales have always drawn a crowd at parades and hitch shows. Bay is the colour you'll see most, usually set off by white markings across the face and legs.

For all that size, the Clydesdale carries a grand reputation for being steady and good-humoured. That gentle willingness is exactly why the breed was so prized on farms and for haulage work in the first place, and why it went on to find a second calling in the show ring and in promotional work.

Who it suits

A Clydesdale will suit anyone who has the room, the feed, and the know-how that a horse of this size deserves. That calm nature makes them a fine prospect for a confident handler, though it has to be said, a horse this big is no beginner's first horse. You'll find the feed bill and the farrier's visits cost a good deal more than they would for a lighter riding horse. Those who take to the Clydesdale tend to have a hand in driving, hitch teams, farm work, or showing.

The name comes from Clydesdale, the old name for Lanarkshire, the district in southern Scotland that the River Clyde flows through. The breed came together across the 18th and early 19th centuries, when local farm mares were put to heavier stallions brought over from the continent, Flemish horses among them, all in the name of building size and pulling strength.

Farmers and coal hauliers in that part of the world needed a horse equal to heavy clay soil and dependable enough to shift loads along the growing roads and canals. So the breeders favoured strength, good sound feet, and above all a quiet nature, given these horses were working right beside people and through busy town streets.

The Clydesdale Horse Society of Great Britain was set up in 1877 to keep the pedigrees in order and to promote the breed further afield. From the late nineteenth century on, great numbers of Clydesdales were sent out to Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the United States, where they settled into much the same farm and haulage roles.

As machinery took hold through the twentieth century, the call for working draft horses fell away sharply and numbers dropped with it. Still, the breed held on through showing, driving, and promotional hitch teams, and it remains one of the most fondly recognised draft breeds today, even if the overall numbers stay modest.

The Clydesdale is a big, deep-bodied horse with a broad chest, strong sloping shoulders, and fine, well-muscled hindquarters. The head is open and bright, often with a flat or slightly convex profile and a good wide muzzle. The legs run long with clean joints, carrying that dense white feathering the breed is so well known for. The hooves are large and well shaped, and it's a trait breeders take particular care to select for.

Coat and colours

Bay is what you'll come across most often, though brown, black, chestnut, and roan turn up as well. Most Clydesdales carry bold white markings, a broad blaze or a white face, and white reaching well up the legs, often past the knees and hocks. White patches on the belly and sides are perfectly acceptable too. That dark body set against white legs and a white face is the picture most people carry in their heads when they think of a Clydesdale hitch.

The Clydesdale is well loved for an even, gentle temperament. Bred to work in close company with people and through busy town settings, a quiet, level head was selected right alongside sheer strength. Most are patient, easy-going, and slow to spook, and that's precisely why hitch teams of Clydesdales manage to stay calm through noisy parades and big crowds without any fuss.

Around family and regular handlers, the breed is affectionate and tolerant, and it generally takes routine handling well. With strangers, a typical Clydesdale is more curious than nervy. Put among other horses, it usually settles into a herd or team without any trouble at all, a trait that suits it well to multi-horse hitches.

That calm nature, mind, doesn't take away the need for respect. A horse this size could do harm without ever meaning to, so consistent ground manners and careful handling matter here more than they would with a smaller breed. The Clydesdale is willing and fond of a food reward, which makes positive handling straightforward enough, but it's not a breed that does well left idle for long stretches.

Looking after a Clydesdale calls for more grooming and considerably more space than a light riding horse would need. The feathering on the lower legs, in particular, wants careful attention to stay clean and dry.

Grooming

• Brush the body coat regularly to clear away dirt, loose hair, and sweat
• Wash and dry the leg feathering to keep skin trouble like mud fever at bay
• Pick out and check the large hooves every day for packed debris or any sign of infection
• Have the farrier out roughly every 6 to 8 weeks
• Step up the brushing during the seasonal coat changes in spring and autumn

Exercise

• Give daily turnout in a large, secure paddock
• Offer regular driving, ground work, or light ridden work to keep the horse fit
• Build the workload up gradually, a heavy horse can overheat if pushed too hard too soon
• Let the horse move freely rather than keeping it confined to a stall for long spells

Environment

A Clydesdale needs roomy, well-ventilated stabling built to suit a tall horse, along with strong, high fencing and good pasture. Stable doorways, ceilings, and stalls all need to accommodate the breed's height. Clean, dry footing goes a long way toward protecting those feathered legs from damp-related skin trouble.

Forage forms the backbone of a Clydesdale's diet. Good hay or pasture should make up the bulk of what the horse eats each day, with concentrates brought in only to match workload and condition. Given the breed's size, the daily forage volume is considerable, but feed still wants measuring against body weight and activity so the horse doesn't carry excess weight. Clean, fresh water should always be within reach, and a horse this size drinks a great deal each day.

Treats and supplements

A little apple or carrot makes a grand treat now and then. A salt or mineral block helps keep intake balanced. Any supplements should be answering a particular need, joint or hoof support, say, and it's far better to have a vet's advice on that than to add them in as a matter of course.

Clydesdales are, on the whole, a robust breed and commonly reach 20 to 25 years with good care behind them. Being a heavy breed with feathered legs, they do face a few particular issues, mostly to do with the lower limbs and the weight their frame carries.

Preventive care

• Keep vaccinations and parasite control up to date
• Book in regular dental checks
• Hold to a 6 to 8 week farrier cycle
• Keep the leg feathering clean and dry to ward off skin disease
• Watch body weight and diet to ease the risk of laminitis and joint strain
• Arrange an annual veterinary check-up

The Clydesdale is a bright, cooperative animal, which makes training a good deal more straightforward for an experienced handler. That steady temperament helps it take on new tasks and busy surroundings without much bother, and it's a large part of why the breed has stayed so long in driving and hitch work. Given the size involved, early ground manners are a real safety concern, a young Clydesdale that learns to lead, stand, and yield politely grows into a manageable adult, while one that hasn't learned these things is a handful once fully grown.

Basics

1. Settle leading, standing, and tying calmly in hand from the start
2. Teach the horse to pick up and hold each foot for the farrier
3. Bring in harness and driving aids gradually, step by step
4. Build tolerance to noise, crowds, and other horses for team work
5. Move on to driven or ridden work only once ground manners are dependable

Clydesdales reach breeding maturity within a few years, though a heavy horse is usually allowed to grow on further before being put to work or bred from. Mares are typically bred in season and carry a single foal, twins being rare and not at all wanted. Gestation runs to around 11 months. Foals arrive large and grow on steadily, only reaching their full mature size and strength after several years have passed.

Mares make attentive mothers, and that calm disposition tends to carry through into foaling and rearing as well. Youngstock do best with early, gentle handling, so they can pick up ground manners while still small enough to manage with ease. Careful feeding through the growing years supports the sound development of bones and joints that will, in time, have to carry the breed's heavy frame.