→ Russian Horse Breeds → Vladimir Heavy Draft

Vladimir Heavy Draft

Purpose:

The Vladimir Heavy Draft is a breed of draft horse which comes from Vladimir, from USSR. This horse was developed in the province after which it is named at the turn of the 20th century. Today, its breeding is widerspread. The imported foundation stock was mainly British, consisting of the Suffolk Punch, Clydesdale and Shire horse. Some Ardennes and Percheron were also used. In 1946, the Vladimir Heavy Draft was found to be breeding sufficiently true to type to consider it a true breed. This quick-maturing, strong, heavy horse is popular for draft work. It is also used for pulling troika sleighs.

Characteristics:

It is a strong horse that is an all-around draft horse of medium size. The head is large and long, with a Roman nose. The neck is strong and long. The back, although broad, can be weak. The croup is long, with a definite slope. The limbs are strong and feathered. Bay is the most common colour, but some can be black and chestnut. It stands between 152 and 165 cm.

Breeding area:

The best horses are breeding in two studs: "Gavrilovo-Posadsky" in Ivanovo region and "Yuryev-Polsky" in Vladimir region.