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| Conservation status | |
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| Country of origin | Belgium |
| Use | farm work, heavy haulage |
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![Brabant horses, painting by Henry Schouten [nl] (1857-1927) Henry Schouten. Brabantse trekpaarden in landschap.jpg](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/19/Henry_Schouten._Brabantse_trekpaarden_in_landschap.jpg/220px-Henry_Schouten._Brabantse_trekpaarden_in_landschap.jpg)
The Belgian Draught, Dutch : Belgisch Trekpaard, French : Trait belge, is a Belgian breed of draught horse. It originates in the region of the Low Countries that is now central Belgium, and may also be called the Brabant after the former Province of Brabant in that area.
The American Belgian Draught derives from the same original stock, but has developed differently.
The Belgian Draught descends from the heavy farm horses of the region of the Low Countries that is now central Belgium: the Colosse de la Méhaigne [lower-alpha 1] from the valley of the Méhaigne in the area of Namur; the Gris de Nivelles et du Hainaut [lower-alpha 2] , named for Hainaut region and for the city of Nivelles, now in Walloon Brabant; and the Gros de la Dendre [lower-alpha 3] , named for the Dender river, from East Flanders and the area that is now Flemish Brabant. [3] : 443 [4] : 166
Documented breeding was recorded in the seventeenth century, with the first studbook founded in 1886. The first known imported Belgian to America was in the late nineteenth century.
Closely related breeds include the Ardennais, [5] Flemish Horse, Nederlands Trekpaard, [6] [7] and Trait du Nord. [8]
The American Belgian Draught derives from the same original stock, but has developed differently. It is generally taller and less heavily built, and has a very different distribution of coat colours. [3] : 434 [4] : 166
The Belgian Draught is a tall, powerful and massive horse. Heights at the withers are usually in the range 163–173 cm (64–68 in), with an average height of 164 cm (65 in) for mares and 168 cm (66 in) for stallions. [4] : 166 [3] : 443 [2] Average weights are approximately 700 kg (1,500 lb) for mares and 900 kg (2,000 lb) for stallions, but weights of over 1,000 kg (2,200 lb) are not uncommon. [4] : 166 [3] : 443 [2] The roan coat colour predominates, accounting for about 80% of all of the horses; some 12% are bay, and the remainder chestnut, black or grey. [3] : 443
The Belgian Draught horse has been identified as having an intermediate level of genetic diversity, and found to have relatively low levels of inbreeding. However, due to low founder diversity, the breed is identified as likely to have a potential compromise of genetic diversity in future generations. [9]
The Belgian Blue is a breed of beef cattle from Belgium. It may also be known as the Race de la Moyenne et Haute Belgique, or dikbil. Alternative names for this breed include Belgian Blue-White; Belgian White and Blue Pied; Belgian White Blue; Blue; and Blue Belgian. The Belgian Blue's extremely lean, hyper-sculpted, ultra-muscular physique is termed "double-muscling". The double-muscling phenotype is a heritable condition resulting in an increased number of muscle fibres (hyperplasia), instead of the (normal) enlargement of individual muscle fibres (hypertrophy).
The Braekel or Brakel is a traditional Belgian breed of chicken. It is thought to have originated in the area of Brakel, in the Flemish province of East Flanders, for which it is named. There is a bantam version of the Braekel. The Campine of the United Kingdom derives from it.
The Konik or Polish Konik is a Polish breed of pony. There are semi-feral populations in some regions. They are usually mouse dun or striped dun in color.
The American Belgian Draft is an American breed of draft horse. It derives from the draft horses of Belgium but, as a result of isolation and different selective breeding, became genetically distinct from them in the early part of the twentieth century. It is generally taller and less heavily built, and has a very different distribution of coat colors.
The Belarus Harness Horse, Belarusian: Беларускі запражны конь, romanized: Bielaruski zapražny koń, is a Belarusian breed of draught horse. It was bred for use in agriculture, and is also used to produce mare's milk and horsemeat.
The Soviet Heavy Draft is a Russian breed of heavy draft horse. It derives from the Belgian Brabant heavy draft breed. It was developed in the former Soviet Union for agricultural draft work, and was recognized as a breed in 1952. It is one of several heavy draft breeds developed in the Soviet Union in the twentieth century, others being the Russian Heavy Draft – which derived mainly from the Ardennais – and the Vladimir Heavy Draft, which was derived principally from the Clydesdale.
The Sokolski, Polish: Sokółski or Koń sokółski, is a Polish breed of draught horse. It is named for the town and county of Sokółka, near Białystok in north-eastern Poland, where it was first bred in the 1920s. It derives from cross-breeding of local Polish mares of Polish Coldblood type with imported Trait Belge and Ardennais stock. It is distributed mainly in the voivodeships of Lublin and Podlasie. It is clean-legged; the usual coat colour is chestnut.
The Trait du Nord, previously also known as Ardennais du Nord or Ardennais de type Nord, is a breed of heavy draft horse developed and bred in the area of Hainaut in western Belgium and in northeastern France. Originally considered a subtype of the Ardennes, it was recognized as an individual breed with the opening of a studbook in 1903. Developed in the fertile Flemish grasslands, it was bred for size and pulling power for agricultural work. By 1855, the horses bred near Hainaut were considered by some veterinarians to be superior to other Flemish draft breeds. The Trait du Nord was used extensively in mining from the late 19th century through 1920, with lesser use continuing through the 1960s.
The Bashkir or Bashkurt is the horse breed of the Bashkir people. It is raised mainly within Bashkortostan, formerly known as Bashkiria, a republic within the Russian Federation which lies to the west of the southern Ural Mountains and extends to the Volga River. The principal centre of breeding is the capital, Ufa.
The Dutch Draft, Dutch: 'Nederlands Trekpaard', is a Dutch breed of heavy draft horse. It is of cold-blood type, massively built and calm in temperament; it has good stamina. It was bred in the early twentieth century in the province of Zeeland, and may for that reason be known as the Zeeland Horse or Dutch: 'Zeeuws Paard'. It derives from cross-breeding of local Zeeland mares with the Belgian Ardennes and Brabant breeds, to which it is very similar.
The Corse or Corsicana is a French breed of cattle indigenous to the island of Corsica.
The Belgian Bantam, Dutch: Belgisch kriel, French: Naine belge, is a breed of bantam chicken from Belgium. It is a true bantam, and has no full-sized counterpart; cocks weigh about 650 grams and hens about 550 g. It is in danger of extinction; in 2010 a total of 168 birds were counted in the whole of Belgium. Fourteen colour patterns are recognised in the European standard.
The Bleue du Nord is a French breed of dual-purpose cattle from the former region of Nord-Pas-de-Calais in the north-east of the country, on the border with Belgium. It shares the origins of the Belgian Blue, but unlike that breed is selectively bred both for meat and for dairy use. The double-muscling characteristic of the Belgian Blue, caused by a genetic myostatin deficiency, is present also in the Bleue du Nord, but to a limited and controlled extent.
The Bassette Liégeoise or Bassette is a breed of large bantam chicken from Belgium. It is larger than most bantams, but much smaller than full-sized breeds; cocks weigh about 1000 grams and hens about 900 g. Like most Belgian bantam breeds, it is in danger of extinction. Eighteen colour patterns are officially recognised; many of them are rare.
The Belgian Trotter, Dutch: Belgische Draver, French: Trotteur Belge, is a Belgian breed of trotting horse. It is used mostly for racing in harness to a sulky, but may also run in saddled trotting races.
The Flemish Horse, also known as Belgian Horse (US) or Flanders Horse, Dutch: Vlaams Paard, French: Cheval Flamand, is a Belgian breed of draught horse originating in Flanders, Belgium.
The Belgian Sport Horse, Dutch: Belgisch Sportpaard, French: Cheval de Sport Belge, is a Belgian breed of warmblood sport horse. It is one of three Belgian warmblood breeds or stud-books, the others being the Belgian Warmblood and the Zangersheide. It is bred for dressage, for show-jumping and for three-day eventing.
The Zangersheide is a Belgian breed or stud-book of warmblood sport horses. It is one of three Belgian warmblood breeds or stud-books, the others being the Belgian Sport Horse and the Belgian Warmblood.
The family Orinx are an age-old family of millers in Pajottenland and neighbouring regions Hainaut, East Flanders and Walloon Brabant in Belgium. A family member played a prominent part in the creation of the Belgian Draught horse at the end of the 19th century.
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