Trait Du Nord
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| Trait du Nord | |
|---|---|
| Country of origin: | France |
| Breed standards | |
The Trait du Nord is a breed of heavy draft horse developed and bred in France.
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[edit] History
The Trait du Nord has ancestry that includes bloodlines from the Ardennes, Belgian, and Boulonnais breeds, and is sometimes incorrectly referred to as a branch of the Ardennais breed.[1]. The breed became recognized as a separate breed of its own at the beginning of the 20th century, and the studbook for the Trait du Nord was established in 1919. Today, although bred in the area around Lille, in the Pas-de-Calais, the Aisne, the Somme and the Seine-et-Marne departments, the breed is declining in numbers[2]
[edit] Breed characteristics
The Trait du Nord has a reputation for great pulling power and hardiness, as well a calm disposition. They are considered well-suited to draft and farm work in hilly and rough terrain.[1]
Their head is proportionally small in relation to the body, with small ears, set on a short and muscular neck. The chest is broad and deep, the shoulders sloping and muscular, relatively low withers, a short back, and muscular hindquarters. The legs are short with well-formed joints, fairly large hooves, and feathering on the lower legs. They are bay or roan in color. The breed ranges in height from 15.3 to 16.1 hands high and weighs between 1,320 and 1,760 lbs[2].
[edit] Uses
Today the breed is used in a variety of situations, including farm work and timber haulage, as well as recreational activities, both in harness pulling assorted horse-drawn vehicles, and under saddle for trekking.
[edit] References
- ^ a b Trait du Nord. Equine Kingdom. Retrieved on December 17, 2007.
- ^ a b Bongianni, Maurizio (1988). Simon & Schuster's Guide to Horses and Ponies. Simon & Schuster, Inc., p. 93. ISBN 0671660683.
[edit] See also
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