Russian animals include the draft or draught horse, often reffered to as a heavy horse or “cold blood” which is a term applied to those horses that are blessed with a slower pace and calm temperament.
Draft breeds are work horses bred for heavy tasks such as ploughing the land and other farm labour.
There are a number of different breeds that all share the common traits of strength, patients and placid temperament.
The Soviet heavy draft is a breed of draft horse developed in Russia.
The breed was recognised in its own right in 1952.
The breed was created by crossing native mares with imported Belgian stallions.
The native mares were a mix of Percheron, Ardennes, Suffolk Punch, Danish and various saddle horse breeds.
The typical height of the breed is around 15.2 hands high, with coat colours of chestnut,roan and bay.
By European standards it is relitivly a small draft, but this is one of the largest horse breed, of draft in Russia.
The breed has a well-proportioned medium sized head with a straight or convex profile.
The neck is usually short, thickset and muscular, the chest wide and deep, the shoulders straight and powerful, the body is broad, the croup muscular and sloping down to the tail.
The legs are short and sturdy with solid joints and of medium density, hooves are broad and rounded.
They are prone to pigeon toes in their front legs and sickle hocks in the rear.
The breed tends to mature quickly, but is also less resistant to disease than some other heavy breeds.
The soviet heavy drafts are strong horses and a popular breed of horse used extensivly on farms.
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