draught horse records

[Maggott]

I don't think the horse is a Suffolk Punch - he's got too much feather & he doesn't look quite right, somehow - the shape's wrong.  I had a mare who looked like him-she was  Shire crossed with  
I don't think working horses were bred as carefully then as Shires are now (or were by enthusiasts then).  They were after a tough, thrifty horse with shortish legs in proportion to his/her body (better gearing!)
Maggott

[meandcupcake]

hello to everyone...I'm overwhelmed by the response to my question!  It is the stallion I'm more interested in...I don't think I can get back any further on John Smith's side.  (see www.phlomis.plus.com/f_2c.htm )  I'm happy to hear so many in agreement with the Clydesdale, as they are truly magnificent.  Commonty was just the farm he was visiting and when I visited there in 2004, the owner was very sick and wouldn't talk.  The horse was usually stabled in a lane off High Street New Pitsligo, which is now converted into something else.  But I learned about a fair at Aikee Brae? I might learn something there.  Lynne

[PrueM]

Yes, the Clydesdale looks about right, what a beautiful animal 
Jo is right, judging by the bit etc he's wearing, he really was a gentle giant...must have really been frightened to have reacted the way he did causing that tragic accident 

[kenjo]

Prue! I am so pleased to see Harry again....

[PrueM]

   Hi Jo...nice to know he's still got what it takes! 

[renard]

I am sure the horse is a Clydesdale it was the usual horse used for farmwork in Scotland,  it was common practice to walk the horse from farm to farm offering his services often traveling long distances getting
board for him and his horse on the journey ,this practice was known as walking the staag. However the men who walked the
staag were treated with suspicion as they had a reputation for siring as many offspring as their stallion [ptobably undeservadley]  As the horses had pedigrees records would be kept but I have no Idea where to find them one of the most famous having the pedigree name FOOTPRINT was exported to Canada and is the ancestor of most of the Clydesdale's in Canada today.

[note the term staag not stag]

Renard

[Lass]

Hi!

I'd agree, this beauty definitely looks like a Clydesdale.

Suey already posted a link to the Clydesdale Horse Society site (see below), but I thought I'd mention that it has a 'contact us' link, it might be worthwhile getting in touch and seeing if they might be able to help, especially given this article about the ancestry of Clydesdales.

http://www.clydesdalehorsesociety.com/history.htm

I'm stunned to find that Clydesdales are officially recognised as an "at risk" animal, due to their continually dwindling numbers.  Unbelievable when you consider how important they were to us in the past.

Lass x

[mizhelenuk]

Clydesdales as a breed are going strong here in the North-east, and we at Aberdeenshire Heritage (the Aberdeenshire Council Museum Service) have some of the early stud books.

The travelling stallion would be a high-quality pedigree stallion awarded a 'premium' - which meant that he would be subsidised by the Clydesdale Horse Society or similar and his 'covering fee' would be affordable for farmers to breed their cart mares. The horse would travel a well-publicised route, and any farmers wishing to breed their mare would be able to tell when he was in the area. This was to encourage the breeding of solid, sturdy, long-lived and healthy work animals of a decent type. The little pony was often used as a companion for these rather solitary creatures. The stallion man and his charge would be a common sight throughout Britain from the mid-19th century right through to after the Second World War, walking the roads of britain. In England it would be the Shire and the Suffolk Punch, with perhaps a Breton, Percheron or a Flemish stallion here and there, and in Wales more often than not it would be a big, sturdy Welsh Cob.

The list of Clydesdale premiums was listed every year in the society transactions, so if you contact me at

Helen.Chavez[at]aberdeenshire.gov.uk

I'll see what we can do - and if we can't help, perhaps we mgiht be able to put you in touch with someone who can.

Moderator Comment: e-mail edited, to avoid spamming and other abuses.
Please replace [at] with @