American Belgians

Mr. Hoobeedoobee makes an ideal American Belgian. This article is provided to help you understand the form, function, and history of this beautiful breed.


American Belgian mare, circa 1910s. Photo from the collection of Shay Canfield.	American Belgian stallion, circa 1930s. Photo from the collection of Shay Canfield.

The Belgian horse originated in the west European lowlands of Belgium. They are believed to be the most direct descendents of the "Forest Horse," an ancient species of Equus whose fossilized remains have been found throughout Europe. The Forest Horse gave rise to the "Black Horses of Flanders", which were praised by Julius Caesar for their strength, and utilized as war horses in the middle ages. The modern Belgian horse firmly established its type in Belgium during this time.

The American Belgian can be traced directly back to the European Belgian, as Belgians were imported to the United States beginning in 1866. There were no horses native to America, and heavy horses were desperately needed for farming and labor. The importation of Belgians was a huge industry in American in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The American Breeder's Gazette, which was a popular farmer's newspaper at the time, is full of ads for those buying and selling imported Belgians.

By the turn of the century, at least half of the 13,500,000 horses in the United States were draft horses. However, the development of electric and gasoline powered machinery in the early 20th century began to decrease the significance and usefulness of the horse. The development of motorized taxis, electric streetcars, and subways eliminated the horse as the primary means of local transportation in the city. Gasoline powered trucks eliminated the horse as a primary transporter of goods between cities. Also, mechanized farm equipment reduced the need for the horse in farming. Machinery was simply faster than horses, took less room to store, and eliminated the problem of manure in city streets.

In addition to mechanization, World War I also contributed to the decline of the draft horse. Not only did the war stop the importation of horses from Europe to the United States, but the total exportation of horses to meet the demands of the military rose to more than one million. World War I demanded heavy horses to pack supplies and ammunition, and transport artillery.

When the Americans joined the war in 1917, they took with them 182,000 horses. Of these, only 200 horses returned to America after the war. Well over two and a half million horses were injured in the war, and untold numbers were killed as their position in the front lines was dangerous but necessary.

After World War I, draft horses were almost universally replaced by machines. In 1920, there were 95,000 registered draft horses in America. By 1945, this figure dropped to under 2,000.

The draft horse currently holds a limited place in modern American agriculture. While not competitive with a tractor, the draft horse is still used by some small farms and specialty operations in the United States. Draft horses are now less expensive than mechanized equipment, can reproduce themselves, and provide a ready source of fertilizer.

In Europe, draft horses continue to be used to a greater extent than in the United States. Draft horses are used in delivery wagons and military service. Draft horses are also extensively used in logging operations, in which horses are much more practical than tractors or other heavy equipment as they can easily traverse steep slopes and travel in narrow pathways. Draft horses are also ecologically superior to mechanized equipment, as they do less damage to forest floors, and don't create air or noise pollution.

The European Belgian (Brabant) is a short, wide draft horse, with a fringe of heavy feathering on the legs, a short face, relatively wide hooves compared to their body size, and compact muscle mass. The most common colors of the European Belgian are bay (brown with black points) and roan (a color modifier that creates a uniform, heavy spread of white hairs on top of another color, such as bay or chestnut).

The modern American Belgian is completely different in structure from the European Belgian, however. American Belgians are not only taller and narrower, but have less hair on their feet, a more upright shoulder, a longer back, a hind leg set further back from the hip, and a longer face. American Belgians are also almost exclusively chestnut in color, which is the preferred color as stated by the Belgian Draft Horse Corporation of America.

Although the preferred colors of both breeds are different, the colors chestnut, bay, brown, bay roan, blue roan, strawberry roan, black (very rare), and grey (also very rare) can all be found in the breed.

In the late 1800s, the importation of Belgians from Europe to America was a huge business. However, American farmers felt that the European Belgian was flawed. The breed was considered to have a short neck, heavy head, short legs, and "drooping rump" (Johnstone, pp. 167). Accordingly, Americans selectively bred Belgians for a generally taller, leaner appearance. This early preference for different types of Belgians created strife between American and Belgian breeders. At the 1904 World’s Fair in Chicago, the Belgian horses were being judged by one American judge and one Belgian judge. They could not agree on the winners in the first two classes, so another American judge was chosen as a referee, and sided with the other American in both classes. Disgusted with the situation, the Belgian judge quit after the second class and the Belgian government withdrew all of their horses from the competition.

The reduction in number of draft horses and cessation of importance from mechanization and war helped further separate the populations of American and European Belgians. European breeders continued to breed the same type of horse, whereas American breeders continued to selectively breed for taller, narrower horses. The strong reduction of the use of imported horses in breeding programs increased the speed at which American breeders were able to create a new type of Belgian.

It is noted that although there are hundreds of different breeds of horses, all modern horses belong to the same species, Equus caballus. A species is a group of interbreeding individuals that are reproductively isolated from all other such groups. In the modern world, there are few true feral horses and therefore few breeds that qualify as distinct species. Any two individuals within the species Equus caballus can be bred together, either artificially or naturally, and produce fertile offspring. Accordingly, regardless of how different they may be in outward appearance, all of these breeds are of the same species.

Reproductive compatibility set aside, different breeds of horses can be distinguished from one another based on their outward physical appearance.

The Belgian is a heavy draft horse. Draft horses themselves are a derivative of the modern horse and therefore have certain specialized characteristics not seen in lighter horses.

For example, draft horses are taller and heavier than standard horses, possessing not only greater depth of bone but a massive increase in muscle mass. Accordingly, draft horses have regained power at the expense of speed, and are clearly not runners as their ancestors were. Although the additional muscle mass is clearly a basis for their enhanced power, draft horses also exhibit adapted bone structure which enhances the strength afforded by their muscles.

To understand the differences between the Belgian and the regular horse, it is necessary to have a basic understanding of how all horses move.

The nerve impulses that control movement in the horse originate in the spinal column and not the brain. Accordingly, a series of repetitive muscle contractions create leg movement. A horse’s conformation, i.e., angles of the joints, bone length, amount of muscle, and hoof shape, then determines the quality of that movement. The effect of conformation on movement can be compared to automobiles. If one were to use the exact same engine in a minivan and a convertible, the power and wheel movement would be the same, but the handling and performance would be different because of the weight and structure of the vehicle itself. Accordingly, the heavier mass and variations in bone structure of draft horses affects their movement significantly.

Because the horse's spine is rigid, flexion of the back is caused when the abdominal muscle contracts, which pulls the hindquarters down and forces the hind legs to move under the body. This is the mechanism that creates movement.

The power of that movement is then determined by two things, the first being how far the horse can move his hind legs underneath the body. This is referred to as "engagement," and is based upon the strength of the abdominal muscle and the angle of the hind leg. The second factor is the strength of the thrust. This is based on the strength of the muscles in the hindquarters.

Because larger, stronger muscles in both the abdomen and hindquarters are required to provide both engagement and thrust, draft horses are massive in size compared to regular horses. Although not necessarily taller, draft horses are much bulkier and can weigh hundreds of pounds more than a regular horse of the same height. "Brooklyn Supreme," billed in the 1930s as the World’s Largest Horse, stood 10’2” tall, and weighed over 3,000 pounds with hooves over a foot in diameter.

In addition to simply weighing more, draft horses have a different distribution of their weight than regular horses. The front of the horse bears weight in movement for all horses, while the rear of the horse provides propulsion. Lighter horses tend to have close to a 50% distribution of weight between front and rear, which provides even, lightweight movement. Draft horses, however, bear around 60% of their weight in the front end. This minimizes lift during propulsion. The front legs of draft horses pulling do not ever fully leave the ground, unlike a lighter horse making a comparable effort.

Speaking of propulsion, draft horses have a slightly different structure to their hind leg which enhances their pushing power. Their hind leg is set further back from the hip than lighter horses. In draft horses, the rear hooves are slightly angled outwards, instead of being straight in line with the spinal column. This is commonly referred to as being "paddle-footed" or "cow-hocked," though those terms are not really accurate. This permits them to have a lower, longer stride, which gives them more powerful thrust. Accordingly, draft horses have the power necessary to excel at pulling, hauling, etc.

Although the American and European Belgians have the same ancestors, they are notably distinct in appearance in modern times. American breeders preferred a taller horse with longer legs. This would provide a horse with a longer stride, capable of covering more ground in less time, a trait that would be beneficial for farming on flat terrain and transportation of goods and people. American breeders also preferred a horse with less sheer muscle mass than their European counterparts. The reduction in mass would result in an increase in stamina, making the Belgian useful for long working hours.

European Belgians, on the other hand, are used for forestry work on steep slopes. It is preferable to have a horse with shorter legs and a shorter stride, as shorter steps provide quickness, mobility, and increased stability on a sloping environment.

Also some American breeders now actively breed for the classic European type, there is no question that two distinct body types are now present in the breed. Accordingly, selective breeding has created two very different horses which used to be considered the same breed.

Although American and European Belgians can be distinguished from one another based on their physical form, all draft horses share structural adaptations which provide them with additional strength and propulsion, and differentiate them from lighter breeds of horses.

Bibliography

Belgian Draft Horse Corporation of America, "Belgian History,"
http://www.belgiancorp.com/files/history1.html.

Campbell, Captain Alex S., "Horsebreeding Yesterday and To-Day," London: H.F. & G. Witherby, 1931.

Deane, Jennifer. "Agricultural History Series: 1904 St. Louis World's Fair," Southwest Missouri State University, http://www.lyndonirwin.com/04horse06.htm.

Harris, Sarah, "Factfinder's Guide: Horses," San Diego: Thunder Bay Press, 1999.

Harris, Susan E., "Horse Gaits, Balance and Movement," New York: Howell Book House, 1993.

Hendricks, Bonnie L., "International Encyclopedia of Horse Breeds," Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1995.

Historical Photographs, Personal Collection of Shay Canfield.

Humi, Peter, "Tibetan discovery is 'horse of a different color'," CNN, November 17, 1995,
http://www-cgi.cnn.com/WORLD/9511/tibet_pony/.

Hunt, Kathleen, "Horse Evolution," January 4, 1995, http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/horses/horse_evol.html.

Florida Museum of Natural History, "Horse Toes Through Time,"
http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/natsci/vertpaleo/fhc/relatives9.htm.

Johnstone, J.H.S., "The Horse Book," Chicago: Sanders Publishing Co., 1914.

Pickeral, Tamsin, "The Encyclopedia of Horses & Ponies," Bath: Parragon Books, 2000.

Stubbs, George, "Anatomy of the Horse," 1938, New York: Crescent Books, 1990 .

Societe Royale le Cheval de Trait Belge, "L'Histoire du Cheval de Trait Belge," http://users.pandora.be/onsbelgischtrekpaard/fr/gesch_nationaal.htm.

Summerhays, R.S., "Horses and Ponies," London: Frederick Warne & Co., Ltd., 1930.

Saturday September 17, 2005 10:35 PM

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