Trait Du Nord

Infobox Horse
name= Trait du Nord


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country= France
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std1= The Trait du Nord is a breed of heavy draft horse developed and bred in France.

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.cite web
title = Trait du Nord
url = http://www.equinekingdom.com/breeds/heavy_horses/trait_du_nord.htm
work = Equine Kingdom
accessmonthday=December 17 | accessyear=2007] . 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 numberscite book
last = Bongianni
first = Maurizio
title = Simon & Schuster's Guide to Horses and Ponies
publisher = Simon & Schuster, Inc.
date = 1988
pages = p. 93
isbn = 0671660683]

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.

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.

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.

References

ee also

*Draft horse
*Ardennes (horse)