Italian Heavy Draft

Infobox Horse
name= Italian Heavy Draft


image_caption= Italian Heavy Drafts in harness
features =
altname= Rapid Heavy Draft
nickname= Cavallo Agricolo Italiano da Tiro Pesante Rapido
country= Italy
group1=
std1=

The Italian Heavy Draft, or Rapid Heavy Draft, is an Italian draft horse. They were developed in the 19th and 20th centuries using both draft and light horse breeds, and are used mainly for heavy draft work and meat.

History

The Italian Heavy Draft was begun in 1860 at the Deposito Cavalli Stalloni stud in Ferrara, Italy. The breed was developed from crossing native Po Delta stallions with Thoroughbred, Hackney, and Arabian horses. Around 1900, weight was added to the breed with the addition of Boulonnais, Ardennes and Norfolk-Breton blood. The breeding programs suffered during World War II, but a careful crossbreeding program with Ardennes, Percheron and Breton horses after the war brought the Italian Heavy Draft to its current state.cite book
last = Bongianni
first = Maurizio
title = Simon & Schuster's Guide to Horses and Ponies
publisher = Simon & Schuster, Inc.
date = 1988
pages = p. 108
isbn = 0671660683] The studbook for the breed was begun in 1926.cite web
title = Italian Heavy Draft
url = http://www.equinekingdom.com/breeds/heavy_horses/italian_heavy_draft.htm
work = Equine Kingdom
accessmonthday=January 4 | accessyear=2008]

The main breeding areas for the Italian Heavy Draft are in the plains and hills around Verona, Padova, Vicenza, Venice, Treviso and Udine.cite book
last = Pickeral
first = Tamsin
title = The Encyclopedia of Horses and Ponies
publisher = Parragon
date = 2000
isbn = 0752541587] Breed numbers have been decreasing over the past two decades, with less than 4,000 breeding stock registered in 2002.cite web
title = Rapid Heavy Draft
url = http://www.tiho-hannover.de/einricht/zucht/eaap/descript/716.htm
work = EAAP Animal Genetic Data Book
accessmonthday=January 4 | accessyear=2008]

Breed characteristics

The Italian Heavy Draft generally stands between 14.2 and 15.3 hands high, and weights between 1,320 and 1,540 lbs. They may be chestnut (usually with flaxen mane and tail), red roan, or bay. The head is light for a draft breed, with a straight or slightly convex profile, and it is set on a short, broad and muscular neck. The withers are fairly pronounced and muscular, the chest broad and deep, and the shoulders sloping. The back is straight and short, the flanks short and rounded, with a sloping croup. The legs are short, with broad joints and smallish, though well-formed, hooves.The breed strongly resembles the Breton draft, and also somewhat the Avelignese. There has been some deterioration in conformation in recent years as breeders have focused on producing maximum body mass and weight for the meat industry.

Uses

The Italian Heavy Draft was an important breed for Italian farmers because it is large, docile, strong and fast. The breed was originally bred specifically for agricultural and draft uses, and were also used as to transport artillery by the Italian military. Today, they are most widely used in the meat industry.

References