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Rider · 10-16-07, 04:45 AM

HISTORY: The Ardennes type draught horse is the basic root of all the Heavy Draught breeds that exist today. As the Arab is to the light horse, the Ardennes is to the heavy. As a direct descendent of the Solutrian horse (50,000 BC) that roamed the basins of the Rhone, Saone and Meuse in great numbers during the Palaeolithic period and soon spread to cover the whole geographical Ardennes region, it is true cold-blooded horse. There is evidence to show that the horse stood no more than 15hh at this time. They have been around relatively unchanged since the last ice-age 15,000 years ago.

The needs of successive wars oscillating across Europe have, as much as the land and the climate, conditioned the evolution of this horse. There is much documented evidence to illustrate this.

Julius Caesar (100 - 44 BC) declares in his commentaries that "the horses of the second Belgium" are "rustic, hard and tireless" and he recommended their use "in heavy cavalry work". All the Roman emperors after him used the breed to good effect.Geoffrey of Boullion a nobleman from a town of that name in southern modern day Belgium, in the heart of the Ardennes, rode off to the Levant on crusade in 1096 on his Ardennes stallion. The return of men to Europe on Arab horses marked the introduction of Arabian blood to European horses. The knights of the Middle Ages found the sturdy, compact good tempered horses of the Ardennes, strong and tireless chargers, easily carry the weight of men in full armour into battle.

GENERAL: The Ardennes is essentially a compact heavy draught breed, possessing a great muscular development combined with style and activity. Good posture and conformation with plenty of quality bone, should give an impression of balance strength and power.

HEIGHT: Height must not be at the expense of bone and/or fine quality musculature.
Stallions:- 15hh [1m53cm] to 16.3hh [1m64cm]
Mares:- 14.2hh [1m48cm] to 16.2hh [1m62cm]

COLOUR: All colours permitted, except part-coloured (piebald/skewbald). No white markings permitted on head in stallions. In mares a little white below fetlock is allowed (but not encouraged), nowhere else except on head.

HEAD: Intelligent expression, flat (snub) nose or rectilinear profile. Pronounced eye sockets, eyes large and docile. Ears pointing forwards. Forehead flat or concave. Large well-opened nostrils. Must avoid long heavy heads, drooping lips, misshapen ears, domed foreheads.

NECK: Medium length, well set on, with full arched crest in stallions.

BODY: Stocky, expressing mass, density and power. Chest ample and deep, close to ground. Back and loins, powerful and well supported. Haunches large and wide, hindquarters long and well muscled, low set tails are common but not to be encouraged.

LIMBS: Long supported shoulders. Arm, forearm and legs very muscular, short and hard. Joints set wide and well defined. Clean cut tendons. Neat round feet with hard blue/brown horn. Not excessively hairy. Avoid fat and puffy joints, spindly limbs, lumpy or spongy bone, hollow knees or outward turning toes.

ACTION: Correct and above all active and energetic.

CARRIAGE: Powerful proud and purposeful.

Thanks to The Joy Of Horses Website.

10-16-07, 04:45 AM	#14 (permalink)
Rider Member Join Date: 10-01-07 Posts: 88	Ardennes Horse HISTORY: The Ardennes type draught horse is the basic root of all the Heavy Draught breeds that exist today. As the Arab is to the light horse, the Ardennes is to the heavy. As a direct descendent of the Solutrian horse (50,000 BC) that roamed the basins of the Rhone, Saone and Meuse in great numbers during the Palaeolithic period and soon spread to cover the whole geographical Ardennes region, it is true cold-blooded horse. There is evidence to show that the horse stood no more than 15hh at this time. They have been around relatively unchanged since the last ice-age 15,000 years ago. The needs of successive wars oscillating across Europe have, as much as the land and the climate, conditioned the evolution of this horse. There is much documented evidence to illustrate this. Julius Caesar (100 - 44 BC) declares in his commentaries that "the horses of the second Belgium" are "rustic, hard and tireless" and he recommended their use "in heavy cavalry work". All the Roman emperors after him used the breed to good effect.Geoffrey of Boullion a nobleman from a town of that name in southern modern day Belgium, in the heart of the Ardennes, rode off to the Levant on crusade in 1096 on his Ardennes stallion. The return of men to Europe on Arab horses marked the introduction of Arabian blood to European horses. The knights of the Middle Ages found the sturdy, compact good tempered horses of the Ardennes, strong and tireless chargers, easily carry the weight of men in full armour into battle. GENERAL: The Ardennes is essentially a compact heavy draught breed, possessing a great muscular development combined with style and activity. Good posture and conformation with plenty of quality bone, should give an impression of balance strength and power. HEIGHT: Height must not be at the expense of bone and/or fine quality musculature. Stallions:- 15hh [1m53cm] to 16.3hh [1m64cm] Mares:- 14.2hh [1m48cm] to 16.2hh [1m62cm] COLOUR: All colours permitted, except part-coloured (piebald/skewbald). No white markings permitted on head in stallions. In mares a little white below fetlock is allowed (but not encouraged), nowhere else except on head. HEAD: Intelligent expression, flat (snub) nose or rectilinear profile. Pronounced eye sockets, eyes large and docile. Ears pointing forwards. Forehead flat or concave. Large well-opened nostrils. Must avoid long heavy heads, drooping lips, misshapen ears, domed foreheads. NECK: Medium length, well set on, with full arched crest in stallions. BODY: Stocky, expressing mass, density and power. Chest ample and deep, close to ground. Back and loins, powerful and well supported. Haunches large and wide, hindquarters long and well muscled, low set tails are common but not to be encouraged. LIMBS: Long supported shoulders. Arm, forearm and legs very muscular, short and hard. Joints set wide and well defined. Clean cut tendons. Neat round feet with hard blue/brown horn. Not excessively hairy. Avoid fat and puffy joints, spindly limbs, lumpy or spongy bone, hollow knees or outward turning toes. ACTION: Correct and above all active and energetic. CARRIAGE: Powerful proud and purposeful. Thanks to The Joy Of Horses Website. Last edited by Rider : 10-18-07 at 03:23 AM.