38 THE HORSE 



The Clydesdale 



The Scottish horse is an extremely useful type of animal 

 for the heaviest haulage, and it is a breed that has attained 

 universal popularity on account of its soundness of 

 constitution, ability to shift heavy weights of tonnage, 

 its handsome appearance, and remarkable powers of 

 endurance, all of which features render the Clydesdale a 

 valuable animal for work either in town or upon the 

 land. Durability is one of the combined qualities of this 

 breed, so that if a really good stamp of horse is purchased 

 say at six years old it can, with ordinary luck, be relied 

 upon to perform satisfactory labour for the next fifteen or 

 twenty years. 



The only really serious rival to this breed has been the 

 Shire, but, as stated in the preceding paragraph, there is 

 plenty of room, both at home and abroad, for both 

 varieties. The origin of the Clydesdale, hke that of the 

 Shire, is somewhat speculative, but the countj^ of Lanark- 

 shire appears to be intimately associated with the early 

 history of the breed. It is reasonable to assume that the 

 heavy draught mares of Scotland, several centuries since, 

 were mated with horses imported from Flanders, animals 

 being specially selected for this purpose. Breeders in the 

 Vale of Lanark are usually credited with the production 

 of the Clydesdale, and records prove that the county 

 referred to played a significant part in the early history 

 of the Clydesdale. 



The Clydesdale Horse Society, whose head-quarters are 

 in Glasgow, was founded in 1877, and its first Stud Book 

 was published in 1878, since which time there has been a 

 systematic registration of pedigrees. The average weight 

 of a typical Clydesdale gelding is about 1800 lb., but some 

 Clydesdales have weighed as much as 2000 lb., or slightly 

 over this weight. The Scottish horse now under con- 

 sideration is an extremely useful animal for crossing with 

 the Shire for the production of a good class of agricul- 



