BREEDS OF DRAFT HORSES 



125 



The Belgian horse originated in Belgium, where it lias 

 been bred for several centuries. This is a very compact, wide, 

 deep, short-legged kind of draft horse. In Belgium one 

 sees three types of this breed the larger type, common in 

 Flanders, shows more length and is more upstanding than 

 the medium type of Brabant or the smaller sort of Arden- 

 nais. American importers have brought the larger or 



Fig. GO. A Belgian mare. (Courtesy American Agriculturist.) 



medium type to this country. "Weights of from 1,600 to 

 2,000 pounds, and even more for the larger stallions are 

 acceptable, with a height of about 16 hands. Chestnut is 

 the most popular color, though brown of various shades, 

 and roans, are quite common. Compactness and muscu- 

 larity are Belgian attributes, and so the neck appears short 

 and thick; the body wide, deep and closely coupled; the 

 croup often steep, and the legs commonly short. Bel- 

 gians are frequently somewhat refined in bone for weight 



