DRAFT BREEDS 91 



records no other stock, we conclude that this breed is, directly 

 and exclusively, descended from the old Flemish stock. There 

 are two respects, however, in which the Flemish ancestry is not 

 indicated, namely, the absence of much hair and the inf requency 

 of the black color. Selection may account for these modifications, 

 however. 



Belgium is essentially an agricultural country, flat and low- 

 lying for the most part, and horse breeding in a limited way is 

 followed by most farmers. Each one has a colt or two to turn off 

 each year. The Belgian Draft Horse Society has done much in 

 the way of conducting shows, offering prizes, and providing 

 subsidies to promote the interests of the breed. 



Three Original Types. — There were originally, according 

 to Herr Van Schelle, who had charge of the Belgian Government 

 horse exhibit at the St. Louis Exposition, three types of draft 

 horses in Belgium: The Flemish, the largest, produced nearest 

 the coast ; the Brabagon, an intermediate type, bred farther in- 

 land ; and the Ardennaise, a small, rapid draft horse similar and 

 akin to the French horse of that name, bred in the border dis- 

 tricts. There has been more or less amalgamation of these three 

 Viiriginally distinct types in the evolution of tlie present-day 

 Belgian cart horses. 



The American Type of Belgian. — It is claimed that the type 

 has been considerably modified in accordance with the demand 

 of American buyers. The old fashioned, more massive, but much 

 less refined stamp still receives most favor in Belgium. The 

 accepted type of Belgian horse in America is perhaps the most 

 uniformly drafty of any of the breeds, short legs, a compact body 

 (Fig. 70), wide, muscular ends, and deep, wide, spreading ribs 

 being the rule. The head is' square and medium sized, the neck 

 short and heavy crested. Roans and chestnuts predominate, 

 though bays, browns, and occasionally grays and blacks appear. 

 Hoofs deficient in circumference, bone that is not sufficiently 

 flat, and necks that are too short and heavy, with a general 

 absence of refinement, are features in which average representa- 

 tives of this breed are still subject to improvement. They show 

 an interesting conformation of the hamstring, the muscles being 

 apparently inserted directly upon the point of the hock, without 

 the usual tendinous continuation. The extreme width of the 



