Origin: Russia
Color: Normally chestnut, bay, or roan.
Avg Height: Not exceeding 15 hh (avg is 14.2½ hh)
Avg Weight: 1210 to 1540 lbs
Build: This breeds sports a full mane and tail, with a massive, arched neck, a long, deep body with a broad back, short, powerful loins, a sloping croup, and strong, relatively short legs with hard hoofs. The head is average size, clean cut, with Oriental breediness; the forehead is wide and the profile is straight.
Temperament: Good natured. Strong, shows a fair speed and has a very willing disposition.
Main use: Agricultural work.
Special abilities: These energetic, good-natured horses are noted for their remarkable pulling power and for their light, free action at the walk and trot. The breed is noted for its milk-producing capacities. Fermented mare's milk (in Russian kumys) has enjoyed a long tradition as a medicinal tonic in southern Russia and the steppes of Central Asia. The fermented milk was thought to stimulate the appetite, improve digestion, and increase immunity to disease, and was recommended for such varied conditions as gastritis, anemia, tuberculosis and impotence. The Russian Heavy Draft Horse is the breed of choice at an experimental farm for the production of kumys located in Ryazan, at the All-Union Institute for Horsebreeding.
History: This breed is found mainly in Russia, where it was developed about 100 years ago. Local Ukraine draft mares were crossed with imported Ardennes, Percheron, and Orlov stallions, and the best of their progeny were interbred to produce a strong, hardy, but not overlarge horse suitable for all kinds of agricultural work. The Russian Heavy Draft Horse has had a significant, but largely unrecorded, influence on improving agricultural stock. Many horses that can still be seen pulling carts in the countryside outside of major cities carry Russian Heavy Draft blood.
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