Soviet Heavy Draft

Origin: Sovetskaya Tyazhelovozskaya, Soviet Draft, Sovetskii Tyazhelovoz

Color: Bay, chestnut, roan.

Avg Height: 16 hh

Avg Weight: 1433 to 2200 lbs

Build: Features a full mane and tail, and also some feather on the legs. Ample height and clearly expressed harness type. Heavily muscled and boned. Head is average in size and clean-cut. Neck is average in length, often on the short side and well muscled. Withers are low, back is long, often slightly dipped, loin is average in length, croup is broad, furrowed, drooping and heavily muscled, chest is broad, average in depth, ribs are well sprung. Forelegs are often pigeon-toed and the hind ones are sickle-hocked. The build is quite coarse, soft and yet much cleaner and more solid than that of the Brabancon.

Temperament: Good tempered.

Main use: Used primarily for farm work, meat, and milk.

Special abilities: Good utility horses and breeders. Mature extremely early and are good milk and meat producers.

History: As a fixed breed, the Soviet Heavy Draft horse dates from about 1940. In 1952 it became recognized as a new heavy Draft breed. Initially, native horses were improved by stallions of the Belgian Brabancon Draft breed. In 1885, three Brabancon stallions were recorded in stud. Then, in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, in a number of regions in the European part of the Soviet Union, Brabants, Ardennes, and Percherons were crossed with local horses. The best of the progeny were then used for selected breeding. Today the Soviet Draft horse is the most numerous and widely distributed of the heavy draft breeds in Russia.