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February 26th, 2010 by KittyKitty

As suggested by the name. This breed emerged from Belgium. Way back in Medievil times, central Western Europe was renound for the grand black horses called “Flemish”. It is these horses that carried knights into battle wearing heavy armour. Out of necessity, the most powerful selection of this breed became “chargers” or “destriers”. From this stock, genetic make-up was drawn for other breeds.  At the heart of this area, Belgium was established as a country. The regions stallions’ were shipped throughout Europe as larger draught horses were demanded to work in both agricultural and industrial environments. 

As Belgium was the supply upon which other countries relied for such large stock horses, all that was left was for the country to establish the breed and strengthen the genetic makeup already at hand. The Belgian government quickly helped to refine the breed by setting up district shows, from which the winners would move up to compete in the national show in Brussels. The country’s inspection committee selected from the national the finest stallions for public services. As a result of this, the fixed-breed improved substancially, and the Belgian horse was established as a national treasure. 

When the Belgian was first imported into America, they were slated for being “too thick, too low-headed, straight shouldered, and round-boned”. However, the Belgian horse soon settled in with American farmers due to their good dispositions, willingness to work hard and the fact that they were easy to maintain. So the Belgian remained, and American breeders set out to keep what was right and fix what was “wrong”. The result has become one of the greatest success stories in animal breeding history. The American Belgain has many good attributes including good bone and muscle structure, strong feet, a solid middle and a good disposition. The breed is a hard worker, ships well and is easy to maintain. The breeders from America basically developed a new horse with cleaner lines, an increased slope in the pasterns and shoulders and a head and neck that was more elegant. 

Description
With reards to color, whilst the first Belgians to be brought into to the States were a wide mix, about 50% were bay and bay-brown. Although, there wasn’t an individual colour which was a character definition. Through breeding, shown by American preference, the ideal for a Belgian in America today is a chestnut or sorrel with a snow-white mane and tail, a white stripe on the face, and four white socks. A large selection of colours can still be found in other areas of the globe. 

In height, Belgian horses are usually 16 hands (162.5 centimeters, or 64 inches) at the shoulder, but can exceed 18 hands (183 cm or 72 inches) to the shoulder. US Belgian horses are more often seen with a noticeably large head, larger hind-quarters and compact, muscular legs. 

The normal weight is 1600 to 2000 pounds (113.6 to 142 stones), but stallions can be in excess of 2400 pounds (170.4 stones).

For more information and horses for sale, please visit the Horse and Pony Directory