RARE BREEDS TRUST OF AUSTRALIA
powered by TidyHQHorses: Clydesdale
Horses: Clydesdale
Country of Origin
Scotland
Australian Status
International Status
Threatened with under 5,000 individuals worldwide.
Uses
Draught both for transportation and in agriculture
Breed Traits
The most iconic of the draught breeds, the Clydesdale at maturity should be over 17 hands, with fine, long, straight feathering on their legs. Their face may be straight or slightly roman. The usual colour is bay, but they also may be black, brown, chestnut, or roan.
Known for the strength, vigour, and temperament, they also have a distinctive movement lifting each foot off the ground and allowing the sole of the foot to be seen from behind.
History
In the middle 1700s the larger Flemish draught horses began to be bred to the local Scottish horses. These larger animals were used in agriculture, as war transport for heavily armoured men, logging, freight, milk carts, and any other typical hauling chores.
In 1826 the first exhibition under the breed name of Clydesdale was held, and in 1877 the Clydesdale Horse Society was established, although the registry itself goes back to the 1830s.
History in Australia
The heavy horses were first mentioned in 1826 by James Atkinson in his book on agriculture and grazing in New South Wales. In 1904 the Draught Horses in Australia committee recommended the Draught Horse Stud book for Victoria which included the Clydesdale, English Shire, and Suffolk Punch each in its separate section.
In 1917 the first volume of The Australian Clydesdale Studbook was published, and on 1 November 1917 the Commonwealth Clydesdale Horse Society amalgamated the Clydesdale portion of the Draught Horses in Australia Studbook and The Australian Clydesdale Studbook.
Please see the Commonwealth Clydesdale Horse Society's website for a complete history of the breed in Australia.
Breed Organisation
Commonwealth Clydesdale Horse Society Australia, Inc.
Australian Heavy Horse Association
Australian population
2022: Mares 610; Stallions 33
2025: Mares 610; Stallions 33
References
- https://www.australianheavyhorseassociation.com/clydesdale
- https://horsebreedslist.com/clydesdale/
- https://clydesdalehorse.com.au
Page by C. Wormald, March 2026
