Horses : AMERICAN BELGIAN DRAFT

Origin: Indiana, North America; developed from the breed from Belgium.

Australias Status:

International Status: RECOVERING/SAFE; the most popular draught horse in America.

Arrived in Australia: A few Belgians (called Flemish Draughts then) came to Australia in colonial days, via England. In 1827 a "famous imported Flemish draught  horse named Black Jack" lived at Clarendon, the notable grazing property of James Cox, in Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania); the beautiful house there now being National Trust. Two imported stallions and three mares arrived in Hobart in 1829.  In 1860 the Woolnorth property in Tasmania advertised a Flemish stallion at stud and also had an imported mare. A Flemish stallion was sold in Adelaide in 1849. No doubt others came that aren't recorded. Tasmania had a lively horse trade to the mainland in colonial days and some Flemish blood went into those horses. In 1848 it was reported crosses of blood horses to Flemish horses from Australia sold well in India. In 1849 a Flemish mare was sold in Adelaide. As the breed was popular in England, no doubt others came out too. They were never widely used here but became very popular in the USA, the first probably taken to New York in 1625 by the Dutch East India Company.

In 1982 Pat and Sid Samuel brought a stallion to Australia for their Marlie Draught Horse Stud, Wondersprings Rubis Jim, from Cortland, New York State, USA.  Then stood a half Belgian half Suffolk stallion, a son, chestnut, still at stud. Later Carbery Estate Stud imported another chestnut stallion from the USA, L.A. Lillie's Marquis, still at stud.

Australian Population: 10 total (5 mares) - 2017
2022 - 7 total? being 1 pure stallion and 6 mares found. No registry to enquire and only one breeder found. Several crosses seen in ads over the past 5 years. 

HIstory: Originally from Belgium, these strong horses went to America in the nineteenth century and were popular with the Amish as well as other farmers. In Belgium the draughts are also known as Trait Belge, however are heavier than teh American belgian Draft.  In the past in Australia and elsewhere athey were called the Flanders or Flemish draughts. The first studbook was started in Indiana USA and registered both imported Belgians and those bred in North America. The popularity of the breed in America was often written up here, the  Americans liking a strong active, powerful draught - much work was of the pioneering sort and the breed was adaptable. The old Flemish breed was often written up as a progenitor of the Clydesdale and other English draughts in early news articles here.

Breed Traits: A good-natured draught of 16 plus hands, in fact the tallest horse in the world, Zeus, at over 21 hands is of this breed. Active and four square, not cow hocked like a plough breed. Some feather but not as much as a Clydie or Shire. Common colours are 'blonde, sorrel, roan with light points, chestnuts' (from the BDHCA site). Bay, grey, black, brown, roan with black points were once seen, but are rare now. The light colours are a hallmark of the breed now. Upright neck/head carriage.

Uses: usual draught uses, ploughing, harvesting, timber carting, harness; very powerful breed.

Breed Organisation: None found in Australia. The Belgian Draft Horse Corporation of America is the breed body in the country of origin, beginning in 1887; they have a website http://www.belgiancorp.com/.

 Carbery Stud has a pure Belgian stallion they imported from the USA, and probably a mare or more than one mare (any clarification most welcome).

Additional Notes: Do not appear to have been kept in the pure form here apart from one stallion and perhaps a mare or three; others lost to outcrossing. Some blood has gone into the Australian Draught Horse (their society has a facebook group but no website).

Some lines of Belgian Draft carry JEB - Junctional Epidermolysis Bullosa - the new name for the disease once called E.I. (Epitheliogenesis Imperfecto) or hairless foal. Foals lose hair after being born, sicken and die from 3 to 8 days old. There is a test for this, to ascertain whether a stallion or mare is a carrier or non-carrier.

Photo from the blog by Denzil 'Discovering Belgium - The rise and fall of the Belgium Draught.'

Page by Janet Lane
updated 2022 Janet Lane

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