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 All over Europen Ardennes are used to pull farm equipment - one seen here in show turnout
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The rugged landscape, harsh
climate, poor soil and cold winters of the Ardennes Plateau have contributed to the
development of the Ardennes horse. They are small, sturdy, very strong, yet tractable
breasts. With the movements of people across Europe, the horses have moved with them and
different types have emerged. Moved to better land with better climates they have become
bigger and more massive, hence the Brabant or Heavy Belgian Draught in the north and the
huge Trait du Nord in the east of France. Most of the heavy breeds still look much like
them, the Comtois, Breton, Dutch Draught and the old German, Polish and USSR breeds.
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| In the definitive work on the Ardennes horse "Le cheval Aredennais" by P-P Pastoret et al (ISBN 2-86326-133-9) in French, is a lovely photograph of a horse "Mathieu" taken in 1877, looking much like an old fashioned Welsh cob or Van horse, a small, neat, snappy horse with many uses. However in recent times the Ardennes horses have become bigger. Following the decimation of their numbers in both world wars particularly the first, bigger Belgian Heavy Draught stalions were used to breed up the numbers. This created bigger horses for farm and forestry work, and also the meat trade. The effects on the breed were not entirely beneficial. |
Ardennes horses are regularly used for competitive driving.
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 The Ardennes are often ridden!! they are surprisingly fast and nimble |
Now Ardennes breeders have sent he light and are looking to go forward towards the smaller more versatile horses like "Matieu", and in the last twenty years the horses are showing their true type. All over Europe they are still used in commercial firestry, on farms and they are regularly used for competitive private driving. A number of Ardennes are being used by the Rising for the Disabled Associations and also as general, sturdy riding horses in the UK. They are suprisingly fast, nimble, strong and good tempered, traits that have been documented for the past two thousand years. | |
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Published by Field Galleries - the web site of Equine Artist Sue Wingate MA RCA |
| Copyright © Sue Wingate 1998 |
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