Cold Bloods: Powerful but gentle Heavy Horses
Cold Blood Horse Breeds Cold Bloods are commonly called Draft Horses or Heavy Horses. These horses evolved in the cold regions of Europe and were bred for hard work. Their calm, patient nature makes them stand out from other categories.
Characteristics
Temperament: Calm, gentle, patient, and steady – this makes them ideal for farm work.
Build: Strong bones, broad chest, deep body, heavy hindquarters and sometimes feathered legs.
Origin: Cold, agricultural areas of northern and western Europe.
Use: Plowing, heavy load hauling, logging, war duties and now in exhibitions, parades, and shows.
Major Cold Blood Horse Breeds
Shire Horse (Origin: England)
Features: The tallest and heaviest horse in the world. Dark body, feathered legs and black, bay or grey coat.
Use: Pulling Brewer’s drays, farm work, and in parade shows.
Clydesdale (Origin: Scotland)
Features: High, graceful gait, bay coat and white feet. Known as Budweiser Clydesdales.
Use: Parades, driving, farm demonstrations.
Belgian Draft / Brabant (Origin: Belgium)
Characteristics: Handsome horse with a strong, broad back, thick throat and flaxen mane-tail.
Use: Heavy farm work, pulling competitions, and timber hauling.
Percheron (Origin: France)
Features: A unique combination of power and elegance. Black or grey coat and strong legs.
Use: War horses, farm work, public carriage services and shows.
Suffolk Punch (Origin: Suffolk, England)
Features: Uniform chestnut coat and compact, sturdy body. Called the “punched” look.
Use: Bred purely for heavy agricultural work.
Dutch Draft (Origin: Netherlands)
Features: Very heavy body, broad neck and calm working temperament.
Use: Mainly for heavy work in fields.
Friesian Horse (Origin: Friesland, Netherlands)
Highlights
- Cold Blood Horses are extremely heavy-built, strong and calm in nature.
- They were used for heavy farming, carrying wood, and transporting armored soldiers in war.
- Horses like Shire, Clydesdale, Belgian Draft are the main representatives of this category.
- These horses have a very calm and patient temperament — perfect for new handlers.
- The beauty and cool temperament of the Friesian horse makes it special in the category of Cold Bloods.
Characteristics: Solid black coat, long flowing mane-tail and calm nature. Elegant yet heavy build.
Use: Dressage, driving, pleasure riding and also light farm work.
Why are Cold Blood Horses special?
Cold Bloods are characterised by their gentle and trustworthy nature. While Hot Blood Horses are fast and reactionary, Cold Bloods are more calm, trustworthy and steady.
They are relatively easy to train and their physical capacity is useful for various tasks from ploughing fields to pulling heavy carts.