Soviet Heavy Draft Horse: Breed History and Characteristics

Also known as the Sovetskya tyazhelovoznaya, this is one of the most popular draft horse breeds in the former Soviet Union for two reasons. First, they mature at about three years of age instead of five like in other horse breeds and secondly, they produce a lot of milk and meat for human consumption. Although originally bred to work on farms, very few Soviet Heavy Drafters actually do.

This breed is not to be confused with the similarly named Russian havy draft, which are often chestnut or bay, are smaller and move faster than a Soviet Heavy Draft.

Brief History

Attempt to breed the ideal Russian draft horse began in 1880 in western Russia. Native horses were crossed with Belgians. In 1885 there were only three Belgains in the program, but by 1945, there were 891. During this time, judicial use of other European draft breeds was added to the mix, including the Suffolk Punch, the Percheron, the Ardennes, Danish draft breeds and some unknown warmblood breeds. The breed was established in 1952 with two stallion lines and three mare lines. Mares have a good fertility rate at about 65 - 76%.

They are bred in many Russian areas, including Vladimir, Tula, Tambov, Gorki, Mordovia and Yaroslavl. Lucky stallions and mares selected for the breeding shed and not for the dinner table have to undergo performance tests, such as being able to haul a certain weight and be obedient in harness.

Males are usually slaughtered for meat while mares are impregnated in order to supply milk for the profitable production of koumiss. Touted as a health drink, it is basically fermented mare's milk and was once the only alcoholic beverage peasants in western Russia could get if they couldn't spare any potatoes for vodka production. Koumiss production was probably brought to Russia by the Mongolians.

General Appearance

Although called the Soviet Heavy Draft, this is neither the largest nor the heaviest horse breed in Russia. They average 15.2 hands in height and can weigh up to 1500 pounds. They have a thick mane and tail and some feathering around the hooves. They come in several colors, but the predominant ones are various shades of chestnut and bay.

They can have a lot of white markings, even to the point of appearing in a sabino pinto pattern. They can also come in linebacked dun, where their dorsal stripe (stripe from the base of the mae to the top of th etail) is much darker than their tan-brown coats. Very few draft horse breeds appear in this color.

"International Encyclopedia of Horse Breeds" (University of Oklahoma Press, 1995) is not kind when describing the conformation defects often found in the breed at the time the book was being put together. These included sickle hocks, pigeon-toes, a course build and is considered to have a poorer immune system than native Russian breeds. It is unknown if these traits still exist in today's Soviet Heavy Draft.

This is an intelligent, kindly and versatile breed that, when given a chance (as in this video), can really excel as a companion and in competition. Although bred for harness, they can also be ridden.

References

"International Encyclopedia of Horse Breeds." Bonnie Hendricks. University of Oklahoma Press, 1995.

"Simon & Schuster's Guide to Horses & Ponies." Maurizio Bongianni. Simon & Schuster; 1988.

"Equine Color Genetics, 2^nd Edition." Dan Philip Sponenberg. John Wiley & Sons; 2003.