- Lithuanian Heavy Draft -

The Lithunian Heavy Draft originated in Russia at the end of the 19th century and has only been registered since 1963. However, it is a breede that has become hugely popular and by 1964 there were 62,000 Lithuanian Heavy Draft horses in Lithuania, which speaks both of their demand and their fertility. The Lithuanian Heavy Draft came about through a combination of the local Zhmud horses being crossed with Swedish Ardennes and the Finnish horse. The breed is preserved through a process whereby potential stallions have to pass a series of performance tests before being allowed to be used as breeding stock.

The Lithuanian has an excellent quiet temperament and is extremely strong and durable making them suitable for heavy draft and agricultural work. They  are very long lived and have a high fertility rate, which has ensured the breed's continuance. They also cope very well in harsh and extreme climates, and are seemingly resistant to the cold. They are also notable for  their particularly good walking and trotting gait - which is unusual and a heavy draft breed.

In appearance, they have a nicely proportioned head that tends to be on the coarse side. They have a muscular, arched neck with a flowing mane, and a wide, deep chest. The withers are fairly pronounced, and the back is short and powerful with a rounded croup and high-set tail. Occasionally they will have a dipped back, which can be a sign of weakness, but there are current efforts to selectively breed this defect out. Their frame could be described as massive, and appears more so due to the size of the body compared to the length of leg. Their legs are usually short and strong with good joints and well-formed feet, although they do occasionally have cow hocks and pin toes. They stand between 15 and 16 hh and can be bay, black, grey, chestnut, or roan.

There are some similarities between the Lithuanian Heavy Draft and the heavier of the Latvian Harness Horses, namely in their conformation and paces. They are still used for agricultural work in some areas and are also used for crossbreeding with the native Altai horse tom improve their meat and milk production.

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