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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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