- Rhineland Heavy Draft -

The Rhineland Heavy Draft, often called the Rheinish German Heavy Draft, tends to appear in many different forms and under different names all over Western and Eastern Germany. It is not uncommon for the breed to be referred to as the German Coldblood, Rheinish-Belgian, Niedersachsen Heavy Draft, or the Rheinish-Westphalian. The breed was developed during the last half of the 19th century, with the studbook being started in 1876, for agricultural and draft purposes, and enjoyed a fairly brief period of popularity.

Since the age of mechanization, however, the numbers of the Rhineland Heavy Draft have dramatically decreased, like many of the draft breeds, and now it is quite rare to see one. They were at one time the most prolific horse breed in Germany, but numbers have dropped to such an extent that now only approximately tow percent of the horse population in Germany are draft breeds. They were developed largely from the Belgian Draft horse, with infusions from the Ardennes, Clydesdale, Percheron, and Boulonnais, to produce a heavyweight but attractive animal of great power. They were excellent farm and draft horses, and highly efficient in both theses capacities. The prime center for breeding was the Wickrath regional stud in Rhineland. In appearance, they are a very four spare horse, and massively built.

For their size, they tend to have a small but well-shaped head with a heavy jaw. The neck is extremely powerful, well arched, and has a pronounced crest. The shoulders are likely to be massive, as are the rounded quarters. They are generally low in the withers, with a short, wide back. The chest is very broad and deep, and the quarters extremely muscular. They have strong, short legs with good sound joints, short cannon bones, and very hard feet. They tend  to have some feathering and appear low to the ground, due to the shortness of the leg in comparison to the bulk of the body. They have an excellent temperament being quiet, yet willing and energetic when required. Their coloring varies from chestnut, sorrel, and chestnut roan and red roan, and they vary in height from between approximately 16 hh to 17 hh.

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