American Quarter Horse
The most numerous horse breed in the world: a compact, muscular American stock horse with…
Irish Draught
Ireland’s native working horse and the foundation of the Irish Sport Horse. Substantial, sound and famously sensible, with good bone and a temperament that forgives an amateur rider a great deal.
Lifespan22-30 years
Typical priceSee guide
Weight550-750 kg
Height155-170 cm
Breed groupDraught
Kennel Club recognisedNo
Also calledID, Irish Draught Horse
We do not have enough Irish Draught adverts yet to publish a price range from our own data. The figures in the price section below are an editorial estimate.
Pros
- Outstanding temperament - honest, willing and hard to upset
- Good bone and genuinely sound feet and legs
- Versatile: hunting, riding club, dressage, driving, happy hacking
- Economical for its size, being bred from farm stock
Cons
- A rare breed - the pure-bred population is small and good ones are sought after
- Large and slow to mature, needing careful management to five or six
- Big enough that keeping costs are substantial
- Often crossed, so "Irish Draught" in an advert may mean part-bred
Irish Draught characteristics
Scores are editorial, and describe the breed in general. Individual animals vary, and how a dog is bred and raised matters more than its breed.
Health tests to ask for
Ask to see the certificates, with the parents' registered names on them. "Parents health tested" in an advert means nothing on its own.
- Five-stage pre-purchase vetting with radiographs
- Equine passport and microchip check
- Hip and hock radiographs for a performance prospect
- Strangles blood test before mixing with a new yard
- Back and saddle-fit assessment
What is an Irish Draught?
Ireland's native horse: 155-170cm, substantial without being heavy, bred to plough on Monday, pull the trap to Mass on Sunday and hunt in between. Good bone, clean flat limbs and famously hard feet.
They are the foundation of the Irish Sport Horse and are increasingly rare in pure form, which is why the Rare Breeds Survival Trust lists them.
History and origins
The breed developed from native Irish stock crossed with Iberian horses arriving through trade, and later with Thoroughbred. Small farmers needed one horse to do everything, and selection for soundness, sense and versatility is what produced the type.
Mechanisation nearly finished them in the mid-20th century. Horse Sport Ireland maintains the stud book and an inspection system for both stallions and mares.
Appearance and size
155-170cm, 550-750kg. A deep girth, a strong sloping shoulder, powerful hindquarters and clean flat bone with a little silky feather at the fetlock only. The head is intelligent and generous.
Any solid colour; grey, bay and chestnut predominate.
Temperament and personality
The defining quality: sensible, honest and hard to upset. An Irish Draught is the horse people describe as having a brain - they think about a problem rather than panicking at it, and they forgive a rider's mistakes.
They are willing without being sharp, which makes them one of the better large horses for a returning or improving rider.
Intelligence and trainability
Sensible and biddable, and they retain their training well. They are not as quick as a Thoroughbred or as sharp as a warmblood, and most owners count that as a virtue.
They mature slowly - not fully developed until five or six - and should be produced accordingly.
Children and other pets
An adult's horse by size, though the temperament is as safe as a large horse gets. Confident teenagers do well on them.
Easy in a herd and straightforward to handle on the ground.
Health problems
Sounder than most horses of the size, which is the breed's reputation and largely deserved.
Hoof quality is generally excellent, which is worth noting because it is unusual.
Hock and stifle problems with heavy work or poor conformation. Osteochondrosis in fast-grown youngstock, which is a management issue as much as a genetic one.
Sarcoids, common in the Irish and British populations. Laminitis is less of a concern than in the natives but a fat, under-worked Draught is still at risk.
Gastric ulcers in horses in hard work on concentrate feed.
Twenty-two to thirty years, and many stay sound and working into their twenties.
Daily care routine
Daily checks, feet out daily, legs felt by hand for heat or filling. Farrier every five to seven weeks, teeth annually, vaccinations annually, worm counts through the season.
Most live out with a field shelter and come in for work or bad weather.
Grooming and coat care
Straightforward. A moderate coat, some feather at the fetlock to check in winter, and a full mane and tail. Clipped for winter work with rugging to match. Back and saddle checked by a fitter twice a year.
Exercise needs
Regular work four to six days a week for a horse in use. They have stamina rather than speed, and they are happiest with a job - hunting, riding club, or serious hacking.
Controlled work until five, given how slowly they mature.
Feeding and diet
Forage first. They are good doers for their size and many hold weight on hay alone out of hard work. Conditioning feed matched to the work, not to the season.
Price
£4,000-£10,000 for a good riding horse, £12,000-£30,000 for an inspected, graded mare or a proven performer. Unbroken youngstock from £2,500.
Keeping one costs £4,000-£10,000 a year depending on livery.
Buying advice
Ask whether the horse is registered pure-bred with Horse Sport Ireland, and ask to see the papers. "Irish Draught" is used loosely in adverts for anything with substance and an Irish accent, and the pure-bred is a different and rarer animal.
Passport and microchip. Ride it twice, on separate days, and see it caught, shod and loaded.
Five-stage vetting, and for a performance prospect add radiographs of the hocks and front feet.
Irish Draughts available now
No Irish Draughts are advertised at the moment. Save this search and an email goes out when one is listed.
Breeds like the Irish Draught
All horse breedsA shortlist rarely has one name on it. These sit closest to the Irish Draught on size, coat and temperament, and each one has a full guide.
Worth reading before you buy
All adviceGoing to see a Irish Draught? Take the horse and pony checklist with you. It is the questions worth asking while you are stood in somebody's kitchen, rather than on the drive home.
