What are Working Horses?

Work horses are horses that are used for work, and are more commonly called draft horses. Work horses have done numerous jobs, from transportation of goods and people across the country in stage coaches, to hauling heavy material that oxen would not be suitable for (or for tradition), for transporting coffins to the graveyards and service in the military as war horses who accompany their rider into battle and serve to make up calvary units. The draft horse is a large horse bred especially for its line of work, they are bred to pull ploughs on farmlands, and were essential for pre-industrial age farming since they could do these tasks and other tasks that required heavy pulling. They are a large but docile and easily trained breed, and are often inter-bred with thoroughbred horses. There are many working horse breeds, such as the American Cream, Ardennes, Irish Draught, Clydesdale, Breton, Boulonnais, Belgian, Percheron, Shire, Sullfolk Punch and the Gypsy Vanner Horse.

There is also a lighter breed and type of working horses, which are called the harness horses, and are usually lighter and smaller but still used in many of the same capacities as the working horses. Harness horse breeds are sometimes taken from sporting horses or otherwise horses not normally thought of as working – some of these horses are the Oldenburg, the Friesian, the Cleveland Bay, the Hackney horse, and even some warmbloods and in some cases even Thoroughbred horses may be used as harness horses – although their temperaments may not be the most desirable when compared to the large docile horses of the normal working horse breeds.

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