Draught Animal
A draught horse is a large horse bred to be a working animal
doing hard tasks such as ploughing and other farm labour. There are a number of
breeds, with varying characteristics, but all share common traits of strength,
patience, and a docile temperament which made them indispensable to generations
of pre-industrial farmers. Draft horses and draft crossbreds are versatile
breeds used today for a multitude of purposes, including farming, draft horse
showing, logging, recreation, and other uses.
Draught horses help us as they provide us with transport (horse and cart), farming by pulling ploughs, pull trailers with logs on to help contribute with logging.
Draught horses are kept in a stable, with bedding and access to water. They will also be allowed to go out in a paddock when they are having a day off or having a holiday break. They are used for pulling objects as they are extremely powerful. Draught horses which are used for transport are extremely well groomed and presented to a high standard to attract people to use their horses for transport. On the other hand, draught horses used for farming may not be groomed as they are not used for protection but for hard labour. The horse will be trained in 6 weeks to use the equipment before it is ready to go to work.
A draught horse’s welfare is affected by its job due to the hard labour of it. As a draught horse has a lot of tack on it including a bridle and a harness this can cause pain and injury. This is because it may start to rub when the horse sweats, causing hair loss and sores at the place of where the harness is rubbing the horse. This may be ignored if the horses are needed for work due to not being able to fit the harness any differently and so this is bad on the horse’s welfare. Also as the horses may be worked in hot weather and also hard labour work this may cause them to become dehydrated. Also it is bad for horses to go for long periods of time without food due to their digestive systems needing to work in a way were they eat little and often it can cause them to get a twisted gut and also stomach ulcers. This affects their welfare as they are not always free from hunger and thirst. When they are not doing their job they will have appropriate shelter such as a stable with bedding, and also access to food and water. When they have days off or holiday breaks they will be put in a paddock where they can express normal behaviours such as grazing and socialising with other horses.
Draught horses help us as they provide us with transport (horse and cart), farming by pulling ploughs, pull trailers with logs on to help contribute with logging.
Draught horses are kept in a stable, with bedding and access to water. They will also be allowed to go out in a paddock when they are having a day off or having a holiday break. They are used for pulling objects as they are extremely powerful. Draught horses which are used for transport are extremely well groomed and presented to a high standard to attract people to use their horses for transport. On the other hand, draught horses used for farming may not be groomed as they are not used for protection but for hard labour. The horse will be trained in 6 weeks to use the equipment before it is ready to go to work.
A draught horse’s welfare is affected by its job due to the hard labour of it. As a draught horse has a lot of tack on it including a bridle and a harness this can cause pain and injury. This is because it may start to rub when the horse sweats, causing hair loss and sores at the place of where the harness is rubbing the horse. This may be ignored if the horses are needed for work due to not being able to fit the harness any differently and so this is bad on the horse’s welfare. Also as the horses may be worked in hot weather and also hard labour work this may cause them to become dehydrated. Also it is bad for horses to go for long periods of time without food due to their digestive systems needing to work in a way were they eat little and often it can cause them to get a twisted gut and also stomach ulcers. This affects their welfare as they are not always free from hunger and thirst. When they are not doing their job they will have appropriate shelter such as a stable with bedding, and also access to food and water. When they have days off or holiday breaks they will be put in a paddock where they can express normal behaviours such as grazing and socialising with other horses.