Schleswig-Holstein &

Schleswig-Heavy Draught

The province of Schleswig-Holstein has been between German and Danish ownership. This horse therefore, can be traced back to the Danish Jutland horse to which was added Yorkshire Coach Horse and Thoroughbred blood. During the nineteenth century the Schleswig-Holstein was bred to be a lighter weight horse by adding Yorkshire Coach Horse, Cleveland bay and Thoroughbred blood, this was detrimental to the overall breed. The numbers declined after World War 1 but revived after World War 11 until motorised transport caused less of a demand for tram and bus horses, when the numbers severely dwindled to a few hundred in the 1970s. Enthusiasts have since then made huge efforts to revive the breed. Boulonnais and Breton blood has been added to improve the stock and latterly Jutland blood to increase the size.

It stands at between 15.2 and 16h.h. it is predominantly chestnut in colour, often with a flaxen mane and tail, sometimes bays and greys occur; the head is fairly large and plain often with a roman nose; the neck is fairly short and thick; the back tends to be long; the body is deep; the quarters are round and strong; the limbs are short with some feather; the hooves tend to be soft, though the recent infusion of other blood has sometimes eradicated that fault. One of the breed's attributes is the very placid and willing temperament.