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24th July 2010 Pure bred Belgian Wonder Spring Rubus Jim  G’day everyone and welcome to Heavy Thunder Clydesdale and Heavy Horse Blog. A few weeks ago we covered a story on the Jondaryan Woolshed’s Working Draught Horse Expo. And one of the breeds we saw was the Belgian in harness. These horses are also known as Brabant horse. Sadly there are only a few in this country. American Belgian "Wonder Spring Rubus Jim" was imported in 1982. So to begin with we thought we would start with the history of the Belgian Horse. Unfortunately like a lot of breeds of heavy horses, the history of the Belgian or Brabant horse history is somewhat sketchy. However we do know as the name implies the breed originated in Belgium. Back in the medieval times when the centre of Western Europe became well-known for the large black horses known as "Flemish." These were the horses which carried the heavily armoured knights into battle. But they were by no means the size then they are today. So only the largest and strongest of the breed were trained as "chargers" or "destriers". It is from this stock that other draft breeds emerged. At the heart of this area, Belgium was established as a country. Stallions of the region were exported throughout parts of Europe, as the need grew for the larger stock horses to work in the industrial and agricultural settings. Because Belgium was the resource other countries relied on for these large stock animals, all that remained was for the country was to establish the breed and strengthen the genetics. The Belgian government quickly helped to refine the breed by setting up district shows, from which the winners would move up to compete in the national show in Brussels. From those who showed in the national, the finest were chosen by the country's inspection committees to stand as stallions for public service. The result of these efforts was that the fixed breed type rapidly improved and the Belgian was established as a national heritage, and a treasure. When the Belgian was first imported into America, they were criticized for being "too thick, too low-headed, straight shouldered and round-boned". However, the Belgians quickly found a place with American farmers because they were easy to maintain, hard and willing workers, and had good dispositions. So the Belgian remained, and American breeders set out to keep what was right and fix what was "wrong". The result has become one of the greatest success stories in animal breeding history. Today's American Belgian still has the solid middle, deep strong feet, plenty of bone and strong musculature, with a great disposition. He is still easy to maintain, transports well, and remains a hard and willing worker. American breeders very simply developed a horse with cleaner lines, more slope in the shoulders and pasterns, and a more elegant look around the head and neck. As far as color, while the first Belgians to be imported to America were a wide mix, about 50% were bay and bay-brown. However, there was really no particular color which was a defining characteristic. Through breeding, shown by American preference, the ideal for a Belgian in the U.S. today is a chestnut or sorrel with a snow-white mane and tail, a white stripe on the face, and four white socks. In other parts of the world, one can still find a very wide assortment of colors. In height, the Belgian is usually 16 hands (162.5 centimeters, or 64 inches at the shoulder), but can exceed 18 hands (183 cm., or 72 in. at the shoulder). The American Belgian usually has a rather large head, short, "feathered", muscular legs, and large hind quarters. The average weight is 1600 to 2000 pounds (113.6 to 142 stones), but stallions can exceed 2400 pounds (170.4 stones). Sid and Pat Samuels from Marlie Draught Horse Stud in New South Wales were and still are people of foresight in Australia. They imported the stallion ‘Wonder Spring Rubus Jim' with the aim of breeding a sound heavy horse more suited to the harsh Australian climate. I spoke to Sid a few short days ago and he said his program has been hugely successful. Please stay tuned for the next posting about Sid’s amazing accomplishment. See you on the track. Cheers Paul and Jann  Wonder Spring Rubus Jim at 18 months old
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