The Swedish Ardennes is a medium-size, heavyweight

draft horse A draft horse (US) or draught horse (UK), also known as dray horse, carthorse, work horse or heavy horse, is a large horse bred to be a working animal hauling freight and doing heavy agricultural tasks such as plowing. There are a number o ...

. It was bred in

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

during the late 19th century to satisfy farmers' demand for horses suitable for agriculture.

Characteristics

The Swedish Ardennes is and weighs .Reddick, Kate, ''Horses''. New York: Ridge Press, 1976, p. 147. It has a small, heavy head for its size with small eyes; a short, thick neck; a short back with a wide chest, and well-muscled shoulders. The Swedish Ardennes has a muscular, compact body with stout legs, some

feathering Feathering is a technique used in computer graphics software to smooth or blur the edges of a feature. The term is inherited from a technique of fine retouching using fine feathers. Paintbrush feathering Feathering is most commonly used on a ...

on its legs and blue, open hoofs. The predominant

colors Color (or colour in Commonwealth English; see spelling differences) is the visual perception based on the electromagnetic spectrum. Though color is not an inherent property of matter, color perception is related to an object's light absorpt ...

are black, blood bay, and chestnut. Accessed February 8, 2011. It can withstand extremes in weather; Swedish Ardennes horses are very strong and willing workers and

easy keeper An easy keeper, easy doer, or (British English) good doer is a horse that can live on relatively little feed. The opposite of an easy keeper is a '' hard keeper'' (''poor doer''), an animal that is prone to be too thin and has difficulty mainta ...

s. They are also known for their longevity, an even but not sluggish temperament, and good overall health.

History

Swedish Ardennes horses were developed by crossing imported

Ardennes The Ardennes ( ; ; ; ; ), also known as the Ardennes Forest or Forest of Ardennes, is a region of extensive forests, rough terrain, rolling hills and ridges primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, extending into Germany and France. Geological ...

horses (a heavy draft breed from Belgium and northern France) with the

North Swedish Horse The North Swedish Horse or is a Swedish breed of small heavy horse. It is closely related to the similar Dølehest breed of Norway. It was traditionally used for forestry and agricultural work. Lighter lines are bred for harness racing, and ...

. In 1872, Count C.G. Wrangel began importing Ardennes horses and by 1880, Ardennes imports and crossbreds had made inroads across south and central Sweden. The goal was to improve on the size and strength of native Swedish horses; to this end, a studbook was established in 1901.

Uses

Although

farming Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

is now done with machinery (except on remote hill farms), the Swedish Ardennes is still popular as a cart horse; it is also used for hauling timber in mountain areas inaccessible by machinery. Despite the increasing mechanization of agriculture and forestry, the Swedish Ardennes still makes up the largest proportion of Sweden's registered purebred stallions.

References

{{Reflist Horse breeds Horse breeds originating in Sweden