Quote:
Originally Posted by suzy_q2010
|
They are often Irish Draughts or Irish Draught Crosses as they have a balance of strength, athleticism, and temperament suited to ceremonial duties.
Draught/Draft horses are a working breed, and the Army also use larger drum horses for ceremonial duties, with the Drum horses carrying the kettle-drummer and large silver kettle-drums. Such horses are usually a Clydesdale, Shire, Piebald or Skewbald.
Except for the Trumpeters who ride grays and the Drum horses, the Cavalry horses are generally black and are known as 'Cavalry Blacks'.
Within the British Isles, there are three main native heavy breeds, these being the Clydesdale, Shire and Suffolk Punch. However, there is a fourth that is highly recognised, that of the Percheron even though this breed was imported many many years ago.
There are also two types of horses used to pull the carriages at the Mews, the Windsor Greys and Cleveland Bays, the Windsor Grey being a grey warmblood type of at least 16 hands high.
As for the Cleveland Bay it is named after its Bay colouring, which is a reddish-brown or brown body color with a black point colouration on the mane, tail, ear edges, and lower legs, with the breed originating from the historic district of Clevaland in Yorkshire in England.
The Cleveland Bay one of England's oldest breed of horse with a history that goes beyond a time when records were kept. It is an incredibly versatile horse and is ideal in terms of pulling carriages and other such duties.
As for the current status of the injured horses, here a further update -
Household Cavalry horses need 'patience to heal', Army says - BBC News (29th April 2024)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
