The Clydesdale is one of the world’s most recognisable draught horse breeds, admired for its impressive size, strength, elegant movement and distinctive feathered legs.

Originally developed in Scotland, the breed found a place in South Africa where Clydesdales became an important part of agriculture, transport, industry and everyday working life. Their strength and willing nature made them invaluable working horses, while their presence and character made them equally admired in the show ring.

Today, the Clydesdale remains an important part of South Africa’s draught horse heritage. Through responsible breeding, preservation and promotion, the Draught Horse Society of South Africa is committed to ensuring that this magnificent breed continues to have a place in the future.

SOUTH AFRICAN CLYDESDALE 

The first Clydesdale horses were imported to South Africa in 1898

In 1901 a total of 150 Clydesdale mares, all in foal to good breeding standard stallions were purchased from studs in Dumfriesshires and Galloway. All these mares were shipped directly to the Cape where breeding studs were started.

In 1945 for the first time in History study book proper Clydesdale horse was registered with SA Studbook.

Through the years Clydesdale stallions and mares were imported by the Martin family in Clarens, Free State
Province. This stud was also the biggest stud of Clydesdales in South Africa since the 1960.

Clydesdales were used as work horses in municipalities throughout South Africa to move rubbish and deliver milk, and they were also used when tractors were still too expensive.

The stallion Champion of the Glen was in imported in 1990 from Scotland by the stud in Clarens. More stallions from the USA were later imported by Jinny Martin as the genetic pool was bigger in the USA.

The last imported Clydesdale was Wolf Mound Royal Grander, a black yearling stallion imported from the USA by Mr. Hein van Spaendonck in 2011. Currently, there is only one Studbook proper offspring of this magnificent stallion available.

Through the years, studs like the Clarens, Free-State and Waterford stud in Underberg, KwaZulu-Natal continued to breed Clydesdale horses to keep the breed alive in the borders of Africa. Since 2017 the number of breeders has increased at such a pace that the need for new genetic material is of the utmost importance.

BREED STANDARD

The overall impression created by a well-built typical Clydesdale is that of strength, power and activity. What is looked for first and last by a Clydesdale man is the exceptional wearing qualities of feet and limbs. 

CONFORMATION

Head and Neck

  • Head: The head must be strong, intelligent and carried high. It must be in proportion to the body. Should have a nice open forehead (nice and flat) and broad between the eyes.
  • Eyes: Bright clear and intelligent eyes. When the iris of the eye is colourless, the eye appears to be white with a ’wall eye’ as a result. The sight of such an eye is quite as good as that of having a dark coloured iris.
  • Nose: May either be straight or slightly Roman nosed. The muzzle should show thin rather than heavy lips, which should come together evenly and with a wide open nostril.
  • Ears: The ears should be pointed, of medium size and thin of texture, having a covering of fine hair.
  • Neck: Well arched long neck springing out of an oblique shoulder with high withers. The head should merely set into the neck at the right angle.

Fore-end

  • Shoulder: Moderately sloped and provide a sufficient collar bed. It should be fairly wide, well muscled, and the top should be carried close to and tapered into, the back. The arm should be comparatively short, wide and muscular. This places the leg sufficiently under the body to provide
    the desirable position and action.
  • Fore-end: Chest should be deep, wide, low and of large girth, indicating strong constitution.
  • Fore Cannon: The cannon of the fore leg should be broad and flat. The fetlock should be fine and of medium length. The pastern should be fairly long and sloping, so as to relieve concussion in the course of action, and set out at an angle of 45 degrees from the hoof head towards the fetlock joint.
  • Forelegs: There should be no openness at the knees, or tendency to knock-knees. Knees should be big and broad at the front. Forelegs must be planted well under the shoulders.

Body

  • Back: Short, wide and strong. The kidneys should be below the level of the withers. Should not be dipped or roached.
  • Loin: Should be short, wide and strongly muscled.
  • Ribs: Round, deep and well sprung.
  • Tail: Placed high but well set in.

Hindquarters

  • Hind-quarters: The hips should be wide, but in harmony with general body proportions, and well muscled. The croup should be long, as seen from the side, wide as viewed from behind, and with sloping arch from the hips to the setting of the tail. It is important that the tail be attached high.
  • Thigh: The thigh should be short, but well-muscled.
  • Hind Cannons: Bones should be long, broad and flat with an abundance of long, silky hair from behind the knees and from the hocks to the ground. The front of the bones should be clean, but the hair should again spring from the hoof head to the ground.
  • Hind-legs: The hock is one of the most important points of the horse, as it is in this joint that the strain on the muscles, during action, is concentrated. The hock should be turned slightly inward, and close to each other, the cannon straight not ’cow hocked’ when viewed from the rear. The hocks should not show fullness or swelling. It should be broad, clean and sharply developed. Fetlocks should be well defined and at a lesser angle than the fore fetlocks, and the pasterns oblique, long and strong. Sickle hocks are a very bad fault, as they lead to loss of leverage.

Feet

The foot should be sound, large and strong. A good hoof head, with wide open heels and strong quarters, any
suspicion of contraction might lead to sidebones or ringbones. The hind feet are somewhat smaller than the
front ones, not as round, but with good hoof heads and wide open heels.

Feathers

Abundance of long, silky hair “Feather” from behind the knees and from the hocks to the ground. It should be soft to touch and straight. The front of the Cannons should be clean, but the hair should again spring from the hoof head to the ground. On the second matter, however lovely the silky feather, combed and brushed so assiduously in the show ring, it should never be allowed to take precedence over points of conformation.

Height

  • Stallion: 17hh (173cm) high at maturity and upwards.
  • Mare & Gelding: 16hh (163cm) and upwards.

Weight

  • Stallion: Estimated from 700kg to 1000kg (and upwards) when matured, without being overdone in condition. 
  • Mare & Gelding: Estimated from 600kg to 800kg (and upwards).

Colouring

Bay, brown, black or roan, with much white on the face and legs (can also have black legs), often running into
the body. Grey is uncommon. It should be noted that chestnuts are rarely seen’.

Movement

The front action should be straight with the fetlock and knee joints being well utilised.
The hind action should be close, clear and defined. The horse must have action, but not to an
exaggerated degree. At the walk, the hind foot should cover the imprint of the front foot as a
minimum. Short stepping is a fault in the working horse. In trotting, the Clydesdale horse should bend
the legs at the knees and hocks and, from the hind view, the inside of the hooves or shoes should be
seen at every step.

BREEDERS