Democratic Sentinel, Volume 17, Number 3, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 February 1893 — BELGIAN DRAFT HORSES. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

BELGIAN DRAFT HORSES.

Excepting the Shire of England They Are the Largest in tlie World. Great care has been given in Belgium to the breeding of draft horseswhich, excepting the Shire horse of England, are the largest drafting horses in the world. They are finely proportioned, having excellent leg& and feet. They are divided into two classes, namely, the heavy and the light draft horse, but differ from each other only in size. The special characteristics of the Belgian draft horse are stature, form, strength and breed. The line on the back isstraight, the rump long and the legs large and clean. He has less bulk and strength than the Clydesdale or Shire but is better bred and has more energy. He has more bulk and strength than either Perctieron or Boulonnais and possesses equally as much energy. In 1850 the Belgian Government established a depot lor stallions, hut this was afterward given up and the Government sought to improve the horses of the country by encouraging local competition for colts and prizes for stallions. The Belgian horses are generally bay or brown-black in color, but sorrel, roan and other colors are occasionally found. They resemble the Percherons very closely and require a second look even from an expert to distin-

guish them. The subject of our sketch is the draft stallion Brilliant, by Orange, the property of M. Dumont, of Sart-Dame Avellines, Brabant, Belgium.

BELGIAN DRAFT STALLION, BRILLIANT.