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About UsCLYDESDALES
ORIGIN
The Clydesdale breed originated from Lanarkshire, Scotland in the 18th century. The name "Clydesdale" was derived by Lanarkshire farmers in part due to this being the former name for the town of Lanarkshire. The river Clyde borders Lanarkshire, which is believed to have further assisted the naming of this breed.
There were two strains of Clydesdale horse developed in the 18th century. One strain was founded by the 6th Duke of Hamilton between 1715-1720. The Duke imported Flemish horses from Belgium and bred them to the smaller native horses. This cross breeding was necessary in order to develop larger, stronger horses with the ability to withstand the grueling task of farming the difficult land of the Clyde Valley.
John Paterson of Lochlyoch developed the second strain of the ancient Clydesdale, also approximately between 1715-1720. John Paterson also imported Flemish draft horses and bred them to the native horses of the Clyde Valley.
Both of these strains of the early Clydesdale assisted in forming the modern Clydesdale horse.
The original foundation sire for the modern Clydesdale breed was Glancer 335 (otherwise known as "Blaze"). Glancer 335 was foaled in 1810 by "Lampit's mare" (1806), believed to be descended from the Lochlyoch strain. Glancer 335 was out of a "black horse" (1780). Glancer 335 went on to sire "Broomsfield Champion" who later produced Glancer 153 (otherwise known as "Clyde").
The foundation of the modern Clydesdale was built from Glancer 335, Glancer 153, as well as other 19th century sires Prince of Wales 673 and Darnley 222. From the above-mentioned foundation sires the breed standards for the modern Clydesdale horse were derived in 1837.
In 1877, Lawrence Drew and David Riddell set out to improve the Clydesdale breed. They founded the Clyde Society, located in Scotland. Their goal was to register and track Clydesdales. Furthermore, they attempted to increase the elegance and grace of the Clydesdale breed by breeding Clydesdale stallions to Shire mares. This breeding resulted in a more refined Clydesdale horse, with an improved feather covering their legs and feet. The Clydesdale of modern day display a large Shire and Flanders Horse influence.
In the 20th century, draft horses declined to near extinction due to the industrial revolution. Prior to the industrial revolution, there were upwards of 180,000 Clydesdales in Scotland. By 1949, there were only 80 registered Clydesdales in Scotland. BY 1975, they were considered an endangered breed by the American Livestock Breed Convenancy.
As a result of the careful breeding and the maintenance of the breed integrity, the Clydesdale breed has recently been promoted to the watch list, according to the *AMERICAN LIVESTOCK BREED CONVENANCY (2004). Clydesdales have become most abundant in North America. This is due primarily as a result of the Anheuser-Busch Company of St Louis, Missouri. They began using Clydesdales to pull the Budweiser beer wagon. Due to this exposure, the Clydesdale breed is viewed as an icon, famous for their beauty, grace and elegance.
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