Clydesdale Horse

A breed of draught horse that originated in the seventeenth century in Scotland's Clydesdale district, with the breed name first formally recorded at a Glasgow exhibition in 1826; after a breed society formed in 1877, thousands of Clydesdales were exported worldwide, especially to Australia and New Zealand. These are large, muscular horses, standing 162 to 183 centimeters tall and weighing 820 to 910 kilograms, with feathering on the lower legs and typically a bay or brown coat marked with white on the face, feet and legs. Bred originally for farm work and hauling in Scotland, Clydesdales are used today mainly as carriage horses and parade animals, most famously as the Budweiser Clydesdales that tour internationally as brand ambassadors. The breed's numbers fell sharply after the First World War and the mechanization of farming, nearing extinction by the 1970s, and conservation efforts have since stabilized the population, though it remains modest worldwide.