The Jutland Heavy Horse, originating in Denmark, is one of the less well known of the heavy horse breeds.

A Brief History

This is a heavy horse that has a history dating back to the 12th Century, although pictures going back to the 9th Century show Danish warriors riding horses that look very similar to the present day breed.

As with most breeds that date back to the Middle Ages, the Jutland was used to carry knights in full armour into battle. Its strength, stamina and bulk made it ideal for use as a battle horse.

There are those who believe that the Vikings took Danish horses to the UK and that the Suffolk Punch was developed from these - indeed, there are striking similarities between the two, but in fact the reverse is true. It was a Suffolk Punch stallion imported into Denmark in 1860 by the then well known horse trader Oppenheimer of Hamburg that was to have a major impact on the Jutland breed. The stallion, Oppenheim LXII, was used to improve the strength and build of the Jutland. Added to the mix were both the Cleveland Bay and Yorkshire Coach Horse breeds, a combination of which gave the Jutland its heavy-set, draft horse appearance.

The Jutland is also closely related to a North German breed known as the Schleswiger Heavy Draft Horse, which in turn can be traced back to Oppenheim.

During the 18th Century, another Danish horse, the Frederiksborg, was introduced to the bloodline, and this was to improve the overall speed of the Jutland, giving it a faster pace.

Once the breed had been established in the Jutland peninsula of Denmark, they were exported only to nearby European countries, including the UK. Today they exist mainly in Denmark, with a few in the UK owned privately both as pets and for show purposes. There are no official records of this horse being exported to the USA.

Breed Characteristics

The Jutland of today is a heavy-set horse with what is described as a barrel-shaped body on short stocky legs. It has a high neck, which is thick and muscular on upright shoulders, and has long (usually untrimmed) hair on its lower legs, known as 'feathers'. This feathering is considered excessively heavy as it can lead to diseases of the hoof, so breeders are actively trying to reduce it. Another breeding issue in the past has been an acknowledgement that it suffered from weak knee joints. It's a problem which breeders have been trying to eliminate, hence the various other breeds used.

Even though its Suffolk Punch influence is predominant, the Jutland is considered less well refined. The back is short, the whithers flat and broad, and the girth very deep. Although these would be undesirable in a riding horse, they are ideal for draft work. The breed is considered an easy horse to handle due to its docile temperament and its eagerness to please.

The typical colouring is that of the larger Haflinger - chestnut with a flaxen mane and tail - also thought to be derived from the stallion Oppenheim. Blacks are still relatively common, but greys and roans are rare.

They have an average height of 15.3 hands (1.60m) and weigh between 1,500lbs (680kg) and 1,800lbs (816kg).

Trivia

Today, around 20 of the Jutland heavy horses are used by the Carlsberg brewery for pulling drays, and these can be seen at shows and trials throughout Denmark, demonstrating their pulling power, among other things.

Currently, it's mostly bred in Jutland and on the Danish island of Funen, as well as in the German province of Schleswig.

Bred originally to be a strong riding horse, its size and strength meant it was more suited to farm work. It was widely used in that role in parts of Denmark until mechanisation made them obsolete.

There is no official stud register for this breed, possibly due to the fact that it's not a true pure-bred horse.

Below, we've listed some of the other heavy horse breeds, the Shire being top of the list as the most popular and best known of the heavy horses.

• The Shire
• The Suffolk Punch
• Clydesdale
• The Percheron Heavy Horse
• The Belgian or Flemish Heavy Horse
• The Friesian
• The Dutch Draft
• The Jutland

The numbers for each of the above breeds varies, but they have historically been very low. Renewed efforts are underway to preserve the breeds, under the care of an assorted array of clubs, societies and individuals.