- Vladimir Heavy Draft -

The Vladimir Heavy Draft is a young breed of horse, having only been recognized as an official breed since 1946. The breed was developed in the late 1800s at the collective and state breeding establishments in the Vladimir and Ivanovo regions of Russia. The state stables of Gavrilovo-Posadsk also played quite a role in the development of the Vladimir in the late 1800s.

The breed was established primarily through crosses between Clydesdale, Shire, and local mares, and was developed with the aim of producing a middleweight draft horse with good puling power, but also with some speed. The foundation sires can be traced back to three Clydesdales called Lord James, Border Brand, and Glen Albin - the first two foaled in 1910 and the latter in 1923. There were also infusions of Cleveland Bay, Percheron, and Suffolk Punch blood, as well as some contribution from the Ardennes. From 1925 onward, no new blood was allowed to be introduced, and the breed was further evolved by taking the best of the progeny and interbreeding to produce the standard Vladimir of today.

The Vladimir is an attractive, useful stamp of horse that has great strength without being too massive. They clearly show the influence of the Clydesdale, especially in their free-flowing action. They have a  presence and quality to them, especially in the head region, which is particularly unusual for a draft breed. They have, like many draft horses, a gentle and willing temperament, making them easy to handle. They mature early and are in work by the age of three, and they are valued for puling the traditional Russian troika, which they do with elegance, hitched three abreast.

In appearance, their head is quite large with a straight or convex profile. They have a nicely proportioned neck which is very muscular and is set on powerful shoulders. The chest is more developed than that of the Clydesdale, and is very broad. The withers are quite pronounced and the back sometimes rather long and sometimes weak. They are tremendously deep through the girth and have sloping muscular quarters. They are short in the leg, which often have plenty of feathering, and white markings. All whole colors are allowed, and they stand approximately 16 hands high.

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