Welcome to the
Draught Horse Society
The Society will be open for Clydesdale and Shire aswell as Draughts Sport Horses.
We are the registration authority for Clydesdales and Shires and will assist owners in the registration process with South African studbook. Although Gypsies and Norikers cannot be registered in South Africa, they can now be recorded with South African studbook, and can therefore enjoy benefits of the Draught Horse Society.
Registration & Grading
We plan to assist, both individual owners and stud breeders, in registering or recording all draught horses within South African studbook (where possible). A database will be established, comprising full conformation photos, lineage, owner information, DNA, etc. for future reference. Each Draught breed has specification that has been documented, based on the international standard for that breed. These specification will be made available to all members.
Shows
The Society hopes to hold one large show per annum which will showcase all the Draught breeds in the country. There will be classes dedicated to each breed, ridden classes for junior and adult riders, show turnout classes, carriage classes and longlining utility classes. The intention will be to acquire the services of international judges with experience in draught classes. If this proves to be successful, more shows will be added to the calendar to include different areas in the country.
THE CLYDESDALE BREED IN SOUTH AFRICA
The first Clydesdale horses were imported to South Africa in 1898 In 1901 a total of 150 Clydesdale mares, all in foal to good breeding standard stallions were purchased from studs in Dumfriesshires and Galloway. All these mares were shipped directly to the Cape where breeding studs were started.
In 1945 for the first time in History study book proper Clydesdale horse was registered with SA Studbook.
Through the years Clydesdale stallions and mares were imported by the Martin family in Clarens, Free State Province. This stud was also the biggest stud of Clydesdales in South Africa since the 1960.
Clydesdales were used as work horses in Municipalities through South Africa to move rubbish, deliver milk and was also used when tractors where still too expensive.
The stallion Champion of the Glen was in imported in 1990 from Scotland by the stud in Clarens. More stallions from the USA were later imported by Jinny Martin as the genetic pool was bigger in the USA.
The last imported Clydesdale was Wolf Mound Royal Grander, a black yearling stallion imported from the USA by Mr. Hein van Spaendonck in 2011. Currently there is only one Studbook proper offspring of this magnificent stallion available.
Through the years, studs like the Clarens, Free-State and Waterford stud in Underberg, Kwa-Zulu Natal continued to breed Clydesdale horses to keep the breed alive in the borders of Africa. Since 2017 the number of breeders has increase at such a pace that the need for new genetic material is of the utmost importance.
THE SHIRE BREED IN SOUTH AFRICA
In 1901 the first Imported Shires was registered in the SA Studbook. Years more imports of the breed followed. One of the most well-known herds was imported by the South African Breweries as a promotion for a new brand of beer sometime back in the 1970s’.
SAB breweries sold them on to Sapeko Tea Estates in Tzaneen in the old Northern Transvaal. Due to mechanization the herd was then sold on to a number of buyers. The Waterford stud managed to buy a number of these breeding horses in 1998 and by 2017 the stud had an around thirty mares and several stallions. Waterford stud also bred Shire stallions to Thoroughbred mares, producing exceptionally good Sport horses.
Between 2004 and 2015 Shire horses were imported from the UK by the Little Sherwood Stud, Kwa-Zulu Natal. 2 | P a g e In 2012, the Trodam stud imported three mares from Europe.
METHERINGHAM UPTON SYLVIE- UK
ASHBY GREY BEAUTY-UK
ROCINANTE ZOHRA- Netherlands
The Draught Club was created in December 2017 with the main aim to support breeders and manage breeding stock under the umbrella of the Club. Sadly, over the years breeders did not continue to register their horses as there was not administrative supporting Society to assist breeders and owners of these magnificent horses. In October 2021, the Club has applied to become the Registering Society for these two breeds under the Animal Improvement Act of South Africa. The Society has been approved by the Registrar of Animal Improvement and we are enormously proud to say that the Draught Society is the first ever for these two breeds in the History of South Africa.
Although we have only a few breeders, the enthusiasm and interest regarding these horses are growing at a fast rate. The Horse of the Year Show is currently our biggest show for Draught horses (All Draught breeds) in South Africa. Through the years we strived to improve our show standard to international level regarding turnout, showing and riding.
Despite of all this positive energy, our gene pool and registered breeding stock is extremely limited.
With the resulting decrease in gene pool and the fear of an extinction vortex in the South African Clydesdales and shires forming, the Society would like to explore the possibility of importing semen into the Country from stallions in Europe or USA that could increase the breed standard in South Africa.
At this stage we have been unable to import semen but would like to team up with other international Draught Societies and explore avenues on how to get around the current obstacles restricting this.
Registered animals need to be inspected and adhere to breed standards to be fully Registered. We have four registration levels: Foundation, Appendix A, Appendix B, and the Studbook Proper section.
With the help and assistance of other international recognized breeding societies we have put together guidelines to assist our breeders in the relevant areas like breeding, showing, turn-out and using our Draught horses.
Our main challenge is to obtain access to new genetic bloodlines in order to improve our current breeding stock to ensure a bright future for Draught in South Africa
