A draft horse from Calhoun County, West Virginia, circa 1900.
It appears to be a Percheron or Percheron cross. This was the most common breed of draft horse in the United States during the first half of the twentieth century.
It could be a black shire, but that breed was never common in this part of the world.
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NB: The American term “draft horse” is the same as the British term “draught horse.”
don’t most Shires have a fair amount of feathering on their feet? I think the Percheron is one of the few that don’t have feathering. (the Suffolk doesn’t either, but this horse looks black which is the wrong color to be a Suffolk).
Peggy Richter.
I think it was Percheron for that reason, too, but I think the shires didn’t hav as profuse feathering on the feet then as they do now.
Ditto on the feathering. Not sure on old school drafts, but in modern Percherons less white markings or none (like this horse) are more common and preferred, while Shires tend to have more and larger leg and face markings
The Belgians made big business selling us Heavy Horses to build US cities. They sold us all their best blood and many Malinois breeders from Belgium lament that the same thing is happening again with dogs.
That’s a nice looking horse, and its feet are actually trimmed!