Belgian Draft Horse

Belgians Spend Summer Dazzling Crowds

(Morrisville, NY – Aug. 2011) It’s been an entertaining summer for Cletus, Chief, Jay, Tarzan, Mac and Cap. The alluring athletes of Morrisville State College’s six-horse Belgian hitch have been traveling throughout the nation performing in competitions and exhibitions, dazzling crowds and earning their share of kudos along the way.

Pretty soon they’ll be heading to the Eastern States Exposition (Big E) in West Springfield, Mass., the largest fair in the Northeast boasting top-name entertainment and spectacular shows, to exhibit in the fair’s daily parade at 5 p.m. Sept. 16-23. The college will also be showing (competing) during the fair Sept. 29-Oct. 2.

“It is an honor when we are asked to exhibit at prestigious shows and fairs such as this one,” Scott Seymour, equine manager at Morrisville State College, said. Seymour, who also teaches equine classes, has been showing for nearly 25 years and drives Morrisville’s six-horse hitch in competitions.

Throughout the summer, Seymour and Morrisville State College equine students have been showing and exhibiting at numerous events and county fairs with a single horse and cart, four-, six-, and eight-horse hitches. Morrisville is the only college in North America to compete with a six-horse hitch.

They’re also looking forward to upcoming trips that include the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, one of the largest fairs in North America; the Erie County Fair in Hamburg, NY.; and the Topsfield Fair in Topsfield, Mass.

Local residents will have a chance to see the gallant team in action Sept. 1 to 4 as it competes in the coliseum near the dairy barn at The Great New York State Fair. Admission to the horse show is free

Behind the scenes, there’s a lot that goes into preparing the team to hit the road.

“It takes hours of hard work keeping the horses conditioned and preparing them for competition,” Seymour said. That also includes miles of driving in the field.

Three equine science and management students participating in a summer internship in the college’s draft horse program, Nicole Blanton, of Calicoon Center; Marc Wirasnik, of Pittstown, NJ.; and Jake Sampson, of Earlville, are doing their part to make the horses show ready.

Their rigorous day begins at 7 a.m. assisting Seymour with training, cleaning stalls, feeding, walking, driving and washing the 11 Belgian horses in the college’s draft barn on Hart Road. Throughout the year, equine students also train draft horses for the general public through the college’s Equine Institute.

Belgian Draft Horse Museum, Vollezele « Discovering Belgium

By the 1880s his horses were being crowned champions at major draft horse competitions across Europe and were greatly in demand. Powerfully built and standing between 16 and 17 hands, they were incredibly strong, able to pull up to two tons, yet were docile. They became indispensable in agriculture, forestry, mining, shipping and brewing.

Vollezele became a magnet for horse dealers, initially from western Europe and then, as word spread, from the eastern Bloc and Russia. By this time other local breeders had jumped on the bandwagon. At one time no fewer than four renowned breeders of Belgian draft horses lay within the boundaries of Vollezele. Frequently over 100 buyers would pass through Vollezele each day. At any one time there might be 160 stallions for sale.

Records in the museum show that Belgium exported draft horses to Russia, Italy, Germany, France, and the old Austria-Hungary empire. The Belgian government was quick to see a potential goldmine across the Atlantic. In 1903 it sent Belgian draft horses to trade fairs in St. Louis and Chicago. American farmers loved these powerful horses and demand was huge. In 1904, 1600 Belgian draft horses were exported to the USA, most of them from Vollezele. By 1912 the export of Belgian draft horses was bringing 50 million Belgian francs into the nation’s coffers each year.

The success was short-lived of course. In 1917 Henry Ford developed the first mass-produced tractor. With almost embarrassing haste, natural horse power was replaced by mechanical horse power. Nowadays they are still bred, but mainly for show purposes.

For anyone interested in horses or simply fascinated in the past, the museum is well worth a visit. It’s small but full of photographs, documents, mementoes and harnesses. The museum is open by appointment only but particularly welcomes small groups.

National register of Belgian draft horses

International Encyclopedia of Horse Breeds

The history of the Belgian draft horse

Congressional edition

The National geographic magazine