Physical Characteristics - Clydesdales

SIZE

1. A horse is measured from the ground to the withers (the tip of its shoulders), in units called hands (one hand equals 4 in. or 10.2 cm). 2. Male adult Clydesdales measure 17 to 19 hands (5.7 - 6.3 ft. or 1.7 - 1.9 m). 3. Female adults measure 16 to 18 hands (5.3 - 5.7 ft. or 1.6 - 1.7m). 4. A male's average weight is between 1,700 and 2,200 lb. (771 - 998 kg). 5. A female's average weight is between 1,500 and 2,000 lb. (680 - 771 kg).

BODY SHAPE

1. A horse's body is adapted for speed. Other animals, such as antelope, are as fast as the horse, but not nearly as large. 2. The Clydesdale is an immensely strong, barrel-chested horse. It was originally bred for hauling coal and doing farm work.

COLORATION

1. The most common Clydesdale colors are bay (a deep mahogany brown) and brown, though some are gray and black. White markings on the face, legs, and sometimes on the body are typical of this breed.

LIMBS

1. Horses are cursorial (adapted for running). They're adapted to a mobile open-country existence. 2. Specializations of the leg and foot enable these animals to be swift and strong runners. • In the forelegs, the ulna is reduced in size so that all the weight is carried by the radius. The radius and ulna are fused. • In the hindlegs, the fibula is reduced in size so that all the weight is supported by the tibia. The tibia and fibula are fused.

HOOFS

1. In odd-toed hoofed mammals, the body's weight is borne on the central or third digit (toe). The main axis of the foot passes through the third digit, which is the longest on all four feet. 2. In all horses, only the third digit of each foot is functional. The remaining digits are vestigial (rudimentary and nonfunctioning). 3. The horse's foot is completely surrounded by keratin (a tough, fibrous protein which also composes a human's fingernail) to protect it from the terrain. 4. Horses walk on their hoofs, not on the soles of their feet. 5. A horseshoe for a full-grown Clydesdale measures more that 22 in. (51 cm) from end to end and weighs about five lb. (2.3 kg). It's more than two times as long and four times as heavy as a shoe worn by a riding horse. 6. To shoe a horse, excess hoof growth is trimmed away and then the shoe is attached to the hoof by eight nails, each 3 to 4 in. (8 - 10 cm) in length. • Shoes for the hind feet have tips that curve out for additional support and traction, since these feet bear the heaviest load when hauling. • Shoes are reset every six weeks.

HEAD

1. The skull has a relatively elongated muzzle, providing space for the teeth. 2. The eyes are well above ground level while the horse is grazing. This provides the horse with greater area of vision to look out for impending danger. 3. The ears are exceptionally mobile and can be erected and directed at will toward a sound.

BODY COVERING

1. Horses have two types of hair: the fine and comparatively short hair of the coat, and the coarser and longer hair known as horsehair. The horsehair forms the forelock (hair on forehead), mane, tail, tuft of hair at the back of the fetlock (the lower part of the leg) and the feather (the long white hair found on the Clydesdale's ankle). 2. Long, coarse bristles about the muzzle and eyes of a horse are generously supplied with nerves and act as delicate organs of touch. 3. A mane covers the neck, and in the domestic horse it falls to the side. On the only species of wild horse, the Przewalski's horse, it stands erect.

CIRCULATORY SYSTEM

1. The body temperature of the Clydesdale is 101°F (38°C).