A List of Clydesdale Horses for Sale.

The Clydesdale is a breed of draft horse derived from the farm horses of Clydesdale, Scotland, and named after that region. Thought to be over 300 years old, the breed was extensively used for pulling heavy loads in rural, industrial and urban settings, their common use extending into the 1960s when they were a still a familiar sight pulling the carts of milk and vegetable vendors. They have been exported in the Commonwealth and United States where they are famous for their use as the mascot of various beer brands, including Anheuser-Busch's Budweiser brand, Carlton & United Beverages and several others. At one time there were at least 140,000 Clydesdales known in Scotland; by 1949 just 80 animals were licensed in England and by 1975 the Rare Breed Survival Trust had listed the breed as "vulnerable". Clydesdales have since seen resurgence in popularity and population, resulting in the breed's status being reclassified favorably as "at risk" with an estimated global population of just 5,000 individuals. Clydesdales are now most numerous in the United States where recently over 600 foals are reportedly born each year. Today, the Clydesdale's most significant presence is in exhibition and parades. Characteristics Appearance Clydesdales are noted for grace and versatility; they can stand as tall as 20 hands (the current world-record holding Clydesdale) in height and can weigh upwards of one short ton (2,000 pounds). A Clydesdale has a large head and can have somewhat convex profile(a Roman-nose) small ears, large, dark eyes and a heavy forelock. The neck is short and slightly arched, the chest deep, the shoulders well-muscled and slightly upright to accommodate the animated hitching gait. The Clydesdale tends to exhibit a longer coupling than its cousin, the Shire and the withers are clearly defined. The rump presents a well-muscled and distinctively rounded silhouette. The legs should be long and strong with characteristically large hoof size, typically being at least twice the diameter of those of a light riding horse, such as a Thoroughbred. The pasterns are longer and sloping than those of a stock-type horse. Perhaps the most widely recognised feature of the Clydesdale's appearance is the abundance of feather, the long hairs that fall from below just the knees and hocks to cover the hooves. The characteristic action of a Clydesdale is demonstrated at a trot; an animated gait with high hoof action in both the front and rear. Despite its large size, the Clydesdale presents with an energetic quality described by the Clydesdale Horse Society as "gaiety of carriage and outlook." Color Clydesdales may be of several possible colors, including various shades of bay (sometimes called brown), chestnut (sometimes called sorrel) or black. Clydesdales have a range of characteristic white markings which are generally present regardless of body colour. The most distinctive are four white feet and a blaze, most often a full blaze or large, white "bald face" marking which extends to the lips and chin and may also extend to the eye region. White on the legs sometimes does not extend much above the feather, but in many cases, when a horse carries the sabino colouring pattern, it can extend up the greater part of the leg and even merge with a white underbelly. The sabino gene can also be expressed more dramatically, spreading white hairs from the belly up the horse's sides creating an effect that is referred to in the draft breeds as roan. A chestnut or bay horse with this sabino expression is typically referred to as a "strawberry roan" and a black horse with the same pattern is called a "blue roan" by many Clydesdale enthusiasts. In North America, a body of predominantly solid colour, with or without white sabino body spotting. "High white" markings are favoured, and bay predominates. In Scotland, a large number of roan horses are exhibited. With the widespread inheritance of the sabino pattern, the feather tends to be white, but can be black or chestnut, depending on the color of the leg markings and the presence of markings. This trait developed as a result of native stock and breeding with Flemish horses. On the other hand, Clydesdales can also have one or more dark legs, either mixed with white hairs, or a solid shade of black or brownish-red. Hooves will match the corresponding leg color, dark or light, at the point where the skin of the leg meets the hoof wall, sometimes resulting in a striped or two-toned hoof. Horses with white muzzles often have distinctive black spots around the lips and chin. Drum horses or Coloured Cobs When Clydesdales were widely prevalent in Scotland, horses of skewbald and piebald colour were relatively common. These pinto coloured animals traditionally been used by the Household Cavalry (the mounted guard of the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom), as drum horses to carry the 90 pound silver kettle drums which accompany the band. A drum horse is typically a piebald or skewbald horse with similar conformational characteristics to a Clydesdale or a Shire horse. A true drum horse must have feather and more importantly exhibit the tractable, calm disposition for which the breed is renowned. In the United States and Ireland such brightly-coloured horses are popular, and the drum horse represents a scaled-up version of the "coloured cob" (often mistaken as a "Gypsy Horse" or "Gypsy Vanner"). Growth Clydesdale foals, like all horses, are born after an 11-month pregnancy. At birth, they weigh up to 82 kilograms (180 pounds). They are fast growers and for the first few months gain up to 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds) per day; a Clydesdale mare needs to be capable of producing over 25 kilograms (55 pounds) of milk per day in order to support this rate of development.