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The early works set the stage for the horse in general terms and to some degree describe the framework and environment from which the Irish Draught horse evolved. There is little else published on the topic which remains, some titles which appear listed in library catalogues are misplaced or lost, and are at least not to be found at this time of writing.
There is a sentence in several of the books listed in this bibliography which reads, “The first authentic reference to the Irish Draught horse dates from the close of the eighteenth century”; however, no actual reference is included in those publications that identify the source of this information. These writers may in fact be referring to the quote in The Report of the Commissions, where it is mentioned that Dr. Cox prepared an interesting treaties on Irish horses which shows that from the year 1740 both race horses and draught horses alike were constantly imported and scattered over the country. There is another reference by Cox in Notes on the history of Irish horses, that states there were Draught Horses mentioned as early as 1565 recorded in official State Papers, although we can only assume he meant Irish Draught horses, and not a more general term for working horses.
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Carden, R. G. “The Irish Hunter” p. 228 -238 a section in The Horses of the British Empire, Vol. I edited by Sir Humphrey F. De Trafford, London: Walter Southwood & Co. Limited, (undated, circa 1907), This is the often quoted article by Carden that relates information he collected on the origin and history of Irish horse breeding and particularly the makings of the “hunter”. He as well as others quotes the works of Sir William Temple, Bart. (Vol. I) “Horses in Ireland are a drug, but might be made a commodity, not alone of greater use at home, but also fit for exportation into other countries”. A couple of the reports refer to the Irish horses as being “shy” due to growing up in the fields until of ridden age, thereby having little human handling. It also includes newspaper reports of horses being imported from Morocco (1742). “We are told that, prior to about the year 1850, there was a breed of horse in Ireland known as the “Irish cart or draught horse” and ”Irish draught horses proved to be the best hunters of their time”, there are many quotable phrases in this excellent piece on the Irish Hunter. Carden also reviews the work of the Royal Commission by Earl Cadogan 1896, the work of the Department of Agriculture and Technical Instruction of Ireland, the Royal Dublin Society, horse shows and fairs, hunting, and gives reasonable conclusions of his findings for the way forward in Irish Horse breeding. |
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Cox, Michael, F. Notes of the history of the Irish horse, Dublin: Sealy, Bryers and Walker, 1897. A collection of information that Cox, a member of the Senate of the Royal University of Ireland, compiled from various sources including, sales notices, other books of the day, such as, the Brehon Laws and the Archives of Modena (Italy). Much quoted passages in this book, wonderful little references to the exportation of Irish horses as well as the importation of other breeds into Ireland. Some examples, the “ Spanish wanted to buy Irish horses, not sell Spanish horses, in (1601)” - We find Draught Horses occasionally referred to in the State Papers as caballi, always; Irish, capal,” around the time (1565) - mention of the Irish hobby in a series of State Papers dealing with Irish horses Archives of Venice and Modena during the period (1480 - 1534). This a totally obscure reference work, but a joy to read and re-read. |
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Ireland. Department of Agriculture and Technical Instruction, Irish Draught Horse Book (H.M. Stationery Office, 1918-1932) Volumes I-V. Vol. 1 covers stallion’s number 1 to 51, mares 1 to 375; Vol. 2 covers stallions 1 to 59, mares 1 to 543, and so on. Each time a new volume was produced the introductory information was reprinted and original lists were recorded and added to from the last edition. Vol. 1 is 60 pages and more like a pamphlet than a book, 21 cm in size. The volumes consist of an alphabetical listing of stallions with their registry number. List of owners A – Z. A list of stallions- owner- breeder- pedigree. A list of mares, A – Z with owner-breeder, pedigree and progeny. As far as determined, the Irish Horse Board does not have original copies of these books; volumes can only be found in libraries or in private collections. Interesting to note that in addition to the copies at the National Library of Ireland, there are only three libraries in the world with volumes; there is a compete run at Cambridge University Library, and partial runs at National Library of Scotland has volumes 1, 2, 4 and New York Public Library has volume 1 and 4.
Original list of stallions included: All Moonshine, Black Duke, Black Garrett, Black Harry, Black Prince, Comet, Defender, Drumbeg, Dunmore, Discovery, Forester, Galway Prince, Hibernia, Irish Chief, Irish Freedom, Irish Guard, Irishman, Irish Star, Justice, Kildare, Kilcarty, Kilcarty Boy, Killanley, Klondyke, Lucky Star, Lughill, Meteor, Musheramore, New Style, North Kildare, Old Stlye, Ossory, Pirate Boy, Pride of Breffni, Price Henry, Prince Silver, Rainbow, Romulus, Satellite, Shamrock, Sir Henry, Sir John, Slieve-na-Mon, Starlight, Sylvanus, The Saint, Woodranger, Young Arthur, Young Arthur II, Young J.P., Young Sir Henry, Zeppelin. |
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Kennedy, Willard John, article titled " Hunter-Horse Production in Ireland", in the 21st Annual report of the Bureau of Animal Industry. v. 18, 1901, pp. 187-226, includes 14 black & white plates. Published 1905 Government Printing Office, USA.This document is now in the public domain and may also be found in the Google Book Project. (Contributed by Karen Young, Kleary Field Irish Draughts, USA, great-grand daughter of the author, Willard John Kennedy )
The author acknowledges the existence of two types of horses used to produce the hunter, the thoroughbred sire and the ‘Old Irish mare’. He quotes much information from the Reports of the Commissioners. Much of what is reported here is echoed in other reports of the day by Irish and English authorities.
Importantly, he lists the number of stallions in 1903: total 2460 used for breeding purposes, of which 662 were TB; 561 half-bred 491 agricultural sire; 371 Clydesdales; 116 Hackneys; 113 Shires, and 146 to all other breeds. Approximately one-fifth or 20% belong to the so-called ‘agricultural’ class of horse. These horses were very popular with farmers, as they possess sufficient weight to till the soil, and the mare, when crossed with good TB sires, oftentimes in the first, second, and third crosses, produce high-class hunters. He goes on to say, that if not for this class of horses, the Irish farmers would long ago have been obliged either to give up hunter-horse production or to follow the work with more system.
Kennedy also describes the difference between the hunting horse (which must be able to carry a heavy weight at high rate of speed for along time over any kind of ground or obstacle) and the riding horse (which lacks the bone and constitution sufficient to endure the hardships to which the hunter is subjected), and in-depth explanations of heavy-weight; middle-weight; and light-weight hunters. Presented also is list of traits a high-class hunter should poses, and includes a number of plates that show horses which represented such classes of horses at the 1903 and 1904 Royal Dublin Society Horse Show. The report goes on to give high marks to the Royal Dublin Society and the newly formed Department of Agriculture for their support of the horse industry.
The main object in Irish horse breeding, to all appearances, is to produce the type or types of horses which will attract the foreign buyer. Following types of horses were sought: weight-carrying hunters (heavy-middle-light), mares and fillies for breeding purposes, saddle horses, officers’ remounts, troopers’ remounts, harness horses and hack or cab horses. During this time period Germany was seen as the best market for exporting mares and fillies for breeding purposes to produce all their horses within their own country.
It is interesting to note that even 100 years ago he mentions the sacrifice of size and substance and increases in speed due to large numbers of TB being imported to service the old Irish mares. Even then the TB was changing over time, as is the case today. Lengthy descriptions of ever imaginable cross breeding described: TB and Irish mare; TB and Draft mare; TB and Connemara dam; TB and half-bred mare; TB and ¾ bred mare; TB and 7/8 bred mare; Agricultural sire and high-grade TB mare; Half-bred hunter sire and Irish mare; Half-bred hunter sire and half-bred mare; and Half-bred sire and ¾ or 7/8 bred mare. After long years, even centuries of more or less haphazard breeding practices, the more progressive Irish breeders concluded that using large sires on small mares or vise versa was not the way to go, instead the most reliable method of producing hunter horses was to use sire and dam with affinity in type to produce uniform results. |
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E. Meuleman, Le
Demi-Sang in Irlande - The Half-bred in Ireland - Hunters, Hacks and Troupiers
, softcover, 139 pgs + 32 photo plates, French language. 1910. (Contributed by Xandria Hughes, IDSHS Australia) At the end of the 19th century Ireland was a chief source of riding horses. This is a little known French work on Irish horse breeding. Includes chapters on the topography, geology and climate of Ireland, origin and history of the Irish horse, history of the English and Irish half-bred, Stallions- thoroughbred/ halfbred/hackney/light horse/draft horse, Mares, production and theory of cross-breeding. |
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Scharff, Robert Francis, On the Irish Horse and Its Early History (Hodges, Figgis, & Co. Ltd, Dublin 1909), in Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy Volume XXVII, Section B, No. 6 March, 1909. pp. 81-86. This article describes the historical remains of the “Crannog skulls” and the information about Arabia and Libya horse influences in Irish breeding. He notes that the Irish horse differs markedly from the heavy races of England and the Continent is that it resembles in certain aspects the Arab horse. While some say this influence came with the importation of Spanish horses, he maintains that this Arab blood dates back to the tenth century whereas the Spanish blood did not arrive until the 1600s. Scharff’s work is often quoted in historical studies of the introduction and development of horses in Ireland. He wrote, "...this is due to the fact that we do not know precisely what was the original breed of Irish horse, or whether several distinct breeds co-existed in Ireland. We are told by some authorities that the Irish draught-horse was the only old breed ; others look upon the Connemara pony as an ancient stock." |
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Youatt, William, The horse, with a treatise on draught; and a copious index. Published under the superintendence of the society for the diffusion of useful knowledge. (Library of Useful Knowledge) Baldwin and Cradock: London, 1831. An interesting work as it outlines the various horse breeds in the history of the horse and lastly mentions the Irish horse. ( the treaties on draught in the subtitle, is an essay about the power of the horse, how calculated, the difference of opinion as to wheels, draught regarded as to the act of drawing, and the resistance to the power employed, the moving power etc, not the Irish draught). Breeds described include: from pre-Christian times in Egypt and Greece, wild horses of the plains of Great Tartary, Arabs, Dongola, east Indian, Chinese, Persian, Toorkoman; Tartar and Calmuck, Turkish, German, Swedish, Finland and Norwegian, Iceland, French, Spanish, Italian, American, long section on the History of the English horse, including the Road horse, the Farmer’s horse, the Coach horse, Heavy Draught, Cavalry, Race horse, Arabians, The Hunter, Galloway and ponies, and the Irish Horse. There are three sections of this work which help us understand the background of the Irish horse. They are the Farmer’s horse, the Hunter and the Irish Horse. Of the Farmer’s horse he wrote, “The Farmer’s horse is an animal of all-work; to be ridden occasionally to market or for pleasure, but to be principally employed for draught…A farmer, and, more particularly, a small farmer, will prefer a mare to a gelding, both for riding and driving. She will not cost him so much at first; and he will get a great deal more out of her. There can be no doubt that, taking bulk for bulk, a mare is stronger and more lasting than a gelding; and, in addition to this, and the farmer has her to breed from.” Of the Hunter he wrote, “The hunter, however, or the hunting horse, i.e. the horse on which a farmer, if he be not a professed sportsman may occasionally with pleasure, and without disgrace, follow the hounds, is in value and beauty next to the racer…” Of the Irish horse he wrote, “For leaping the Irish horse is unrivalled. It is not, however, the leaping of the English horse, striding as it were over a low fence, and stretched at his full length over a higher one; it is the proper jump of the deer, beautiful to look at, difficult to sit, and, both in height and extent, unequalled by the English horse”. |
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