Draft Horses in the 19th Century America

Percheron - Norman Stallion From: Household Farmers’ Cyclopedia, 1882 The most important working “living” machine on the late 19th century Vermont farm was the working draft horse. Farm draft horses did much of the heavy lifting, pulling, plowing and harvesting on Vermont farms up until the 1930s, when large-scale production of internal combustion engine tractors ended the dominance of draft horses on the farm landscape. In the late 19th and 20th centuries, draft horses pulled carts, coaches, wagons, plows, and an array of specialized farm equipment that seeded, plowed, mowed, raked, threshed and harvested crops. These horses helped to keep America fed and growing. By 1900, improved farm equipment using draft horses and crop fertilizers, expanded American wheat harvest yields to be seven times larger than in 1850. American farmers were beginning to feed the world. The average farm in America in 1790 was 100 acres, by 1860 that average farm acreage had doubled to 200 acres. To farm the larger acreage farms, much more horsepower was needed. The solution for more horsepower was to import English, Scottish and European draft horses. These draft horses were larger and could pull more weight than the traditional American horse breeds. European & British draft horse importations grew exponentially as the century progressed. After the Civil War, farm labor in Vermont became scarce as a result of casualties from the Civil War and families that had moved West. To keep the Vermont farms productive, new farm equipment was needed as well as better draft horses to power the equipment. Specialized draft horse breeds; Belgians, Clydesdales, Percherons and Shires and others provided this power. These gentle giants became a common sight on Vermont farms and throughout the nation. Nearly every farm needed a team of draft horses to get the crop plowed, planted and harvested.

19th –century advertising for a horse-powered McCormick Reaper, 1887

Draft horses were a necessity on the farms of Vermont from the 1870s to the 1930s. In 1920, the American horse population peaked with approximately 26 million horses and mules. However, with the invention and mass production of affordable gas-powered tractors, draft horses became a quaint remembrance of the past. By the 1950s & 1960s, many of the draft horse breeds were on the brink of extinction. For example, a 1930 census counted 33,000 Percherons in the United States, then the most popular breed of draft horse at the time. By 1954, their numbers had dwindled to only 85 Percherons being registered that year, a record low. Thankfully, the 1980s began a renewed interest in Percherons and in the other draft horses to save all of the breeds. Today, around 2,500 Percherons are being registered every year. Belgians, Clydesdales, and Shires have all seen their registration numbers slowly rise with an interest in saving these beautiful animals for future generations to admire and celebrate. Meet the Billings Farm draft horses at the farm: Luke & Lonnie, our Percheron pair, along with our three Belgians: Rosie, Max & Banner. Visit https://billingsfarm.org/billings-farm-at-home/

Percheron - Norman Stallion From: Household Farmers’ Cyclopedia, 1882