Belgian Horse

Photographed at First Monday Trade Days

Canton, Texas

(For more info on First Monday, see my photo-a-day blog) 

The Belgian draft horse is the most popular work horse in America and because of its size (the average weight is approximately 2,000 pounds and they frequently stand well over 6 feet tall at the withers) it is one of the strongest of the heavy breeds. The Belgian is the descendant of the type of horse used by knights in the Crusades, and Richard the Lionheart imported many equines of this breed to England during the 12th century. Belgians were first imported to the U.S. in 1866.