The Irish Draught horse is the national horse breed of Ireland
which developed primarily for farm use. Today, they are
especially popular for crossing with Thoroughbreds and
warmbloods, producing the popular Irish Sport Horses (also
called Irish Draught Sport Horses) which excel at the highest
levels of eventing and show jumping. The breed originated from
the Irish Hobby, a small ambling horse with many similarities to
the primitive Garrano and Sorraia horses of Northern Spain and
Portugal. War horses brought to Ireland during the Anglo-Norman
invasions were bred with this local stock and later, additional
Iberian blood was incorporated as Spanish horses from the
shipwrecked Armadas found their way ashore near Cork and the
South West of Ireland. Clydesdale, Thoroughbred and half-bred
sires were used on the local Draught mares in the 1800s and
early 1900s, and a sprinkling of native Connemara pony blood
added to form the breed known as the Irish Draught today. The
breed was bred to be docile, yet strong. They