Breed Standard

The Drum Horse Breed Standard

The overall impression of the Drum Horse should be one of an elegant heavy horse of great strength and agility. The Drum Horse is a tall, heavy riding horse, and should therefore display the athleticism to allow for competitiveness in all ridden and driven disciplines. The Drum should be a large, well-muscled horse of medium to heavy weight, with good quality bone, an athletic body, a kind expression and abundant hair (including heavy “feather” on the legs). A Drum Horse should be above all else a strong and willing partner, loyal and eager to please and display a very intelligent character. They should be manageable and mannerly, respectful, alert confident and even courageous.

The purpose of the Drum Horse standard is to help develop the quintessential heavy riding and driving horse utilising the bloodlines of the Gypsy Cob, Shire, and Clydesdale horses. The ideal Drum Horse displays the calm disposition, heavy bone, profuse feathering and parade animal presence of the Drum Horses in use by HRH the Queen of England's Cavalry. Animals adhering to this standard will also maintain the agility, movement and athleticism to ensure they can excel at a variety of ridden and driven disciplines.

Size

Minimum 16hh and upwards. Horses under 16hh are registered in the Appendix Drum Section.

General Appearance

The Drum Horse should:

Give the impression of intelligence, kindness, strength and agility.
Be a large well-muscled horse of either medium weight or heavy weight
Possess good quality bone, a sturdy body, kind expression and abundant hair.
Display the athleticism to allow for a pleasant day of hunting, hacking or other ridden discipline. The Drum Horse is considered a heavy riding horse and should also excel at driving.

Head

The head should

Be in proportion to the body neither too large nor too small
Have a broad forehead,
Have a generous jaw, square muzzle and even bite.
Have ears that are cleanly shaped and well set on.
The eyes should be large and set well apart with an intelligent, kind expression. Eyes can be any colour, and blue eyes shall not be penalised.
Have a convex or straight profile, both of which are acceptable
Have a masculine appearance to the head if they are a stallion or gelding
Have a more feminine appearance for a mare

Neck

The neck should be

Be substantial and well-muscled with a defined arch
Be clean through the throat, not too short, and tie in well at the shoulder and withers
Exhibit a masculine crest in proper relationship to the size and thickness of the neck in the case of a stallion

Shoulders and withers

The shoulders should be

Deep
Powerful
Of a correct slope to allow for ample, free movement

The withers should be

Be average in height, not too high
Possess a generous layer of muscle

Chest and body

The chest should be

Broad
Significantly muscled

The barrel should

Be deep with well sprung ribs
Have a solid covering of muscle
Have a flank as deep as the girth
Have a strong loin that ties into the croup with a smooth, well-muscled appearance

Back

The back should be

Short
Supple
Well-muscled
Tied in strongly at the loin

Legs and movement

The legs should

Be set squarely under the body
Be straight
Have clean joints
Have plenty of dense, flat bone
Have well-muscled forearms and thighs
Have clean and well defined hocks on the hind legs that are broad, deep, flat and wide when viewed from the side
Have pasterns long enough to allow for a proper slope of about 45 degrees from the hoof head to the fetlock joint
Have sound hooves
Have a generous and open heel
The Drum Horse may or may not exhibit the influence of the draught horse hock-set.

Hindquarters

The hindquarters should

Be smooth and rounded across a long croup
Have a medium to high tail set
Have a long hip with wide pelvis
Have well-muscled thighs and buttocks

Hair

The hair should

Be long, thick and Abundant
Start at the knees and hocks, preferably with feather running down the front of the leg as well as the back
Be soft and silky in the feather
Be either straight or curling feather, and should cover the hoof

*Docking of tails is not permissible without a veterinary certificate.

Colour

The Drum Horses may be any colour.

Pinto, Overo or Solid. Blue eyes are acceptable.

Movement

When in motion, the ideal Drum Horse should move with

Action, power, grace and agility
Head carriage and collection that appears natural, not overly exaggerated or forced
Free, straight and square movement with ample impulsion
Knee action that is somewhat snappy but displays a long, free moving shoulder which should allow the ability to reach forward in a classic extension
The appearance of being up under itself with a smooth, powerful stride and should be light on the forehand

Disposition

The Drum Horse should be, above all else,

A kind and willing partner
Display an intelligent character and docile temperament
Display a calm and sensible attitude.