E5
Stuffed specimen of draft horse
rise and fall of various breeds of large livestock

In Japan, the population of the horse (Equus caballus) has stayed at about one hundred thousand. As the cow population reaches approximately five million, it is noticed that the number of the horse is few in Japan. Although a part of the horses are maintained for meat in Japan, most of them have been bred as racing Thoroughbred.

But, the breeds of the horse do not indicate only the Thoroughbred. In Japan, the other breeds have also been maintained besides the Thoroughbred. The breed of this specimen is that related to the Belgian. The Belgian is a draft horse that has been improved to pull the heavy carriage or sled.

A lot of people would have seen the Thoroughbred in the racetrack or on TV. But, this stuffed specimen is much larger than the Thoroughbred. As showin in the specimen, the draft horse had been improved to possess strong muscles to carry the heavy luggage. Speed is lower in the Belgian than in the Thoroughbred. However, in the Belgian the character of behavior is extremely gentle and it can be easily maintained.

When the steam or gasoline engines had not been invented, the horse was one of the important tools for transportation. For example, 200 years ago, Napoleon's army used draft horses to carry heavy cannon. In addition, it was useful in farming instead of present tractor. However, the race horse replaced the draft horse after the horse had been released from war and labor.

The draft horse racing has been carried out in Hokkaido and a small number of the draft horses have been maintained for race. However, also in Hokkaido, the population of the draft horse is gradually decreasing. This stuffed specimen was made from an individual that was used in draft horse racing. This specimen has been used as a basic material to eamine the Belgian breed and the relationships between human and draft horse. (Hideki Endo & Mayu Kusumi)