The Swedish Ardennes is a medium-size, heavyweight draft horse

Draft horse

A draft horse , draught horse or dray horse , less often called a work horse or heavy horse, is a large horse bred for hard, heavy tasks such as ploughing and farm labour...

. It was bred in Sweden

Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

 during the late 19th century to satisfy farmers' demand for horses suitable for agriculture.

Characteristics

The Swedish Ardennes is } and weighs 1200 to 1600 lb (544.3 to 725.7 kg) It has a small, heavy head for its size with small eyes; a short, thick neck; a short back with a wide chest, and well-muscled shoulders. The Swedish Ardennes has a muscular, compact body with stout legs, some feathering

Feathering (horse)

Feathering, or feather, is a term used to describe the long hair on the lower legs and fetlocks of some breeds of horse and pony. On some horses, especially draft breeds, the hair can almost cover the hooves...

 on its legs and blue, open hoofs. The predominant colors

Equine coat color

Horses exhibit a diverse array of coat colors and distinctive markings. A specialized vocabulary has evolved to describe them.While most horses remain the same color throughout life, a few, over the course of several years, will develop a different coat color from that with which they were born...

 are black, blood bay, and chestnut. It can withstand extremes in weather; Swedish Ardennes horses are very strong and willing workers and easy keeper

Easy keeper

An easy keeper, easy doer or good doer is a livestock animal that can live on relatively little food. The opposite of an easy keeper is a hard keeper , an animal that is prone to be too thin and has difficulty maintaining adequate weight.Easy keepers tend to be found most often in breeds...

s. They are also known for their longevity, an even but not sluggish temperament, and good overall health.

History

Swedish Ardennes horses were developed by crossing imported Ardennes

Ardennes (horse)

The Ardennes or Ardennais is one of the oldest breeds of draft horse, and originates from the Ardennes area in Belgium, Luxembourg and France. They are heavy-boned with thick legs and are used for draft work. The Ardennes is found in many colors, although black horses are very rare and are not...

 horses (a heavy draft breed from Belgium and northern France) with the North Swedish Horse

North Swedish Horse

The North Swedish Horse is a small heavy horse originating in Sweden. According to different sources, it is considered a light draft horse or a "universal type horse". The breed also has lighter lines, bred for harness racing. The North Swedish Horse is active and tough, and resembles closely its...

. In 1872, Count C.G. Wrangle began importing Ardennes horses and by 1880, Ardennes imports and crossbreds had made inroads across south and central Sweden. The goal was to improve on the size and strength of native Swedish horses; to this end, a studbook was established in 1901.

Uses

Although farming is now done with machinery (except on remote hill farms), the Swedish Ardennes is still popular as a cart horse; it is also used for hauling timber in mountain areas inaccessible by machinery. Despite the increasing mechanization of agriculture and forestry, the Swedish Ardennes still makes up the largest proportion of Sweden's registered purebred stallions.