8 Stunning European Cold Blooded Horse Breeds you Need to Know About!

For all the horse enthusiasts who love cold-blooded horses, we’ve compiled a list of the top 8 stunning cold-blooded horse breeds from Europe. 

If you want to know how they differ from one another and what their specifics are, then this article is just for.

The 8 Stunning Cold Blooded Horse Breeds from Europe are –

  1. North Swedish Cold Blooded Horse
  2. North Swedish Trotter
  3. Swedish Ardennes Cold Blooded Horse
  4. Jutland Danish Cold Blooded
  5. Finnish Cold Blood Horse Breed
  6. Lithuanian Heavy Draught Cold Blooded
  7. Russian Heavy Draught Horse
  8. Vladimir Heavy Draught Cold Blood

Keep on reading to learn more about these amazing European horse cold-blooded equine breeds.

Table of Contents (Horspedia)

North Swedish Cold Blooded Horse | Characteristics

North Swedish Equines are very active and good-natured horse breeds.

The North Swedish horse stems from a smaller native horse.

Like most native domestic horses of all nations which were not of outstanding appearance, it was for centuries interbred indiscriminately with any available stallion. 

No distinct type was aimed at until 1890 when a breed society was formed and Døle-Gudbrandsdal stallions, which must be of the same basic stock, were introduced to provide uniformity.

Since 1924, North Swedish horses have had their own stud book.

This horse is exceptionally tractable and kind, does well on almost any fare, and is resistant to most diseases.

It is thus an economic horse to handle in terms of labor, creating little extra work. It is valued by farmers and timbermen and has worked well as an artillery horse for the army.

Physique of North Swedish Cold Blooded Horse

This breed has round hindquarters with sloping croup. Excellent legs, short and clean, and with abundant bone. Large, round feet. Thick mane and tail.

Moderate feather on heels. The general effect is of a strong-framed, long-bodied, muscular horse. It is frugal, long-lived, and of an excellent constitution. Action is clean, energetic, and long-striding.

North Swedish Cold Blooded Horse | Detailed Overview

  • Origin: Sweden.
  • Height: 15.1-15.3hh.
  • Colour: Black, bay, brown, chestnut, dun.
  • Character: Active, willing, extremely good-natured. 
  • Physique: Head rather large with straight face and long ears, in some cases reminiscent of the original Forest type of Northern Europe. Short, crested neck, sturdy, sloping shoulder and roomy chest. Long, deep body, broad and powerful. 

North Swedish Trotter | Horse Specifics and Facts

North Swedish Trotter is an equine breed that is a very active and good natured Breed.

For basic information, see North Swedish – the Trotter is of the same breed. 

The North Swedish horse is a brilliant natural trotter, with an inspiring length of stride and an energetic nature.

It is thus to be expected that owners of the fastest animals have been tempted onto the racetrack, and racing with these horses has long been popular in the north of Sweden. 

North Swedish Trotter Horse Physique
North Swedish Trotter Horse Physique

The most successful trotters have been selectively interbred for this purpose, and are usually of a somewhat lighter type.

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The North Swedish Trotter cannot compete for speed with the trotter of the European and American tracks.

It has round hindquarters with sloping croup. Excellent, hard legs, short and clean with abundant bone. Round feet. Thick mane and tail. Moderate feather on heels.

North Swedish Trotter Horse | Detailed Equine Overview

  • Origin: Sweden.
  • Height: 15.1-15.3hh.
  • Colour: Black, bay, brown, chestnut, dun.
  • Character: Willing, energetic, good-natured.
     
  • Physique: Medium head with a straight face. Short, crested neck, sturdy, sloping shoulder and roomy chest. Long, deep body, broad and powerful. 

Swedish Ardennes Cold Blooded Horse Breed | Detailed Overview

Swedish Ardennes Cold Blooded equine is defined as a Heavy Draught Horse type.

The Swedish Ardennes is bred from Ardennais horses imported from Belgium and crossed with the indigenous North Swedish horse, the Ardennais blood being predominant as can be seen from its appearance. 

Swedish Ardennes (Ardennais) Cold Blooded Horse Physique
Swedish Ardennes (Ardennais) Cold Blooded Horse Physique

The climate and terrain of the Swedish plainlands are sufficiently similar to the Belgian countryside to have caused a little divergence of type from the original imported horses, although when bred in the colder and steeper hill country the horse becomes smaller and more agile.

Formerly much in demand as a carthorse and general heavy farm worker, the Swedish Ardennes is now declining in numbers because of the few tasks that are left for it to do.

Its principal use is for timber-hauling in forest areas inaccessible to heavy machinery.

Swedish Ardennes Cold Blooded Horse Breed Detailed Overview

  • Origin: Sweden.
  • Height: 15.2-16hh.
  • Colour: Black, bay, brown, chestnut.
  • Character: Energetic, quiet, kindly. 
  • Physique: Heavy draught horse similar to Ardennais, having a crested neck, immense, muscular body compactly put together, deep girth, and short legs. Not much feather on legs.
Barban (Belgian Heavy Draught) Physique
Barban (Belgian Heavy Draught) Physique

Jutland Danish Cold Blooded Horse | Full Breed Overview

Jutland Danish Equines are a very Gentle Horse Breed.

This breed seems to have existed for more than a thousand years. There is evidence that it was ridden by the Vikings, and it was certainly the Danish warhorse of the Middle Ages. 

Jutland Cold Blooded Horse Breed Physique
Jutland Cold Blooded Horse Breed Physique

It owes much to the Suffolk Punch, which was imported and crossed with it, and a dubious debt is due to the Yorkshire Coach Horse, which was introduced in the 19th century but did little to improve the breed.

This breed has a Long body, broad and stout, with powerful quarters. Short legs with feathers.

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Jutland Danish Cold Blooded Horse Breed Detailed Overview

  • Origin: Denmark – Jutland Island.
  • Height: 15.2-16hh.
  • Colour: Usually chestnut, roan; occasionally bay, black.
  • Character: Kind, gentle; very easy to handle. 
  • Physique: Typical heavy draught horse; massive, with short legs. Plain head with kind eyes, long ears, general expression of gentleness. Short, crested neck. Massive shoulder and front, deep chest; exceptional depth of girth, which exceeds length of leg. 

Finnish Cold Blood Horse Breed | Complete Overview

Finnish Cold Blood Equine has a fantastic temper and character.

Priority in Finland has traditionally been given to judging a horse by its performance, regardless of its appearance or its breeding. 

The Finnish horse that has evolved by means of this attitude is an all-rounder with very special qualities of strength, speed, courage, stamina, and sweet nature.

It is used for hauling timber, as an all-purpose farm horse, competes in trotting races (trotters are specially bred), and makes a quiet and pleasant ride.

It is descended from two closely-related breeds, the Finnish Universal and the Finnish Draught, which have now merged into one. 

These Finnish breeds were derived from a mixture of many warm- and cold-blood imports which were crossed with the indigenous forest pony. The Finnish horse possesses characteristics of both warm-blooded and cold-blood breeds.

Physique of Finnish Cold Blood Horse Breed

It has a round barrel with broad, strong loins and quarters, Legs short and well-proportioned, with good bone and short pasterns.

Light feather on heels. Thick mane and tail. A robust, long-lived horse with a straight action. Excellent trotter.

Finnish Cold Blood Horse Breed Detailed Overview

  • Origin: Finland. 
  • Height: About 15.2hh.
  • Colour: Usually chestnut; also bay, brown, black. 
  • Character: Excellent temperament – at once kind, gentle and very quiet, yet gay and willing.
  • Physique: Medium head with kind eyes and prick ears on short, strong neck. Hard, somewhat upright, shoulder, good chest, deep girth.

Lithuanian Heavy Draught Cold Blooded Horse Breed | Complete Guidebook

Lithuanian Heavy Draught horse is a Good Working Breed type of equine.

There are two types of Lithuanian, the Basic and the Lighter. The latter, as its name implies, is lighter-framed. It is also taller.

The Lithuanian Heavy Draught horse is the result of nearly a century of selective breeding for the performance of progeny of the smaller, more active. Zhmud horse of Lithuania with Swedish Ardennes imports.

The new breed, a consistently effective draught horse, was first registered in 1963.

Its Legs are short and of dense bone, with a very little feather. Tendency to sickle hocks. Action-free and straight.

Lithuanian Heavy Draught Cold Blooded Horse Breed Detailed Overview

  • Origin: Baltic States.
  • Height: 15-15.3hh.
  • Colour: Usually chestnut, often with flaxen mane and tail; also black, bay roan, grey. 
  • Character: Placid to the point of indolence. Good worker.
  • Physique: A massive, handsome horse with a medium-sized, fine head. The neck is short and crested; shoulders and hindquarters massive; body long, deep and dense, with a pronounced dip in the back: sloping, bifurcated croup. 
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Russian Heavy Draught Cold Blooded Horse | Total Breed Overview

Russian Heavy Draught equines are good-natured and sweet-tempered.

This small, attractive horse is another Russian development of the last hundred years.

It was achieved by crossing Swedish Ardennes, Percherons, and Orlov Trotters onto indigenous cart mares of the Ukraine breed.

The Russian Heavy Draught has the power to haul huge loads and works fast and well. It is employed on collective farms throughout much of western Russia.

It has a massive neck and front, flat withers; good depth of girth, hard, round barrel, and broad back with pronounced dip; sloping croup, strong hindquarters.

Legs short with little feathers, hard hooves. Action light, free and quick.

Russian Heavy Draught Cold Blooded Horse Breed Detailed Overview

  • Origin: Ukraine.
  • Height: Averagely just over 14.2hh.
  • Colour: Solid Colours – mostly chestnut, roan, bay.
  • Character: Very pleasant nature-sweet-tempered and lively. 
  • Physique: Smallest of the heavy draught breeds, dense and compact. Medium-small, alert head with bright, kind eyes and pricked ears.

Vladimir Heavy Draught Cold Blood Horse Breed | Detailed Guide

Vladimir Heavy Draught equine horses are extremely energetic and competitive horse types.

English blood, especially that of the Shire horse, is at once apparent from the appearance of the Vladimir Heavy Draught.

The breed was founded during the latter part of the 19th century, using a mixture of Suffolk Punch, Cleveland Bay, Ardennais, and Percheron. 

Shire blood was first introduced. in 1910 and was continued until shortly after World War I, when interbreed crossing was stopped and selective inbreeding between the best of the progeny became the exclusive practice. 

Percheron Horse Physique

By 1946 a horse of great strength and all-around usefulness had emerged, having also the ability to breed true. At this point, the breed was considered fixed.

  • Origin: Russia.
  • Height: About 16hh.
  • Colour: Any solid Colour.
  • Character: Energetic, competitive, hard-working.
  • Physique: Strong work horse of good conformation. Small head with. convex profile and alert expression; medium-length, crested neck, set well on powerful shoulders, good chest; strong, medium-length body with slight dip in back; stout loins and hindquarters; strong legs with heavy feather.