Italian Cold Blood Horse

The Italian cold blood horse is a heavy and strong horse from Italy. The breed is called in Italian pesante tiro rapido, or “fast, heavy draft animal”, and is the most popular workhorse in Italy. The breeding of this animal occurs mostly in Northern and Central Italy, but mainly in the province of Veneto.

Amazingly, this heavy horse is light and smooth gaited and the ancestor of the British Norfolk trotter, which is not visible in the small breed confirmation. Today the breed is heading toward extinction as most horses are bred for meat production.

The Italian cold blood has its beginning at a stud the Deposito Cavalli Stalloni in Ferrara, which in 1860 began to breed their own horses for the first time in the field. To develop the breed they imported various breeds including the Hackneyhastar, as well as English and Arabian thoroughbreds.

The horses were sleek and fast but this was not reflected in the agricultural area around the stud. During the late 1800s and early 1900s, the Italian farmers worked hard to improve the domestic horses that did not quite measure to the set standards of breed confirmation they desired. There was a demand for a good work horse as the demand for raw materials increased in the country.

Brabant Horses were imported from Belgium to become part of the new breed development and their offspring were well suited to the heavier farm activities, but were too heavy for lighter chores required on most Italian farms. The horse had a perfect size, but was too slow and heavy.

The stud then imported other Heavy Draft horses, the Boulonnais horse and the Percheron and to try to smooth out the horses a bit. The new offspring was lighter with more efficient movement and easier gaits. The new horses were still not that response which disappointed the farmers who were hoping for a much more energetic bloodline.

The framers were looking to a smaller more energetic breed similar to the Breton who had passed on their movements to the much smaller and slimmer Norfolk trotter.

This perfect breed requirement was a horse that was small enough to fit all the chores at the Italian farms, yet strong enough for the heavier farm work. In
1961 a stud book was started for the breed. The stud book evaluated the horses twice for inclusion the first was a brand at six months old, on the left thigh.

The other brand was done when the horses was 30 months old and consisted of a mark which is a shield with a ladder in the middle with five rungs.
The Italian cold blood is strong, fast and cooperating animal

Attributes

The Italian cold blood is a healthy, hardy and strong breed that are inexpensive to keep and, on average, are faster than most Heavy Draft horses, giving it the nickname “pesante tiro rapido, fast, heavy draft animals.

The horses are also docile and friendly with a good temperament. The breed is also special because of their colours. There are variations of chestnut, which are various forms of brown from a light coppery colour to the lighter “FLAXEN” colours and a grey colour with a red tone, called rodskimmel, is permissible.
The breed’s head is heavy and large but pretty good compared to many other Harness type horses. The Hooves of this breed’s is their only weakness, as they are quite small and clumsy, nut the breed itself as an Italian Heavy Draft horse is strong, fast and very cooperating.

An uncertain future

The Italian cold blood has increasingly been replaced with tractors and other new technologies on the Italian farms. Many farmers have also realized that money is in the meat market and breed more than ever, but purely for the slaughterhouse.

The horse is maturing rapidly, which is not in its favour, as no consideration is placed on breed type when the animals are just being bred for slaughter.