American Drum Horse

American Drum Horse

Country of origin	USA
Distribution	USA
Standard	International Drum Horse Association
Traits
Color	any
Equus ferus caballus

A drum-horse of the Household Cavalry leading the mounted band at the Trooping of the Colour in 2007

The American Drum Horse is a modern American breed of heavy horse of draft type. It is based on, and named for, the drum horse of the Life Guards of the British Royal Household Cavalry, which carries the kettle-drummer and large silver kettle-drums, and is usually a Clydesdale or Shire, and often either piebald or skewbald.[1]: 43  Other regiments have drum-horses of other colors and breeds.

The American Drum Horse may be of any color, with a preference for pinto patterns.[2]: 434  It usually derives mainly from cross-breeding of Clydesdale, Gypsy Cob and Shire stock.[2]: 434  It may be registered with the International Drum Horse Association or with the Gypsy Cob and Drum Horse Association.[3][4] In 2017 it was not among the forty-four horse breeds reported by the National Animal Germplasm Program of the USDA Agricultural Research Service to the DAD-IS database of the FAO.[5]

References

1. Drum Horse. Country Life, 203: 42. Accessed June 2017.
2. Valerie Porter, Lawrence Alderson, Stephen J.G. Hall, D. Phillip Sponenberg (2016). Mason's World Encyclopedia of Livestock Breeds and Breeding (sixth edition). Wallingford: CABI. ISBN 9781780647944.
3. Registration. International Drum Horse Association. Accessed June 2017.
4. Drum Horse Information. Accessed June 2017.
5. Breeds reported by United States of America: Horse. Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed June 2017.