Natural Drafters Announcements

11/14/13- Check out this rare breeds challenge: nearly every horse registered here is eligible to join in. Sign up and win prizes for horses you were going to compete anyway! It would help us promote the rarer draft breeds that don't get a lot of attention, so please take a look!

7/21/13- HA-FD is hosting a Log Pulling class for drafty types! Our year end championship is coming up, so this would be the perfect opportunity to get your horse some experience in logging before the championships come around! These kinds of classes don't get offered often, so don't miss out!

6/18/13- While we get geared up for the year end show, check out Driving-Society's driving show! Some rare driving subdisciplines are represented. Drafts, Ponies, Minis, and Arabians/other high-action breeds are highly encouraged to attend! www.deviantart.com/art/Strut-Y…

2/28/13- If you enjoy Natural Drafters you'll want to check out RealBreed-RealColor, a group for real breed and color horses! There's a contest for a group icon with point prizes, go check it out!

9/27/12- Check out this Halloween Gypsy-themed costume show for Vanners and Gypsy crosses: the-gypsy-registry.deviantart.… A vardo (gypsy caravan) class, how unique is that?

9/01/12- If you follow the blog The Equine Tapestry or are at all interested in horse color genetics, I highly recommend you buy or borrow a copy of The Equine Tapestry Volume 1: Draft and Coaching Breeds. (This volume also includes an overview of the history of breeds and studbooks, and a detailed profile of each breed. It is a bit pricey, but considering that it is a text-book sized paperback of around 400 pages, it is well worth it!) Each breed is analyzed from the formation of the studbook and even before, and the author notes influential horses and breeders and why each breed has the colors they do today.

[Did you know that many breeds have the name of the location they originated because before there was a modern understanding of genetics breeders though horses got their traits from the location they were raised, not the traits of their parents? Did you know that Poitevins were used extensively to breed mules because they come in dun, and were thought to be more closely related to donkeys than breeds without dun? Did you know that there was once a tobiano mare in the Lipizzaner breeding program? Did you know the Gypsy Vanner is technically a landrace and not a breed? Did you know that American Belgians originally came in all Brabant colors, but were selected to be flaxen chestnut to distinguish themselves from the black and grey Percherons which were initially much more popular in the US? And that the American Belgian studbook never closed to Brabant imports, so there are now a few registered bay American Belgians? Did you know that cream exists in American Cream Drafts (it was bred in before the genetics behind champagne were understood) and it is not penalized as long as the horse also carries champagne? Did you know that it is believed that most drafts have a unique form of sabino which, unlike Sabino-1, causes "flat top" high leg white instead of long trailing points? And that Gypsy Vanners/Drums are the only draft breed that carries Sabino-1? Did you know that Norikers come in tobiano and appaloosa (but that leopard is heavily selected for, so all other appaloosa patterns are rarely seen in breeding stallions)? ]

All this and more in this conveniently draft-centric first volume! It should be available in e-book format within the next few months. I highly recommend it as an excellent resource and, as you already know if you read her blog, a very interesting read.

6/29/12 - There is now a hitch "match-making" service, particularly for horses trained in driving but lacking a matched pair or team. All horses trained in driving (including ponies, minis, and light breeds) are welcome, though we are especially looking for Bay or Black Cyldes or Shires, and any color of Fjord, Percheron and Haflinger! bovidaeloony.deviantart.com/jo…


1/28/12 - New registry for Sugerbush Drafts, Drum Horses, and North American Spotted Drafts! Also, make sure you have your points in for the old score boards before the 1st!


Welcome to Natural-Drafters!

We hope to provide a place to foster a sense of community within the draft owners of HARPG. If you know of a natural breed natural colored draft or draft cross that isn't on the directory, please submit them via the favorites. We hope to provide a resource for finding a stud or mare of whatever color or breed, as many are hard to find. We also have a place for crossbred horses of draft descent, though our main intent is to facilitate and encourage the breeding of purebred drafts, especially those of rare breeds. If a you find a breed that isn't on our list, let us know as well.

We use the favorites feature rather than the submission feature for members of the registry- this prevents inbox flooding and allows you to find horses even if the horse's owner has not submitted them. This is the purpose of the directory. The gallery will be used in the future for shows hosted by the groups.

We plan to host events for our members, and feature those with a successful competition history as featured studs and broods. If you'd like to be a part, please join, and submit your horses as favorites! Let us know if you have any questions.

We host the Top Ranked Horses Score Board, to allow owners to objectively find the top ranking draft competitors by breed or by discipline. Note me if your draft has entered an event and has not yet been added to the board.

We will be further outlining rules and competions and other offerings later, stay tuned!