Characteristics of the Belgian Heavy Draught horse
The typical Belgian horse is a great and impressive horse. It is heavy but at the same time elegant. The average height is about 165 to 170 centimetres, depending on whether it is a stallion or a mare, and the weight can go up to a ton. It is a very strong horse and a willing worker with a calm and friendly temperament. The two most common colours in Denmark are bay (brown) and bay roan (mixed grey and brown), but you also see sorrel (red), red roan (mixed red and grey), blue roan (mixed black and grey) and black, though black is not seen very often. 
The history of the Belgian Heavy Draught horse
The Flemish horse was the ancestor of the Belgian horse. The Flemish horse was already known at the time of Caesar. In the medieval time the Flemish horse was used to carry knights in heavy armour into battle. These horses have probably not looked a lot like today's Belgian horse though, but it is their blood that runs through the veins of a Belgian horse today. The area where the Flemish horse came from is the same area that is now known as Belgium, hence the name "The Belgian Heavy Draught Horse". 
During the eighteenth century the breeding in Belgium became more systematic. They started to breed for a certain type. At the end of this century there put up large money prizes for the winning Belgian horses at shows. This was done to get the breeders to keep the best horses in Belgium. The reason for this was that at this time there was a large export of Belgian horses. It was also in this period, in 1895, that the first Belgian horse came to Denmark.
When the first Belgian horse was brought to Denmark, it was because some Danish farmers were not satisfied with the Jutland horse, which at this time was the national Danish draught horse breed. The Jutland was not as muscular as wanted, and it was not a very willing worker. The big and muscular Belgian horses were highly appreciated at the large farms. Some years passed though, before the breeding of the Belgian horse was recognised in Denmark, and not before 1929 was the breed allowed to participate in shows. In the thirties the number of Belgian horses in Denmark increased fast, but then came the war, and in this period all the horses that could be found, were sold to Germany. Because of the great request the prices went up. This made many farmers sell their horses, and the number of Belgian horses in Denmark went down drastically. Because of the mechanical development in farming, the number of Belgian horses kept on going down, and during the fifties, there were almost no Belgian horses left in Denmark. To day there is a steady interest of the Belgian horse in Denmark, and the number of horses grows every year because many people have noticed that it’s a good family horse, which can both be used for riding and carriage driving. 
The Belgian Heavy Draught Horse in the future
I am sure that the Belgian horse has a future in Denmark. The last few years more people have noticed that the Belgian horse can be used for other things than ploughing. A lot of people have discovered that the Belgian is the ideal family horse, because it is so friendly and calm. There are still a lot of people who cannot imagine that you can ride a Belgian horse, but because of the
Roskilde Quadrille, where we show them as riding horses, many people look at the Belgian horse in another way. The Belgian has been a part of my life as long as I can remember. A part that I cannot live with out, so I know that I will be breeding Belgians horses in the future.