A draft horse (US), draft horse (UK), or draft horse (from Old English dragan meaning to drag or drag; compare Dutch dragon meaning to carry), less often called a workhorse or heavy horse, is a large horse bred for tough, heavy tasks such as plowing and agricultural work. There are many different breeds, with different characteristics, but they all share common traits of strength, patience and docile temperament that made them indispensable to generations of pre-industrial farmers. Draft horses and draft crossbreeds are versatile breeds used today for a multitude of purposes, including farming, showing, logging, recreation and other uses. They are also commonly used for crossbreeding, particularly for light riding breeds such as the Thoroughbred, for the purpose of creating sport horses. Although most draft horses are used for driving, they can be ridden, and some of the lighter draft breeds are skilled performers under saddle. Comparison of the size of a draft horse from the Percheron stud with a light riding horse of the draft horse type Draft horses are recognizable by their tall stature and extremely muscular. In general, they tend to have a more upright shoulder, producing a more upright movement and conformation suited to pulling. They tend to have broad, short backs with powerful hindquarters, again best suited for the purpose of pulling. Additionally, draft breeds usually have heavy bones and a fair amount of plumage on the lower legs. Many have a straight profile or "Roman nose" (a convex profile). Draft breeds range from approximately 16 to 19 hands tall and 1,400 to 2,000 pounds (640 to 910 kg). Draft horses crossed to light riding horses add height and weight to the resulting offspring and can increase power and... .middle of paper......largest horse in the world; Sampson, born in 1846 in Bedfordshire, England, stood 21.2 hands (i.e. 7 feet 2½ inches or about 2.2 m at the shoulder) tall, and weighed about 3,300 pounds (1,500 kg) or more than 1.5 tons Breeds Dutch harness horse A number of horse breeds are used as draft horses, with the popularity of a particular breed often closely linked to geographical location Harness horses[edit]See also: Driving (horse) The terms horse Harness horse and light harness horse refer to horses of lighter build, such as traditional carriage horses and show horses, and are not terms generally used to denote "heavy" or draft horses. Harness horse breeds include breeds heavy warmbloods such as Oldenburg and Cleveland Bay, as well as lighter breeds such as Hackney, and in some you can see disciplines such as combined riding, light riding breeds such as the Thoroughbred or Morgan.