About Irish Draught and Sport Horses
The Irish Draught breed has had over a century of selected breeding in creating the sound, sensible, and athletic horse that is known around the world today. The Irish Draught (pronounced "draft") breed is more versatile and lighter than the typical European heavier drafts due to the infusion of both Spanish and Thoroughbred blood.
Learn More about Irish Horses
In the early 20th century, the Irish farmer needed a horse that was strong, docile, athletic, and easy to keep. The horses were required to be able to work the land during the week, jump and gallop Saturday during the fox-hunt, and pull a carriage to church on Sunday. Today the versatile Irish Draught horse is characterized as a horse with great soundness, durability, and stamina.
The Irish Draught Sport Horse is a refinement of the already light warm-blooded Irish Draught horse typically with the Thoroughbred horse. The cross has been a successful cross coupling the speed, intelligence, and heart of the Thoroughbred with the calm and sensible temperament, incredible jumping ability, and soundness of the Irish Draught. The popular Irish Sport Horse cross is usually ¾ TB and ¼ Irish Draught in order to receive the preferred degree of refinement. This cross takes two generations to breed from the purebred Irish Draught, and is questioned by some breeders, in regards to having enough Irish blood to possess the wonderful Irish traits.
Playland Farm has created an ultra-refined Irish Sport Horse within one generation of breeding Irish stock, that still possess' a high degree of Irish blood and virtues. By breeding the Irish Draught, PL Diamond Hill, to exceptional Arabian mares, we have created a more refined Irish Sport Horse that has the desired characteristics of the typical Irish/ Thoroughbred cross in one generation of breeding progeny. Our goal in this cross has been to produce a horse that has the endurance, stamina, soundness, speed, elegance, intelligence, forward thinking, and free movement of an Arabian with the substance, bone, soundness, willing and docile temperament, incredible jumping ability and athletic nature of an Irish draught in one horse that will exceed the test of any event course. We believe our breeding program at Playland Farm will produce horses that will succeed in the top levels show jumping, eventing, and dressage. However, they are friendly and sweet enough to make the perfect all around companion and family horse! To sum it all up …
Playland Farm's Irish Draught Sport horses have a terrific personality, amazing jumping ability, and smooth and free movement which make them an excellent choice as a top level competitor or the family pleasure horse.