Horse_Illustrated_-_October_2019

[ 64 horseillustrated.com | october 2019 ]

B

aseball and apple pie have a reputation for

being quintessential all-American icons. But

there’s another, lesser-known symbol of Ameri-

cana: the American Cream draft horse.

The only draft horse breed developed in the

United States, the American Cream Draft is a

much younger breed than its European draft horse

cousins. While the Clydesdale, Percheron, Belgian

and other European draft breeds were established

several centuries ago, the American Cream Draft

got its start in the early 1900s.

It all began when a stock dealer named Harry

Lakin bought a small draft mare at a farm sale in

Iowa in 1911. The mare, who came to be known as

Old Granny, was a rich cream color with a white

mane and tail, pink skin and amber eyes.

No one knows Old Granny’s exact ancestry, but

she went on to give birth to many cream-colored

foals when bred to other draft horses. Her ability

American

CREAM DRAFT

breed portrait

mACmillAn PhotogrAPhy

This rare beauty is made in the USA.

BY AUDREY PAVIA