Drum Horse Type Standard (Ceremonial)

Drum Horse Type Standard (Ceremonial)

Drum Horse Type Standard (Ceremonial)

Ceremonial Drum Horse Breeds

Considering the fact that ‘drum horse’ (like ‘racehorse’) is not a breed, but a job description, the following breeds (purebreds) are used (or have been used) as ceremonial drum horses within the British Household Cavalry in England.

The Shire Horse

The ceremonial drum horses currently used within the British Household Cavalry in England are all Shire Horses.

The Shire Horse Breed Standard was authored in England by:

The Shire Horse Society 

 The Clydesdale Horse

The Clydesdale Horse has frequently been used as a ceremonial drum horse within the British Household Cavalry in England.

The Clydesdale Horse Breed Standard was authored in Scotland by:

The Clydesdale Horse Society

The Irish Cob

Almost all of Queen Elizabeth II's ceremonial drum horses used within the British Household Cavalry in England during the 1980s and 1990s were imported into England from Ireland, and were either unregistered Irish Cobs or unregistered Irish Cobs x Irish Draught Horses (Irish Cob Part Breds made up of two purebred Irish breeds).

The Irish Cob Breed Standard was authored in Ireland by:

The Irish Cob Society

Although the Irish Cob is a purebred breed, and the Irish Cob Studbook was officially recognised in Ireland on 18 July 1996, since the 1990s, all of the ‘Drum Horse’ registries (which were established to seek to recognise Queen Elizabeth II's 1980-1990s ceremonial drum horses) have not only been been registering purebred Irish Cobs as Drum Horses, they have also been registering purebred Irish Cobs as partbreds (Gypsy x Clydesdale or Shire) and therefore as a type and not a breed. 

The fact is that a Drum Horse could never be a breed, because ‘drum horse’ is a job description that suits different breeds depending on fashion (the breeds or types used at any time within the British Household Cavalry in England), or on history (the breeds or types used as war horses worldwide, dating back to the 16th century).