Originating in Iowa in the early 1900s, the American Cream Draft Horse is the only horse breed developed in the United States. The lines descended from a mare named Old Granny who was auctioned at a farm sale in Story County, Iowa in 1911. Old Granny was a cream-coloured draft horse of no known pedigree, born sometime between 1890 and 1905. She did, however, always produce cream offspring. The birth of the stallion Silver Lace in 1932 created more interest among Iowan breeders.

The American Cream almost died out thanks to mechanisation in agriculture. However, a few breeders hung on to their stock, and with the reorganisation of the American Cream Draft Horse Association in 1982, and the results of research that proved that the American Creams are a distinct population group within the draft horse breeds, the breed started to revive.

American Creams range between 15 and 16.3hh. They are cream in colour with pink skin, amber eyes, white manes and tails and occasionally white markings. Their size and willing temperament make them ideal for riding and driving as well as farm work. They are critically endangered, with a global population of less than 100.

Learn more about the American Cream Horse at www.acdha.org.

Text: Mandy Schröder