A horse bred for its strength and ability to work is called a draft horse. In British usage, the term is commonly spelled “draught horse.” These large horses were developed to pull heavy loads, plows, wagons, and other equipment.
Draft horses are built differently from lighter riding horses. They generally have broad bodies, powerful hindquarters, substantial bones, and calm, steady temperaments. Their patience was especially valuable when working around farms, roads, machinery, and people. Famous draft breeds include the Percheron, Clydesdale, Shire, and Belgian.
The term describes a working type rather than one single breed. That is why “Arabian,” “Quarter Horse,” and “Thoroughbred” are not equivalent answers: they are breed categories primarily associated with endurance, speed, riding, or racing. Draft horses remain in use for logging, farming, carriage work, shows, and recreation, even though tractors replaced most of their former agricultural work.