The Maryland Draft Horse and Mule Association was formed on a cold February evening in 1984 at an open meeting in a New Market antique shop attended by nearly 100 people, and publicized by Becky Smith of Brookeville, MD. For at least the previous several years, a number of draft horse enthusiasts in the central Maryland area had talked about forming a State Draft Horse Association, as it had been done successfully in many other states. These new associations were a direct result of increasing interest in draft horses on a nationwide basis. Draft horses had been the backbone of local transportation and agriculture for nearly two hundred years in the United States until the advent of the internal combustion engine and cheap liquid fuel nearly wiped them out in the 1950’s. By the 1970’s and 80’s, a resurgence of interest in environmentally sound horsepower resulted in numbers of draft horses that had not been seen since the 1930’s.This association is a direct reflection of the renewed interest in draft horses.
Check out the breeds represented by our members here.