Can you ride draft horses such as a shire? (Any pics of your horses???)

runaked

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Jul 29, 2004
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I was always wondering that, for my favorite horse is a shire (and a rocky mountian...) And i think it would be a thrill to ride a horse of that size! (Even more, of that breed) I would greatly apreciate it if you would inform me about this!

P.S. Does any one have pics of thier horse? Now is the time to show them off! (I love seeing pics of other peoples horses for i have high hopes of my own some day) And also any pics of shires or rocky mnts? Or shires/drafts with some one on them?

Thank you...

W/ great honor...

Tierney
 
My OH and I love Shires (we plan to bred them someday) we went to a society show recently and saw two ridden shires one regulary hunts and was clipped out and looking very fit and well mannered the other was traditional and a little lesswell behaved but they jumped well, have also seen a suffolk under saddle (boy do you hear them coming at canter) but he wa a really nice sort as well
 
Thank you shandy, i would really have loved to be there, im sure it would have been marvolouse... may i ask... what does OH mean? I have seen it before and my poor mind is just to spioled to figure it out, and the same a YO... i think thats what it was... YO or OY??? ehh bloody brain shutting down on me agian...
 
Originally posted by runaked
Thank you shandy, i would really have loved to be there, im sure it would have been marvolouse... may i ask... what does OH mean? I have seen it before and my poor mind is just to spioled to figure it out, and the same a YO... i think thats what it was... YO or OY??? ehh bloody brain shutting down on me agian...

OH = Other Half (husband/boyfriend etc)
YO = Yard Owner
 
Generally Shires are very calm horses. I saw at an expo once and a man jumped on his shire and started grooming it, while it was still in its stall. He also cantered it by hand!

Draft Crosses are a really good option too!
 
i ride a 3 year old belgian mare named misty sometimes. she is the sweetest thing. heres a pic

riding6.jpg


-meg
 
No reason at all why any horse whouldn't be ridden ....25 inch Shetlands excepted!:D unless you have a teeny tiny dot who's up for it!

leviskipperette , Ohhh you have a GIANT Haflinger!


:D :D :D The folk in the UK would LOVE a Haffy that size! ...sory, taking the micky somewhat, in my day a Haflinger was no bigger AT MOST than 14.2hh....now they are nearly as big as that guy you are on. What a dear sweet horse he looks.

I am a bit of a boring fart when it comes to draught horses. If they were bred to pull then they need to be built to pull. Sadly the Shire has become too tall and leggy to really have the clout of a true draught horse. Much shorter, stockier breeds have more pull than a Shire these days. Clydesdales too, sadly have lost the plot. Too long in the leg and just too tall.
 
It's sad, but I know of some Haflingers who are 15.2hh these days. Never in the reign of pig's puddn' in my day, But not far off these day of that 16.2hh you ave there.

Haflingers is Haflingers, 14,2h at the most in my book. IF you want a bigger horse go for your horse, or Norika.

She does look a sweetie pie.
 
Wally, have you been at the pop already?! If you read leviskipperette's post she says that the horse ISN'T a Haffy, its a Belgian- by which I assume she means a Belgian Draught, which is a different breed to the Haflinger I think?!;)

Edited to say... OOPs! I have been at the pop, and it shows, having just re-read your post Wally, it now makes sense- I think, and obviously it isn't you with the alcohol and comprehension problem tonight!!:D :eek: ;)
 
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...errr. yes that is EXACTLY my point!:D :D There are Haffy look alikes who do the job of a 15.2 plus Haffy...so WHY breed a Haffy to 15.2 plus?????? when there are horses as pictured?

I owned the old fashioned Haffy, 13.2hh of brick out house...that was the beauty of the breed. Exactly what was pictured but 13,2hh. No point in breeding it any bigger as if I wanted anything bigger I'd have bought a Belgian or Norika.

It's like breeding a 14.2hh Shetland..wht do you have? .....a small draught horse not a Shetland pony.

I think I have snarled the meaning of my post entirely.


What is pictured is a beautiful Belgian Draught, 16hh PLUS of POWERHOUSE....still lookes like a giant Hafflinger...........YET the Haflinger Soc. have been trying to emulate this beastie by breeding the Haffy bigger with longer legs.......... my point is WHY, when you have a Belgian or Norika sitting there at 15.2hh plus waiting to be ridden do you need to get the HAffy to the same size?

We had a HUGE row with one of our Haffies 20 yeas ago because he was slightly OVER height......now he'd be in with open arms...........so why is a Haflinger registerable now, when 20 years ago he was too big?????
 
Chewitmonster used to have a half suffolk punch on loan:
Kallum.jpg

and there is a clydesdale x at the riding school where I ride (poor pic sorry):
Clip3.jpg

and I know of many percherons, cleveland bays and shires which are used as riding horses.
I love them - the one pictured above is one of my fave horses in the world! :p
And look what I found - a dressage percheron!
percheron_monte_noir.jpg

Dressage shire:
ruby_english.jpg

:)
xxx
 
..sigh............want a Suffolk,..... there's a Suffolk X Haflinger (sorry to go on about flippin' Haffs) here..just looks like a fat Haff though.

I do love Suffolks:cool: :cool:
 
Isn't that weird. the one I knew was exactly the opposite, more Haff than suffolk, he looks deffo Suffolk, Big silly grin that he has, dear sweet boy.

I'll se if I can nab a pic of him.
 
Wally I totally agree with you about heavy horses becoming leggier and lighter. My grandfather had Shires, completely different horse then. However, no one wants these horses to work on the land, pull coal carts or brewers' drays, so might as well use them for riding - for which they need to be that little bit lighter (unfortunately)!!!!! Shires would be no good for knights now!!!!!:p
 
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