New Horse

I know some of you guys like the drafts - so I'm posting.

My wife with Ruby - this one isn't ours, she's our friend's new addition. My wife's just playing with her here.

We'll call her a one horse tractor, just to keep it relevant.

My wife works as a teamster with this guy. Ruby's 6 months old, so she won't be pulling anything for while.

She came from our amish friends in Ohio.

Gotta love the long legs. She can't reach the ground without getting all awkward about it.

Wonderful personality. She's going to be a good horse.

and since I'm in the horse pictures - I'll post a few more random ones.

and one of our horses - Blondi. Getting ready to tear the trailer hitch off the jeep.

picture didn't go...

One more time with Blondi - she's a big girl

one more - my wife driving our horses Blondi and Red. Obviously I'm not a professional photographer.

I should try to get some more pictures. I figure if I take more, the chances of getting a clear one will increase.

Thanks wonderful pictures! I grew up with horses and miss them but don't have the energy or time to get back in to horses. Life was much simpler before we got our first utility tractor

I just thought they went so fast it was just a blur ?

Couple of questions. Is there any money in raising draft horses? Do buyers prefer Clydesdales or Percherons?

Lovely, They make my heart speed up. If I had better legs I might get rid of this 8 acre place and build house on the farm to have some of the big horses. I watch Utube videos of the big horses working when I get time.

I'm sure there is at some scale - if you've got LOTS of pasture, and mild winters. These things eat a lot. Hay prices would kill you in the northeast, probably much less so elsewhere.

We have them just for fun. Around here if you want to make money with them - there are a lot of people willing to pay you for wagon rides - weddings - birthdays - events - etc. You'd probably make more doing that than you would breeding them.

Around here there's just not much demand for them. You'd have to cart them out to somewhere like ohio - and the gas alone knocks a lot off your profit margin.

Ohio is unique in that people actually use them, so they can move them much more easily.

Out there - they typically sell at auction between about 1500 and 4500 for a young one

They prefer the Belgians. Right now anyways. You can get an average young percheron at auction for $500. Those scales tip from time to time, and people start liking the black one's better and the prices even off, or tip.

But even out there I don't know anybody that does it for a living. Though I know many that do it just for fun. Like a little side project. Sometimes they're ahead, sometimes they're in the hole.

Like anything - there is a high end market for the rich people. They'll think nothing of spending 30 grand on a horse. But to play in that world you've really got to know what you're doing as a breeder, and know what traits people are looking for - and build a name for yourself. Just a different world from where I am.

Ha - that's usually what I tell people when I show them this picture. In truth, they're just plodding along.

she's a little pudgy - needs to build a little more muscle and tone up a bit. But she's a happy horse.

Look closely you can see that she's smiling.

Ive always loved the drafts.. always loved seeing the budwiser commercials with them too..
I have a blondie also.. not as big as yours.. quarter/saddle mix buckskin...coat changes colors about three times a year, spring, summer, fall.. pretty cool.. I also have brownie guess what color he is.. lol..original names no doubt..

There is money in Drafts if you know your business. Good horses selling from$7-8000 up to $30 - 40,000 each. Just like everything else though, it all in the genes.

Percherons at the moment are the hot horse for the show folks. They have Arabian in them from hundreds of years ago and have a little more step as a rule than the Belgians. Clydes and Shires just don't have the action that the show horse world wants at the present. I love the Clydes and Shires, but it takes a lot of work to keep them looking good and their "feathers" on their legs looking good. Also, a Percheron or Belgian will mature and be able to be in the show ring at 3 years old usually, where a Clyde and Shire are usually 5 - 6 years old before they have the mass.

All depends on what you like. They are all great breeds. Bob

Looks like a real sweetheart...talking about the horse

JR, that's great, it's amazing how much different
drafts are compared to Thoroughbreds, as far as
being so big yet so gentle, one stallion I was around
had to wear a cage on his muzzle because he bit a
persons ear off, thoroughbreds are much smaller
horses, but they can be a nasty handful, one farm I
worked on would put index cards on the stall doors
saying, this mare bites and kicks! Lol, but I really do
miss working with them.

Are those mares, stallions or geldings? I can't believe leading them with a lead rope? Iv had mares I had to put the shank, chain, over there nose to walk them! Lol, those big horses are something.

Those two are our friend's horses that my wife helps out with. I believe they're both geldings.

As nice as they are, don't let them fool you, they do act up! Not nearly as much as other horses, but they make up for it with their size. I think I posted this picture here before, but seems like a good point to stick it in. He was just doing his little before work tantrum, nothing crazy, but with the size of these things, you've really got to be on your toes.

The biggest danger is spooking them. They're normally very docile, but When they're scared you don't want to be anywhere near them.

I'll never forget we had our Blondi cross tied in our friends barn when we first got her - she was nervous to begin with in a strange place, then something spooked her and I've never seen anything like it. jumping up and down kicking, snapped the cross ties like they weren't even there, kicked a cart 10 feet back that hit my wife - HUGE bruise from that. I was ready to return her!

You can see their power in pulls and that kind of thing - but you'll never appreciate it as much as being trapped in a barn with one that wants nothing but to get out. eeeeesh.

ha - I know I'm almost embarassed telling people their names - blondi and red.

but -make it easy to remember who's who anyways.

Nice pictures.

agreed - they're all good.

To me though nothing's better than watching a team of belgians pulling plows in a field. Having amish friends, I'm sure I'm biased by them.

I like the belgians with a good pulling neck over the fancier ones.

Our Red has that neck more than blondi, but I don't have a good picture of her. Red's built more like a tank.

I'm still more of a tractor person. My wife's the one who knows how to work them. But I find I do enjoy watching more and more.

(quoted from post at 20:55:42 10/30/15) Are those mares, stallions or geldings? I can't believe leading them with a lead rope? Iv had mares I had to put the shank, chain, over there nose to walk them! Lol, those big horses are something.

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Different animals. I wouldn't own a horse I gad to use chains and drugs on just to handle it, but I know people who do. These days the difference between the show circuit and working horse area are more pronounced than ever. Doesn't matter if it's Percherons, Bekgians, Shires, Clydes, Spotted Draft or some of the European lesser known breeds. They are all leg and action and not much else IMO. You aren't going to take those animals in the woods. There are a couple of lesser known breeds that are true to their roots, like the Suffolk, but they are rear indeed. The show circuit ruins drafts IMO. They're starting to ruin the draft ponies too, like the Haflinger.

Huh, tried to edit my spelling mistakes and get a message that the edit function is down?

I am a farrier. Some of the best advice I have gotten from the old guys is treat every horse as if it can kill you. He was right. Do that and you will always be reasonably safe.

The first picture you posted, not the one with the horse actually rearing, showed signs of a problem. You must always have the advantage. All my horses are broke to hobble or tie a leg up. It won't save you but gives you a mechanical advantage. They say horses are 7 times stronger or faster than us. I used to shoe drugged problem horses. The drugs only made them 4-6 times faster and stronger. Still, way too strong.

This advice goes for a lot of things; if more treated every tractor job or car trip as if it could kill you more might have survived.