Draft horses anyone?

[hslogger]

I started with draft horses in 1978 and still own three but do not use them anymore. I got into them with loan from the bank to go logging with them. Times change. I never was into being a hobbyist with them and had them as a tool and partner. If you don't USE them then it is a crime. Being a weekend warrior aint safe when it comes to hooking up a team and taking people out in public. Get yourself on to Rural Heritage Magazine Bulletin Board and join in there. Three publications to consider are Draft Horse Journal, Small Farmer's Journal, and Rural Heritage, the last being the best value for dollar today. If you are going to keep a team you should figure on at LEAST five acres and have a spot for sacrifice grazing, ie the barnyard. Farrier work is different than working on some cowpony or warmblood or trotter or thoroughbred. The day of having working teams, working them for REAL is pretty much a pipe dream in America today. The Amish do and do well, but they have a different labor input in their community and families. Even today there are very few feed teams being used. Some new age farmers are using them and by and large, it is window dressing and a subscription to a lifestyle they aspire to. In most cases I can tell you, it is not economically feaseable. Before you dump a pile of dough into this endeavor, do a lot of homework and visitation. Honest.

 

[Fluid]

We have two draft horses and I think you are going to need more land. They can go though 5 acres in no time.

 

[kidr]

Consider Halflinger Draft horses. They are about half the size of Belgians.

Fjiords are interesting horses too. Small but powerful.

 

[GreatWhitehunter]

The info I've been reading is very conflicting as well as the advise. Many folks say that draft care is no different than light horses. I've also read alot of folks usuing them as pleasure trail horses. I've seen no real mention of exactly how much room they need. I see anywhere from 1 to 2 acres recommended for light horses so does doubling the size get you there? Again this thread was for my education and I appreciate all the input. I guess I should try to find someone with this breed and find out what works locally? About the only input I find to be consistant is the farrier cost doubling.

Matt

 

[Walkin Horse]

I don't see the conflicting posts in this thread. Go ahead and get you an 8 team and a beer wagon. When we have our TBN camp out bring em and let us know how deep the mud is at your place.

Seriously though nothing say you can't put them on 3 acres but your going to be feeding them a lot of supplemental forage. And I can tell you from experience that nothing but grass is going to keep a healthy horse up on his weight. Roundbales and having to get them, keep them covered ,and worrying about running out in April is no fun. But like I said the experience is rewarding. What I have read in these posts are, people giving you something to think about.

 

[jrkaye]

When we lived in East Texas I had ~3.5 acres fenced for pasture and 4 horses, they laid the established grass to nothing in a matter of weeks. At that time I was putting out 8' diameter Coastal round bales not to mention graining them daily.

We moved in '08 to West Texas and a much bigger place. Fenced ~7 acres, built a horse shelter and round pen, keep 2 600 gallon water troughs for 4 horses and a mini donkey. The mini doesn't get fed as he helps himself to the grain that's dropped. I now feed alfalfa squares as a supplement (better nutrition) as well as daily graining. Our issue has been the drought which has decimated a lot of pastureland these past few years so it's essential to make sure the proper diet to maintain muscle and weight is carefully calculated. To be clear my horses are more pets/pleasure riding so they don't need nearly the intake a working horse will. I mix Senior Feed (high hay content) and 14% Impact from Purina in equal proportions and mix thoroughly in the buckets so they can't "pick out what they like the best".
Farrier work is every 6-8 weeks dependent on need. 3 of the 4 go barefoot most times but I have one that HAS to be front shod. Then you have vet work so make sure if the vet won't come to you, you have a sturdy reliable horse trailer (minimum 4 horse) with a sturdy floor, proper lighting and commercial type tires (last longer).

To keep my feed supply rotated properly I make a feed store trip every 10 days if buying only 500 lbs but if I get a 1000 lb load then I always make sure the older bags are either in my steel covered feed bins and the newer stock is stacked and protected from rodents. Get a good mouser, it's save your grain storage from infestation.

Pick your farrier WISELY. Make sure he/she is dependable and has references. They need to know everything about the equine anatomy and hoof. Thrush, foundering and a multitude of issues can present themselves at any time dependent on YOUR care of their feet. I check my kids daily with a hoof pic and visual to make sure nothing gets lodged in the frog or they didn't stomp on an especially sharp rock.

Horses are not for the faint of heart and as one ole cowboy told me years ago "them critters is accidents waiting to happen".

Best of luck on your adventure and planning but don't rush the details as they'll bite you in the butt if not carefully thought out.

 

[Walkin Horse]

Something else to think about. When you take your horses to events your going to need to get the wagon there too. That's 2 trucks or a big special built trailer. One time I cut the top off a 6 horse trailer and raised the back half up so he could load the horses in front and the wagon in the rear.

 

[GreatWhitehunter]

I don't see the conflicting posts in this thread. Go ahead and get you an 8 team and a beer wagon. When we have our TBN camp out bring em and let us know how deep the mud is at your place.

Seriously though nothing say you can't put them on 3 acres but your going to be feeding them a lot of supplemental forage. And I can tell you from experience that nothing but grass is going to keep a healthy horse up on his weight. Roundbales and having to get them, keep them covered ,and worrying about running out in April is no fun. But like I said the experience is rewarding. What I have read in these posts are, people giving you something to think about.

I was refering to the internet in general on the conflicting info, not this thread. I'm not super hung up on the public wagon rides part. I was thinking more of having work for them. I'd ideally like to keep them pleasure and trail riding. I really appreciate all the objective advice.

I have heard many round bale references and dont believe anything but cows get round bales up this way. To many issues with the rounds spoiling for horses. So I'd likely need to get a solid supply of squares and a loft to store them in.

 

[jix]

Draft Horses are a VERY expensive hobby..harness alone will cost you the price of a new car. Farrier services..about 500 a month..Ditto the vet bills. Feed..if you buy it..about 4000 per year. Your time..four hours per day, minumum. These big horses can also be dangerous to handle in stalls because of their great weight, and who will train them? a good strong well founded draft horse which is well trained to harness will cost you megabucks per animal to buy. a recent sale here, of champion pulling Belgians saw prices of thirty thousand dollars per team, harness extra...pasture, fencing, barn, equipment..the sky is the limit.

oh yes..no holidays for the owner if he is also the groom/handler..and one horse alone will become insane in a barn if left without companionship... yes, human companionship. Horses get sick for thousands of reasons. Wet Feet, moldy hay, over feeding grain, insufficient exercise, poor handling, exhaustion, thirst, bugs, heat, flies, fright. Big horses have big bills..and demand knowledgeable ownership, care and affection.

A bad woman is easier to keep than a big horse is.

Once when I was a kid I was using a span of Clydesdales to pull a riding plow in a field near the roadway. After the plowing was done we headed for the barn down a 1/4 mile long dirt farm lane. Something spooked them and off they went at speed, with me clinging to the seat of the plow. I could not get them to whoa..and there was fast traffic on the road by the laneway exit. It was coming up to be a disaster, so I pulled the lever that dropped the plowshares into the ground. Dirt flew like water from the bows of a speedboat for a couple of hundred feet. The horses finally stopped after the lane way was
well furrowed and the team was lathered and blowing hard. Never did figger out why they ran away with the plow and me that day. Spent two more hours washing the team and curryring them down in the corral to gentle them, then put them into the box stall with a nose bag of oats apiece. Four thousand pounds of horseflesh has to be handled very wisely and carefully, always expecting the unexpected...and make no serious mistakes.

Tractors may be dangerous tools, but big horses are much more so..especially if they are not worked nearly every day. Big horse gets to feeling his oats, better be on guard..or you will get hurt real bad, real quick
If you have never been around draft horses and learned how they are trained, used, cared for and handled from someone who has spent a lifetime doing it..you would be better advised to go and play with dynamite.

Owning and handling draft horses is a lovely dream..doing it as a total greenhorn is just an expensive nightmare that well may get you crippled, or killed...and will be cruel for the horses, probably.

If you are determined to do it anyways..then add in the costs to hire a full-time hostler for about ten years while you cut your teeth:thumbdown::thumbdown::thumbdown:

 

[ultrarunner]

Family used working Haflingers in Austria... stout, easy to keep and family friendly... they had something to do every day.

The team had 10 acres cross fenced and that was plenty.

Draft horses can be real sweet