Show Horses???

Just like to add to what John said an that most hitch horses for the show ring are way too tall for practical work with regards draft angle…16.2 is reconed to be the optimum height…. just my take on it…good luck with it …… John

John
I am about as green at being a teamster as one can get, so my information needs to be taken with that in mind. We just bought 2 Haflingers from a Hitch horse teamster. Both were a little high energy at first but are quieting down really fast. I have just been doing a lot of stopping and hanging around kind of jobs with them. It appears to me that they are calming down the more they realize I DON’T want them to trot everywhere and that standing around is part of the job. I am very happy with both these guys, and I have NO desire to do anything but work with them i.e. no showing or anything like that. One of them “Tank” I got because he did not match the other horses in his hitch and the owner said he was not “hitchy” enough. The first time I drove him, before buying him, I was a little nervous about how anxious and high energy he was. He is 9 and has always been a hitch horse but in several days he is relaxing. Tank has taken to this type of work very well. Here is a picture I took yesterday of us pulling some dead wood up to the landing, we took several trips. So for what it is worth I say I would definitely look at hitch horses. If you look at the personality of the horse I bet it may be a good place to get a deal on a horse that would rather work on a farm than be on a hitch team.
Billy

As Erika just stated, A good well trained hore, is a good well trained horse, regardless of what they were bred for.

We have a 7yr old Haflinger mare that my son rides and drives for fun and 4H. I use her as well to plow and disc. In the past 4years They have been Reserve High point winner in the contesting division at the county fair as well as Reserve Champion Draft Pony single cart, and Grand Champion in Draft Driving Reinsmanship at the Ohio State Fair. I have to toot my own horn here as this little mare was out of my favorite mare and my stud. She was bred, born, and trained right here at our place! (not that I am all that, just got a little lucky I think 🙂 ) That all being said, she is a dream to ride on trail rides and will work her butt off all day in the field. I guess what I am trying to say is that you get what you put in to it. If you put the time in, you will be pleased with the result.

Gordon

It is people who choose to show, not the horse. That being said, I never like buying another person’s horse. I purposely look for animals 2-3 years old with little or no training. Handling is great, but the less time in the harness, or even task orientation, the better.

This is not to say that there aren’t capable working horse trainers out there, nor that you couldn’t buy a horse with a good start, but my preference is to put the foundation under my own horses myself.

It may be true that you need to go to the show market to get the breed-line and features that you are looking for, but I would have the same hesitation buying a conditioned show horse that I have considering a conditioned plug.

John, you have done a fantastic working with your young horses. If your objective is to have reproductive capacity on the farm, I would just consider the timing, and whether or not you need to buy an adult conditioned mare. If so, then all of the above comments by others are totally appropriate.

I don’t envy you trying to consider finding breeding stock in the midst of the show horse industry. Those are considerations that are way over my head. I would start now looking for someone to talk to who has a lot of experience with judging the Clydesdale bloodline, and then work backwards from there to find the right mare.

It’s good to constantly be raising your line of sight above the horizon….. keep up the good work.

Carl

p.s. A big part of my rationale for buying unseasoned animals is the price :rolleyes:

John, there is no doubt that hooking an inexperienced horse with one more experienced CAN be a great way to introduce them to work.

Judging from the way one is working (from video), I personally think you have a good foundation laid. The question still remains whether or not you can get a horse that is worth hooking them to. AND if you are questioning your own experience, then will that more experienced horse be able to make up for what you think you lack?

When I was beginning and hooking inexperienced horses, I asked an older very savvy teamster to come and assist me. I was pretty unsure of myself, but he just stood by and watched. First he felt he needed to make me do it myself, and second he knew if I couldn’t do it, I wasn’t ready.

I was hooking two that had been working well single, but had no experience working as a team. They became a very steady well-behaved team.

There may be some teamsters in your area that you could call on. There also may be some more experienced horses in your area that could stand in, saving you money and possible headaches. The problem with you introducing any other horse into the picture is that you need to get comfortable with that animal too, as I wouldn’t suggest that you allow someone else hook your horse next to their animal…. it should all be under your control.

I’ll let you decide for yourself where you go with it, but know that you can call on me if you think I could help.

Carl