Anyone heard of these folks… Carolina Carriage Superstore

[Thecowboysgirl]

http://www.carolinacarriagesuperstore.com/index.html

They seem to always have a few drafts for sale, and they also have equipment and advertise driving lessons.

Wondering if anyone knows if they are reputable or not? When I get ready to buy horses, I am then faced with trying to get harnesses that fit correctly though I don’t know anything about fitting harnesses…had somewhat entertained the notion of driving to this place where I might be able to purchase the horse, the harness, and take a lesson while I’m there!!

[near horse]

Hi Juliana,

I haven’t heard of this outfit you mention but don’t get too antsy. There are plenty of good folks out there that often have teams for sale, many times you can get the harness and collars that the team has been using. Either way, take it slow, have a critical eye and ask questions. But try to make sure you have an experienced someone with you to help.

To see what you think of this place, maybe go up and take a lesson from them – if it’s not good, you’re only out the cash you paid for the lesson and perhaps a bit wiser. If they stick you with a team that’s not a good fit, that’s a much bigger issue to deal with. Good luck.

[Thecowboysgirl]

I absolutely heed your advice on being ansty, but don’t worry. We are still about 6 mos out from being financially ready to buy drafts. So my hands are tied by my pocketbook lol!

I have seen teams for sale with their own harnesses, and that’s what I hope to find, but I’m also trying to get an idea of what I might do if I couldn’t find horses w/ their own gear. The pool I have to shop from is VERY shallow since there are practically no working drafts in my state, which leaves me facing taking a southeastern road trip and trying to get everything along the way…

Sorry to put you guys through more of my pondering, I am still just trying to figure out some way for this to make sense. If I still lived in New England I’d already be knocking on someone’s door asking to do farm chores in exchange for driving lessons 🙂

[HeeHawHaven]

Found some sites to check out.

Florida Draft Horse Rescue – you can find them on Facebook. They are in Appopka – 2 hours away from you.

Florida Draft Horse and Mule Association – Dunnelin, Fla. 2 1/2 hours away.
http://www.afn.org/~grngate/fdhpma/index.html

Here’s an older team to learn on. Remember – green rider and green team = black and blue. 2 1/2 hours*

http://www.horseclicks.com/horses/72cjwq/

Here’s a team in Alabama – package deal with harness ad rubber tired wagon $4500. Look Dow the page a bit for the spotted drafts.

http://www.ruralheritage.com/team_for_sale/teamdirectory.cgi?category=1

Definitely work on finding a club. Then, observe and find the most honest driver who also has the best relationship with his/her team (pair). Then learn as much from this person.

You should be able to find something when you’re ready within a days drive (or 2 at the most).

Consider mules. There are a lot of great teams in the southeast. They say that they can do more work than a horse of equal size on less feed. They are definitely less prone to illness and injury.

Get Lynn Millers Work Horse Handbook. It’s a great resource to keep in your library! He goes over everything including choosing your team, differences between horse and mule, equipment and expenses.

I was lucky. Friends found me my Fjord Mule (Fjule) sisters. I had to wait for them to mature. I put lots of pre-driving training into them and then had 2 different experts help me train. They were not ruined by someone before me. I plan on keeping them forever. They amaze me every time I use them. They trust me inherently. They are not big, but they are tough and strong. They’re only about 750-800 pounds each, but my mentor is impressed by their ability. He thinks they can do the work of a much larger typical team.

I’m looking forward to hearing about your progress. I hope to be in your area next spring break. We were there last ear and really enjoyed your area. We really liked kayaking the mangroves and canoeing amongst the alligators at Myakka River State Park. I’d love to go back! Maybe you’ll be working your team by then!

Dave

[Demented Donkey Dame]

Juliana, you’ve received some great advice. The only thing I can add is to find someone who has experience and knowledge to help you when you are ready to start looking at teams, harness and vehicles. You really need to connect with that person first to save yourself a ton of mistakes! I like the idea of a good solid team of older drafts or mules or well trained Fjords for you.

My mammoth donkeys that I have in training now are going to be a nice calm team, unlike the smaller team that were a handful yesterday! That you don’t want!!!

Take it slow and find yourself a mentor first and foremost!

[Thecowboysgirl]

I was warned off of the Florida draft horse rescue by a local woman. She did not go into detail and I didn’t ask. But she didn’t seem like a drama-prone person, she just said to be very wary of them. I decided to email them anyway and they did not respond.

I have been to the Fla Draft Horse & Pony page but the link to their website seems to be chronically broken, so I have never seen the actual website. I have tried it tons of times, though! I have thought of snail mailing the address on there, haven’t gotten around to it yet.

I did contact the Georgia Draft horse association because their website is functional, but haven’t heard anything back. I thought perhaps doing a day or two on someone’s farm in GA might be achievable for me.

I contacted the single local carriage company that drives drafts asking if they would be willing to give me lessons and haven’t gotten a response…

I have even posted threads on several Florida horse discussion forums searching for anyone who drives or farms with drafts or mules and came up empty… I sure wish I would have gotten interested in this when I still lived in New England and ran with the hippies of Vermont!! (And before the husband, the kids, the farm animals that I can’t leave behind to go and do an apprenticeship somewhere)

But where there’s a will there’s a way! I’ll figure it out eventually. On the plus side, I have realized some of my homesteading dream since we now have a small flock of heritage chickens and a few dairy goats. I learned the milk this ornery goat.

[Thecowboysgirl]

Well…I am going to wait and see if my other responses pop up somewhere before I re-type it all….

But suffice it to say, my experience with a stubborn goat made me question whether I could handle a mule…

And I did finally just shoot of a snail mail letter to the one contact address listed for the Florida Draft Horse, Pony and Mule Assn. page, whose website is never working…

And I got an email back from someone at Florida Whips for a contact person in my area so I have also emailed her, seeking driving lessons of any kind…

Wish me luck!

[Robert MoonShadow]

Have you considered training one of the goats to drive? It’d give you experience, anyways. There’s a place in Georgia; Hoegger’s or Haegger’s or some such, that sells all things goat: including a small Amish-made cart, harnesses, etc. Since you’ve already got goats, and want experience in driving…? Just a thought. BTW: it’s not that mules and donkeys are stubborn; it’s that they are very stubborn about not putting themselves in danger. It’s why they never used them for riding into battle! As for those places that haven’t responded: is there a membership list posted on their site(s)? Just contact one or two directly from their contact info…members, advertisers, breeders or sellers of carriages…which makes me think that you could google for equipment/harness sellers and ask them who they might’ve sent items to near your area. Have you tried contacting local animal shelters? Our local one (animal Ark) had 3 old donkeys they had listed as being given away…the person turned out to work at the local radio station, and the animals were really too old for work (25+ y.o.!)…..but the gal said, “Hey, I know a gal REALLY into driving donkeys…” turned out to be the one (now) on here known as the Demented Donkey Dame! I wasn’t even looking for a mentor, as yet, trying to find the donks, first – and not thinking there was anyone in the area – and there she was. Serendipity. In fact, by the time I contacted her, I’d bought 2 donks over in Montana…that turned out to be from the same herd as her great donk, Lippy Luvver Luc! I told you this story (didn’t mean to hi-jack your thread) to just point out the convoluted way it worked out for me, and give you ideas…and hope!

[Thecowboysgirl]

Me & technology….not so good.

Robert you have planted a seed! I have a dump cart that hooks to our lawn tractor and an old German Shepherd patrol harness with a padded breastplate and big D rings over the saddle part + one goat over 40#. See where I’m going with this?? (My doe is tiny and my buck isn’t grown yet) But Mad Mardigan, the one who flings himself tot he ground when I attempt to lead him, lol. He’s available! If the harness fits him I’ll send pics, it’ll be funny for sure.

The current joke is “JJ powered farming”. (I adopted my daughters as teenagers and they call me JJ). JJ powered farming is basically me dragging stuff across the farm by myself since we have no tractor & no horses (and no money!!)

Anyway, Robert, I will try the harness shops, too, that was a great idea. And that letter is in the mail finally to the Fla Draft Horse Assn. I know my coincidence will happen eventually, just like yours did. The last thing I wanted this bad was the farm itself, and that happened despite incredible odds. We were GIVEN the other 5 acre half of our farm for free by the bank when we purchased the first five acres with a decrepit house on it for about 1/4 of what it was worth. When does that happen? No way we should have been able to get a farm this year but someone had other plans for us. Here we are, goats, chickens, and all. (even if the damn chickens won’t lay!)

[Robert MoonShadow]

Here’s another ‘back door’ way in: take an ad out in the local paper and/or freebie paper – the one w/ all the ads in it (most places have those), saying you are looking to adopt or purchase a draft horse…might find someone w/ one they’d like to see go to a good home – and if they have a draft horse/mule/donkey, they probably know how to use them. Or perhaps an ad on Craigslist?

[Thecowboysgirl]

Robert, I tried Fla Horse Bulletin, Craigslist, and the Florida forum on Horsetopia and came up empty handed.

I did email a bit with a lady in N. Florida who does some draft rescue who did educate me on some of the realities of having drafts vs light horses and that was an eye opener.

Years ago one of my horse jobs was for the MSPCA Nevins Farm in Methuen, MA and I was working there when they siezed a herd of Clyde mares and one Shire stallion. I believe there were a few foals, too. So, I got to take care of those horses. I’ll never forget opening up that first stall door- I needed to do a sugar-dyne pack on her feet– to the rump of this HUGE mare. I was like “excuse me, ma’am, could you turn around please?” they were so kind and gentle. I watched someone ground drive that stallion but that’s as close as I’ve ever been!

Boy I wish I would have gotten interested in this back when I lived in New England and ran with the hippies of Vermont 🙂

I think I’ll cool it and wait to see if I get a response by snail mail from the Fla Draft Horse Assn. That’s got to be my best bet.

[Robert MoonShadow]

Well, with THAT kind of attitude…
…you’ll do just fine. 😎

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