Hi, newbie from Arizona

[Pebbles]

Just getting into driving and found this great forum. My husband drove a team about 25 years ago for a short time. We have had horses all our lives. My husband had his knee replaced several years ago and is leery about riding but he loves working with horses. He just got a 7′ X 14′ wagon and we have been looking for a team. Most teams seem to be in the south and mid-west, teams out west are very expensive.

I have always done a lot of ground drivng and pulling logs and tires when training our QH saddle horses. So, I purchased Lynn Miller”s books recommended on this forum and I am working with our quarter horses. We have two very big, muscular Quarter horses that love to work and are level headed. Got the harness last week and have been hard at work with the gelding. He is doing really great, seems to enjoy what we are doing. Hooked up to a single tree and two tires today and he was just wonderful. Hoping to get him hooked up to the harrow and do our arena in the next few days.

I have learned so much from reading everything on this forum. Thank you all for sharing your knowledge. I hope to some day have a big, beautiful team of draft horses. Meanwhile I will learn with what I have. I am very excited to learn how to drive.

[HeeHawHaven]

Welcome to the forum. Im kind of new, but learning all the time! I drive a single fjord horse gelding and also have a team of fjord mule sisters. I love big teams, but i like he compactness of my little team. They are probably 900 lbs. Each, but are very strong and hearty. Im planning on having them work 3 abreast and doing a unicorn hitch as well.

Dave

[J-L]

Hi Pebbles and welcome here.

Your QH team will do an awful lot. On this ranch in Wyoming we often used what we had and most of my saddle horses have been thrown in a hitch some where feeding cattle and other jobs. Quarter horses are a viable work animal, don’t let anyone fool you.
One of the best feed teams I ever worked was a Paint/QH gelding and a black mule. The pair together weighed about 2300-2500 pounds. Very honest on the feed grounds and plenty stout with a ton of hay at a time on a bobsled.
I work some bigger animals for some jobs but agree with Dave that good small team can be nice. If you need more power just add another animal until you have enough.

[Pebbles]

Thanks for the warm welcome and reassuring advice:)

[near horse]

Hi Pebbles –

Welcome to the forum and DAPNet. Like draft animals, we come in all shapes, sizes, colors and levels of experience – and that’s a good thing.

So remember “the QH team that you do have, can still do more work than the big draft team that you don’t have.” Or, as J-L put it:

Your QH team will do an awful lot…… AND are a viable work animal, don’t let anyone fool you.

[Author]

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