What about oxen instead? Oxen are so cute and it saves them from burgerdoom.
<BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><div class=“ip-ubbcode-quote-title”>quote:</div><div class=“ip-ubbcode-quote-content”>Originally posted by Warmheart:
Well, my final answer is **** an OX. Thats my suggestion and I’m standing by it. 
</div></BLOCKQUOTE>
And when it is too old to work, you can eat it.
Did I say that?
(just kidding - )
thanks. does anyone have any other ideas about farm horses?
we’d be perfectly happy with a draft mule, and we looked at two teams yesterday that were purebred suffolk and 15.2 hands.
yes, this is about revenge for somethign in the distant past you didn’t agree with, and not information. thanks for stating that publicly and showing your true colors. let it go. i see plenty here i don’t agree with or don’t like - i treat every day as a new day, and don’t lay in wait for someone who once said something i didn’t like to ask for info and then pounce all over them.
Goodhors-
You are correct that if the load is too heavy it will alter the way a horse moves. I use mine more for draft and want them to learn to dig in. In discussing this with an oldtimer that hauled coal from a mine to the rail head during the winter and farmed with the horses tha rest of the year, he says it can take some colts nearly a year to learn to haul. A horse that learns to haul can pull the same load as his mate but use less energy doing it. It is a way they walk and throw the weight. Some never learn to haul well. The coal route was about 20 miles a day with half of that empty and half loaded heavy. My neighbor that seriously pulls his team likes a load that they need to blow in a mile. As the conditioning increases he continues to load to that point. A friend that hitches likes enough load to keep everything tight but not so much that the start to dig.
It all depends on what you want to do with the horses.
Good comment Goodhors, I get looking at the world from my farmer colored glasses.
LF
How about a tractor?
Depending on how her place is run, she could keep a draft in shape enough with regular chores. I run a full-sized stable, and the team I have spreads at least three loads of manure each time we clean the stalls…as well as doing other stuff. This does keep them in shape.
I would point out, however, that SLC, if serious about using a horse for working, might find that she needs a team…tough to haul a manure spreader with just one. If you have a spreader designed for horses, it is usually set up with a pole for a team, and if you decide to use a forecart/ground-drive spreader, a forecart set up with shafts is usually not heavy enough for the job. In addition, while a 15H draft might have a fair amount of pull in it, if it decides its too tough, then you’ve got a problem. Also depends on draft, which is dependent on how full you fill the spreader, type of tires, type of ground, etc.
Anyhow, twitching logs, etc. can be done with a single horse fine…it sounds as though she’ll be twitching for her own pleasure, not for commercial or heavy work. She won’t hook on a huge log, but she’ll be o.k. Probably the bigger thing for “keeping the horse in-shape” is keeping it in-shape MENTALLY to work rather than physically–what she’s described isn’t super hard work, but if not worked regularly, they can become ‘fresh’ like any horse. One caution would be if you want to go single horse, make sure it has been worked single! Just because it works in a team does NOT mean it will work without its teammate. And, if you do get a team, it is helpful to know which side which horse works best on!! Didn’t know this when I got mine, and figured it out after getting one over the pole a couple of times.
Finally, the “ideal” size for working is a team of #1600 each horses. I, too, had a 15.2H Belgian, and had though about getting another and keeping it…but I find my draft ponies, in shape, can do as much as I need while eating less, and being easier to harness. When looking at drafts, pay attention to their feet; there are some that have great feet, and some that do not. Much easier to deal with good feet. Finally, be prepared to get a set of stocks if you are buying from someone who uses stocks to shoe/trim with–tough to teach them otherwise.
Here is a drawing of a poor mans pasture drag.
drag
I prefer to have the seat on the implement and also a tounge if it is so requires. Forecarts work and are okay but there was a reason the oltimers liked the seat where they had them. If you do a search for harrow carts you can learn more than you will ever care to know on the subject.
Good Luck and Happy Harrowing.
LF
i do believe that my post mostly answers your most recent question as to why not get a draft horse. further to that, i will say that if you get a horse that is not broke to ride/comfortable to ride/rideable in some way or other then you severely limit your methods of keeping said horse fit. why on earth, if you have to keep the horse fit in between working it would you not want a horse that is rideable? you may as well work on your riding skills while you maintain the horse’s fitness. it stands to reason that a more versatile horse and one less likely to succumb to monday morning disease would be the way to go. i am anything but anti-draft owning a draft cross and having worked with and enjoyed many drafts and draft crosses but if you think you can throw one in the pasture and then haul it out a couple of times a year for heavy work you are sadly mistaken. further still there are many warmbloods out there that certainly could do the work and even excell at it but i completely understand not wanting to put the expense into a warmblood. your glass is half full. go add a few more drams with a few more weeks educational reading.
<BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><div class=“ip-ubbcode-quote-title”>quote:</div><div class=“ip-ubbcode-quote-content”>Originally posted by LostFarmer:
A QHxbelgain or Perch woould make a good chunk. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Hmmmmm. Back to the suggestion of a PMU horse?
since my area is where i have to get the horse, it would be correct, actually. have a baileys and forget about it, is my advice. i’m not getting a morgan. i have been to 6 morgan barns here, i’m not getting one. i can get a draft for half or less of what they cost. money is a factor, and included in the estimates are the fact that i have a huge community of extremely suitable, almost made to order, size, sex, training and everything else, draft horses east and south within 1/2 hr drive which makes it even cheaper. the draft horses are just that cheap. even pmu’s are more.
my question should be at this point, quite naturally, what is wrong with me getting a draft horse? i don’t see any reason to get a more expensive horse from further away that is less like what i want. all this beast will do is chores and keep my other beast company. we aren’t going to ride it so there is no point in getting a ride and drive breed. the small drafty chunk types are perfect, and unbeknownst to me when i first posted, there are TONS of people out there with plenty of smaller, less hitchy drafts for sale, which is really all i needed to know - thanks for the links trakehner and others. hardy, sound for the sort of work they are intended for and a breeze for anyone else around to handle. couldn’t be more perfect. i love drafts for this sort of thing. don’t see any reason why they are so unsuitable or why i have to get something more costly, just to have something more exotic and cute standing around. i don’t need anything exotic. i just don’t want a great tall hitchy type. and there are plenty out there just like what the doctor ordered.
so the question remains, why is it so important that i don’t get one? why are so many determined that’s a bad choice?
Geeze, slc why don’t you just go to the Sugar Creek auction in Wayne county, or Smokey Lane auction in Stark county (I think Stark) ?
You’re sure to find someting cheap there.
i would not use a real warmblood for this use, this is not suitable. i’m not sure of a draft cross as so often they have very poor conformation and can be priced absolutely outrageously. they can go for double or triple what warmblood babies go for.
gypsy vanners are extremely expensive, far more than morgans, halflingers or any of the other breeds mentioned. and i would never, ever buy one. not in a million years. the hair is just impractical and the prices insane.
slc
Word of caution. The only pair likely to stay around 15 and a little hands was that pair of paint mares. The others were young horses like to grow more - Drafts and crosses grow until 6-7 yo.
i want a draft horse, but a small one. not pony size. as stated earlier, 15-16 hands, probably closer to 15. not a full size draft, not a pony. as stated earlier, will do some work with tractor, and some with horse.
we will not be doing a big operation, as stated before, there will be occasional hard work when a project comes up.
and i’ve found several sources so will be fine when the time comes. a couple people who breed drafts and have suitable horses have contacted me, and i will have no trouble finding exactly what i want when the time comes. thanks so much everyone for all the incredibly helpful suggestions.
Lostfarmer, Though you would get a kick out of Mr. Heart’s reply. As stated below :
"Just Shoot me now, that is what we have a tractor for! "
Rosie’s response : http://community.webshots.com/scripts/editPhotos.fcgi?a…7269&security=YoCHjj
<BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><div class=“ip-ubbcode-quote-title”>quote:</div><div class=“ip-ubbcode-quote-content”>Wow Trakehner, I don’t know what Fjord prices are where you are, but I don’t consider them expensive horses. You can get a nicely trained horse who rides and drives single and pairs for $5K. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
I pulled up your website for your sale. The majority of the sale horses were babies (10 of the 13 I believe.) The buying a baby route though is an expensive way to buy a horse until it’s a “using” size. So a $3,500-$5k baby isn’t a bargain. No heights/weights were given for the Fjords, so this is a tough way to judge what these guys might be good for.
$5-7K for a typically pony-sized animal I consider expensive. I like Fjords, I think they’re an interestingly colored animal. But, they typically are pony-sized (13.2-14.2 sure seem to be the sizes of the Fjords in the Ad Horse website of horses for sale). Fjords are also a rare breed in this country, there is typically not much of a selection of Fjords for sale anywhere (24 Fjords on the sale website, hundreds of Belgians…also with training).
You will get a lot more Belgian for the money with much more potential selections of personalities that will fit your needs than with a rare breed. How many Kladubers, Ahkel Tekes or Keiger mustangs are there to choose from…same with Fjords.
Not knocking the breed at all, but it’s a rare breed and not the cheapest or most efficient way to solve the “problem” slc talked about.
SLC Sorry to intrude on your thread.
chitowncd-I harness in a small barn where the harness hangs behind each horse and the collar in front. It is can be less than 2 minutes to harness AFTER they are brushed and ready. I am picky about brushing the shoulder area well.
Warmheart- There are several options for you to drag the pasture. Here in hick land we are cheap and functional. Take several car tires and split them through the middle of the tread this will givce you 2 half tires shaped like donuts. Bolt through the halves together to make a mat. This is a poor mans harrow that does a decient job of busting up manure piles. A regular harrow works or a chain harrow works. If you have access to 3 iron wagon wheel rims that works well to form a drag.
To start with I would ground drive and walk behind the harrow. A forcart can make life interesting if you come off and get chased by the harrow. A platform on the tires allows for a bench.
here is a pic of my tire of education with the double trees set up. This is a tractor tire from a ford 9N.
Lostfarmer
I have a question of you Draft horse workers. Mind you this is froma small farm owner. Our tractor in the summer time usually stays hooked up to the bush hog or mower. What do you guys use to spread the piles of manure in the the fields. I am not talking about a manure spreader. I want to go out and harrow ( is that the right term? ) the fields and spread the piles. I do mow but we do not mow the pastures low enough to spread/dice the piles. Point me in the right direction. Even though I would love one for the tractor, changing impliments can be pain and maybe, 
Miss Rosie could help around the farm a little. I might be able to handle hitching her up to something by myself and do this while Mr. Heart is at work. I am sure that I would need a forecart, right?? Then what do you suggest? ANd something such as this would you suggest a collar and hames set up or would a breast style be OK?
Check out the Canadian Horse. Also, there are a lot of draft crosses out there that do have good conformation, are not too big or expensive. I have a draft X appy that is mighty, but only 15hh.
