I am awaiting the arrival of my 5yr old DHH Warmblood cross. He was bred and used by the Amish as a carriage horse and is green to Dressage. Any thoughts, comments, helpful tips or experiences would be appreciated! I’m super excited to get my boy! Norman has a sweet personality and doesn’t seem fazed by much of anything. I’m thankful he’s a former Amish raised horse because he appears to have a really good brain between his ears
Where did you get him & how’s he bred?
There are some Ams out there who are breeding for dressage rather than buggy/ driving horses.
FYI, DHH can be tough, although at 5, they’ve probably got him past the worst of it.
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I’m assuming he does not show the high front-end action DHH are known for.
I have a friend in Amish country & recently when I visit we are seeing a lot of DHH & DHHX put to buggies.
They are lovely horses & you can “fix” the front end if needed.
My own Hackney Pony came from a local breeder who has purpose-bred ponies that naturally show the knee action desired for Roadster or even Pleasure ponies.
Breeder does very well at Nationals so my pony was true to breed - warpspeed with lots of front (wasted) motion.
I got him moving long & low at first, and now he moves very much like a decent Dressage mount.
If only he were broke to ride & a skosh larger than his 13H, I’d show him myself U/S.
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Since you don’t appear to know much about him, and his training, I would start as though he is green. Handle him as you would a 3 yo. Make sure he leads well for you. Start him on the longe, and progress from there.
You will probably be pleasantly surprised, but you will be sure to have filled in any gaps. Many driving people start under saddle, you’ll just have to find out if he was.
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This. Hackneys are super cute under saddle when worked long and low. They can muscle up and look more like a hunter if you work them that way. They have a really good jump as well.
Hardest thing you will have to deal with is contact and sometimes they totally fake using their back and hind end. Some are very hot especially when they discover they are no longer having to go 20 miles a day and conserve energy. At least he will have a pretty good work ethic and not much will bother him.
Norman was born in Ohio and purchased at an Amish auction in Pennsylvania 2 yrs ago so when he was 3. He is combined drive trained with a little Dressage. The lady I’m buying him from wanted him as an eventer but just didn’t go to the jumps like she needed. She was guessing he wanted to be more of a family pet and therefore sold. She wasn’t able to get a lot of information but liked how he moved and his conformation. He is a bit uphill but not bad. I was the first to ride him in an eggbutt snaffle and he didn’t give me lip about it. I felt he had enough potential and young enough to not have any bad habits
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Forgot to add he’s half DHH, 1/4 Hackney and 1/4 Clydesdale
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I have a Saddlebred x Clyde/Hackney/TB and sounds similar. He’s the one in my avatar. He’s got a big jump but is something of chicken and likes to take a peek. Not really hot but he is on the sensitive side. Can be opinionated but tries hard. He’s been a work in progress to get to relax and be through, but really lovely when he does. I’ve been eventing with him and his older brother the last few years.
Would love to see photos of your new guy. Congratulations and have fun!
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This is great. Good luck with him!
Mel Montagano os Prestige Performance Horses USA has two DHH horses herself. Shes competing Grand Prix with her one, and just won dressage final championship. She loves the breed! She may have some tips/advice if you reached out.
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Some former Amish horses I have known are very backed off. One would cower in the corner if you approached with a whip in hand. I would approach your new horse as an unknown quantity, and treat him as a young unbroke horse. See what he shows you and go from there. Look to establish trust.
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This is the breeding of mine from Canada. He is not an easy horse for sure, but so worth it when he is on his game. Agree with @luvmyhackney that contact has been difficult for him, but he’s doing much better since we switched to a Nathe bit. He’s a lovely mover, get’s 8s on his gaits, is uphill and so far everything has been easy for him (except the contact).
Mine likes to jump though.
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what dpes DHH mean?
Dutch Harness Horse , very neat breed. Extremely intelligent and sensitive. Can be quite hot but are fun as all get out to ride.
http://adhha.org/
@Thylacine it stands for DHH, if I’m on the same page as everyone else.
To the OP - trying to get a clearer picture of where this guy has been! Sounds like an interesting horse. You mention he was bought from the Amish 2 years ago (assuming as a 3yo) so has the person you’re buying him from had him all that time? Do you know what he’s been doing under saddle in that time (I’m assuming a decent bit if the original owner was able to see him over fences and determine she didn’t really want him for her event prospect as a result)? It sounds like he might have a decent start under saddle, if nothing else!
Congratulations on your purchase!
Not specifically DHH related but having seen a few ex-Amish horses in second careers, I would consider looking at working on going in a longer frame. Bit acceptance, driving from behind and really lifting & working over his back. I think stretching work, if you take the time to do it right and confirm everything with it, is a great foundation for just about everything, but especially for dressage.
@Edre the woman I’m buying him from has had him for the last 2 yrs. she worked quite a bit under saddle with him until she had some health issues. Decided that he wasn’t going to be the jumper she wanted, hence my good fortune in getting him. Her guess the Amish auctioned him because he wanted to be more sociable and a family pet and that’s not what they want. He’s very sweet, I rode him in a snaffle bit for the first time. His acceptance pleasantly surprised me. He is trained for driving too. She has taken him riding in the desert many times because they don’t have riding arenas in her area like we do here in Wisconsin. By a whole lot fazes him. From all the responses I’ve had here, Facebook DHH page and research so far I’d say I’m in for a real treat!
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@Guyot Wow! This is encouraging! I’m sensing from the one time I rode my boy that I’ll have some stretching and throughness to work on. He’s had more driving training than anything else but he was sensitive to my leg and moved decent. I was impressed with his sturdiness and feet!
Wow I’m glad you posted the topic! There is a farm in Pennsylvania that has some for sale fairly often. They do great videos on the sale horse. But I wasn’t sure they would over come the leg action from driving,But I have seen a couple they have for sale that peak my interest but wasn’t sure they would transition into the dressage ring. So I’ll be following the thread… thank you for posting.
Most of the ones I see are way overpriced and not that attractive (big clunky heads). But they do get some that are really nice. That gray 2 YO is drool-worthy although I haven’t seen him move. You are correct in that many of them are high-steppers (that is what they are bred for after all). Also, my draft x came from that farm, and he had a lot of behavioral issues that were not disclosed. So if you do buy ask lots of questions and do a very thorough PPE (including a blood draw).
I highly recommend Lori Garnant (draftcross.com). She sourced mine. She get’s really nice ones from Canada and gives them a correct dressage start, instead of cramming them into a frame like most of the dealers around here. And she is honest to deal with.
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