US Percherons in a hitch. Note during the more difficult maneuvers the lowering of the haunches offered by individuals. These are the modern type percherons. They are bred to do work like this instead of pulling as a wagon loaded with nothing isn’t exactly pulling work for 6 horses. They do move differently than the warmbloods, but they are supposed to. And their shoeing is very different.
Priefert hitch.
This is one of my favorite (but I dont breed Trakehners seriously) bit it touches on a lot of the things that are important to me in our small program -
http://americantrakehner.com/SportHorse%20Conformation/SHCpart1.htm
If you ever come this direction, stop by the farm. I have to show you and let you ride them before you understand.
I have a very heavy, heavy WB here (half TB, but youd never know it…) that is a kidney killer, then I have a Hano mare that is the same size as he is, but is so soft and beautiful to ride, that she floats.
Youd have to feel it to understand it.
Eggy… Eggy…
Where is my scaramEggy today?
Oh, wait, there ya are!!! :lol::lol:
Beautiful. Wish I could have seen them in person!
(the percherons, not the hores).
[QUOTE=STF;3357913]
Thomas, you have broke my cold black heart. In your breeds above you left out Belgian Warmbloods. :([/QUOTE]
I’ve missed out loads and including quite a lot that I really like and have owned:
connemaras, , holstein, gelderlanders, kladruber, the hackney horse (the old fashioned “proper” ones 
)
[QUOTE=Ambrey;3357921]
I don’t think straight shoulders are desirable in the draft world, are they? They might be common, but I don’t think they are desirable. [/QUOTE]
I’m still wondering what you mean when you talk about the “draft world” and I’m wondering what driven sports events you’ve seen or been involved with.
None of the breeds I mentioned is supposed to have straight shoulders. Mind you they might have been bred by those folks you mentioned that were frantically breeding away from type and breed standard in order to make something different: e.g. a FUgly horse
Poor shoulder angulation is as prevalent in driving horses as it is in riding horses.
However when it comes to top level sports driving horses, you’ll find they’ve got generally good conformation and are fit for purpose and true to type - otherwise they just wouldn’t be performing as they should.
There is a draft horse show circuit in the US. Is there not one in the UK?
[QUOTE=STF;3357930]
This is one of my favorite (but I dont breed Trakehners seriously) bit it touches on a lot of the things that are important to me in our small program -
http://americantrakehner.com/SportHorse%20Conformation/SHCpart1.htm[/QUOTE]
I find this an interesting example from you. I have a mare that I took for voluntary inspection ATA. She received 8’s and was used as the inspector’s (from Germany)example of what a traditional Trak. looked like.
The reason she had a voluntary inspection is because she is only part registered-a shire/trak. cross, who is also training at 4th right now.
Windfall, the stallion used in one of your lines is 3/4 TB.
Not to hijack the thread but it seems to me that all the “warmbloods” of today are very watered down from the original bloodlines. And I’m not making a judgement on if that is a good or bad thing. But both your style and my style meet the guidelines.
[QUOTE=STF;3357933]
If you ever come this direction, stop by the farm. I have to show you and let you ride them before you understand.
I have a very heavy, heavy WB here (half TB, but youd never know it…) that is a kidney killer, then I have a Hano mare that is the same size as he is, but is so soft and beautiful to ride, that she floats.
Youd have to feel it to understand it.[/QUOTE]
Thanks LaNet. My half Hanov is like the horses that you describe. Uphill, straight, balanced, finds collection and extension equally easy – very fun to ride.
There are warmbloods with soft, floaty trots. There are Percherons with soft floaty trots. YES, there are, I have one! Any my Perch has a big butt (always think of that song when I see him from the rear…) and he can sit, and carry himself. And believe there are a lot more out there like him.
Most Percheron breederes do not breed for dressage work. They either breed the heavier, old style work animals (which apparently most on here thinks of when they think ‘draft’.) Or they breed the more modern, hitchy style horse. The hitchy horse makes a nice riding horse, and would bet a fair amount of them would be capable of GOOD dressage work-if they were trained that way. And some of those could certainly go FEI. Would bet the PERCENTAGES of Perchs that can do FEI is similiar to the percentage of Warmbloods that can do FEI. A whole lot more warmbloods out there failing to get past 1st level than there are drafts!
Most horses are limited by their riders. True in my case, and certainly true for most non-professionals.
Wish I had video.
Thats great on your mare. Awesome.
Watered down, but still out of proven and verified stock. I very much beleive in quality control.
[QUOTE=Ambrey;3357961]
There is a draft horse show circuit in the US. Is there not one in the UK?[/QUOTE]
As I said in my very first posting on this thread, In the UK a draft horse is just any horse in harness.
Whatever it is you mean, I’m thinking we’ll call it different. If you explain what it is, then I’ll know what you’re talking about.
Thing is the UK and USA are divided by a common language.
Oh, that’s right, you did say that.
Draft in the US is one of the working draft breeds- percheron, belgian, clyde, shire, etc.
We have a show circuit that caters to just those breeds, and the show circuit (either draft or breed specific) to a certain extent determines what people are breeding for and what the “ideal” looks like.
The draft show circuit also includes under saddle classes, to a large and larger extent.
I know much, much less about this than Lewin. She’s shown on that circuit (my poor mutt is welcome nowhere, sob!). Most of what I know I’ve learned from her or from reading books she loaned me (and I still haven’t returned…).
eta: It strikes me that this is part of the differing paradigm in the US, of categorizing horses by breed rather than by use. Even use specific circuits in the US are often dominated by a specific breed- for example, virtually all reining horses would be purebred quarter horses, and there are not really any breeders who are breeding reining horses who would venture outside of that specific breed/bloodline.
[QUOTE=Thomas_1;3357982]
As I said in my very first posting on this thread, In the UK a draft horse is just any horse in harness.
Whatever it is you mean, I’m thinking we’ll call it different. If you explain what it is, then I’ll know what you’re talking about.
Thing is the UK and USA are divided by a common language.[/QUOTE]
Draft in the US is your heavy horses or your cold bloods. I think that is why so many people confuse the Irish Draught and try to group them with the Clydes and Perch’s even though they are a very different animal.
And yes we do 
[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v258/flodden_edge/Driving/DSCF0046.jpg)
[quote=Tho
[/quote]
I bet it takes some time to get those feathers nicely combed out to look so light and airy.
But we are talking about an entire show circuit- shows across the country where the entire show is nothing but draft horses, and people whose entire life/breeding program/training program is based around traveling to the shows, pleasing the specific judges for the circuit, and winning on this specific circuit?
Kind of like those who breed for dressage, only the focus in on the breed rather than the discipline, as only a specific breed is allowed.
Some of these show circuits are “big money.” AQHA, AHA, and ApHC come to mind as circuits that command big money and give out big money. I don’t know how much money is involved in the draft circuits.
Does Europe/UK even have the breed show circuit phenomenon? I have never heard any european or UK posters discuss anything similar.
[QUOTE=tartanfarm;3357968]
I find this an interesting example from you. I have a mare that I took for voluntary inspection ATA. She received 8’s and was used as the inspector’s (from Germany)example of what a traditional Trak. looked like.
The reason she had a voluntary inspection is because she is only part registered-a shire/trak. cross, who is also training at 4th right now.
Windfall, the stallion used in one of your lines is 3/4 TB.
Not to hijack the thread but it seems to me that all the “warmbloods” of today are very watered down from the original bloodlines. And I’m not making a judgement on if that is a good or bad thing. But both your style and my style meet the guidelines.[/QUOTE]
Windfall is not 3/4 TB. His dam is a TB who (I believe) was sucessful in Eventing and graded into the Trakehner Verband. Windfalls top side is Anglo-Shagya and Trakehner. And as LaNet said already, “but still out of proven and verified stock.”
Trakehners are SUPER strict on their breed stock, mostly stallions. Not just ANY stallion gets approved, trust me.
By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You may also receive promotional emails from The Chronicle of the Horse. You can opt out at any time.
For Customers
Company
Terms of Use
