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Clyde cross

I am interested in a clyde warmblood cross. I have had Percheron cross horses that I really enjoyed and thought did well with dressage and a mix of disciplines but I don’t have any experience with a Clydedale.

Realistically I am not in a position to do very much showing but would like to imagine that given the opportunity my future horse has at least a shot at 3rd/4th level.

Is there anything I should know about a clyde cross? I have known of a couple that seem to do well in eventing but have never heard of the cross being used in dressage.
I appreciate any thoughts on using this cross and what to know about the breed. thank you.

It’s going to matter so much what the individual looks like. I saw a Clyde/Paint cross young jumper where the Paint half was mostly TB blood and the Clyde sire was very leggy “modern” type. She had a big homely cute head, very flashy pinto markings, and a good big athletic body. It would have been hard to pinpoint her breeding, you wouldn’t have said draft cross.

Since you have the horse to observe, it’s not breeding advice you are after, I would just evaluate him as any horse. Not all WB are great dressage horses either, you’d still want to evaluate one.

Does he have three good gaits, can he trot with a long stride, on the longe if his training isn’t that advanced, does he seem able to collect? If he’s really heavy and draft like that could limit him. Also his reaction time, some drafts don’t have the forward and responsiveness to be a highly trained riding horse. They are constructrd for a long slow effort.

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You are looking at a specific horse or just in general? I don’t have any experience with Clyde crosses, but have run across a fair number of Shire crosses (which is a very, very similar gene pool, as in for a while a horse could be registered as either in the UK). I’ve liked the ones that are TB crosses. If I recall, I think COTH did a profile of a Shire doing quite well in dressage, sometime last year. For drafts both breeds are increasingly bred for riding and are the same or more reactive (in general terms) to the Percherons and far faster in reacting than the Belgians.
I would pay a lot of attention to the quality of the hoof. I’d also look at the quality of the hind end, there are alot of long backed, ‘goose’ rumped Clydesdales out there. Also as a feathered breed, I would also want to know if there is any history either in the individual or in the family of chronic progressive lymphedema (which is like scratches but far worse), which seems like it may have a genetic component to it.

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Scribble this is just the common sense reminder I needed, thank you.

B and B I just saw a draft horse program on TV that said Shires and Clydesdales looked so much alike at times it took DNA to tell them apart!

Yes, I am going to look at this horse in person and see her ridden, possibly ride her myself. Good tip
about the feet and CPL. :slight_smile:

When making your evaluation, for any horse it is the walk and canter that are most telling. The trot can be improved with training. In particular, look at hock movement. So much dressage requires a strong hock. One thing in Clydesdales is that there has been a breed fashion for “close hocks”, known in other breeds as cow hocked, and not particularly functional so look carefully at the horse you are considering.

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I love the Clyde as a cross. - great work ethic and more inclined to be forward than some of the other draft breeds. I know several Clyde crosses doing FEI dressage who are quite competitive at the local level.

Obviously a lot will depend on what they are crossed with. Clyde Hackney is a popular mix in my area and there are a number doing well in dressage. Clyde TB can be a really lovely mix, especially with a higher ratio of TB.

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So, I had one that was dutch/tb/clyde. I didn’t buy him with the intention of doing more than spending a year making him a solid low level citizen and selling him to get a bigger piggy bank for my “real” dressage horse. And I still own him, 14 years later.

I ended up getting my silver medal on him - but it was not without it’s challenges. He had a long back, which many of them do, which made collection a real challenge, I don’t think I could’ve done any more on him than what I did, with any reasonable scores. I wasn’t blowing the scores out of the water at PSG.

His walk was the biggest challenge - the more collection we needed for the upper level work, the worse his walk got - it was a clean 4 beats, but it got very short. Alternatively, lateral work was a highlight, as his long back made him very easy to bend.

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I used to have two clyde x tb crosses, both mares. They were solid citizens and a pleasure to have around but they also were limited in their ability to go up the levels for different reasons. We dealt with side bone for a while with one and hoof issues with the other. One was heavier, more drafty in build with a lower neck/shoulder tie in so it’s no surprise that she had difficulty getting past first level. I was simply too small to really ride her effectively or give her the help she needed. The other competed through second level before being sold. They were a blast for hunter paces and fox hunting.

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A friend competes a full Clyde here at 4th level this year. NIce horse, complete with docked tail. Riders name is Brian Kimball, horse is COle.

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I’m not so sure an F1 is going to put you where you want to be? (guessing you looking for warmblood bodytype). But it’ll probably give you the heftiness to support a large rider. I only have experience with Percherons and Clydesdales in their pure form, they are both extremely intelligent breeds (Perchs especially) and compliant as very few horses are. Not clumsy, but it takes them a while to turn and to accelerate or slow down.

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I have had quite a few clyde crosses over the years and currently have 3 in my barn. I do prefer the 3/4 tb 1/4 clydes personally. You’ll realistically have to evaluate based on the horse in front of you as the cross can vary hugely depending on the quality of the parents. The goose rump/cow hocked hind end is pretty common. They do tend to be in general low maintenance, good tempered animals and that can do a lot for your odds of reaching your training goals - a little less natural talent can be compensated for by a willing brain and consistent soundness.

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I really appreciate the replies, as it happens the horse in question sold to someone else. But I feel, from the responses received that if I come across another Clyde cross I will check it out.

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I had a gorgeous clyde cross. 17.2 bay with the chrome, make you drool dapples.
He was 3/4 tb/clyde. A twin, and spooky SOB. Sweetest boy, and tried hard. We made it to 1st level before he had a devastating stifle injury.

He was picked best overall sport type in Practical Horseman’s Conformation Clinic December 2010.

Dec Practical Horseman - Conformation Clinic? - Sport Horse Breeding - Chronicle Forums (chronofhorse.com)

I miss my Cruise everyday!

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I had a Clyde/TB gelding in training a number of years ago. He didn’t appear to be wearing any TB, but that didn’t stop him. He loved to jump and tried really hard at the dressage. He was 17.3 hands of joy to ride. As long as the horse you are looking at is sound and doesn’t have awful conformation, I say go for it!

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