Hi I’m looking to make a hunter jumper prospect from my Thoroughbred x mare. I want to breed to either a Clydesdale or Percheron as I’ve heard good things about those crosses. What are your experiences with those crosses and which do you prefer for the hunter ring?
I’ve seen draftxTB crossses more frequently in the hunt field, particularly for taller/larger riders. If you are talking about A rated hunter shows, I don’t think this is typical of what wins.
Crossing with a warmblood hunter stallion will give you a much better chance of producing what you want.
Percherons and Clydesdales aren’t even riding horses, much less hunters.
Neither! In my experience, having had many Clyde/TB and Percheron/TB crosses come through our boarding stable at various times, they tend to be poor movers (short, choppy and too much knee action for the hunter ring) and tend to max. out at 2’6" to 2’9". Of course, there are always exceptions to the rule…but they are few and far between. These crosses tend to make better lower level event horses. You would be much better off crossing your mare with a Warmblood stallion if your goal is producing a foal that will show talent for the hunter ring.
Hopefully the question above is valid and not a troll. Hard to know some days! 
Yeah, makes you wonder when it’s someone’s first post.
[QUOTE=Daventry;8917435]
Neither! In my experience, having had many Clyde/TB and Percheron/TB crosses come through our boarding stable at various times, they tend to be poor movers (short, choppy and too much knee action for the hunter ring) and tend to max. out at 2’6" to 2’9". Of course, there are always exceptions to the rule…but they are few and far between. These crosses tend to make better lower level event horses. You would be much better off crossing your mare with a Warmblood stallion if your goal is producing a foal that will show talent for the hunter ring.
Hopefully the question above is valid and not a troll. Hard to know some days! ;)[/QUOTE]
Agree with the others…for the hunter show ring, this is not a popular breed combination.
Furthermore, I think it is a crap shoot to breed a draft to a TB type horse. I have seen some really nice draft x horses but the majority I have seen have looked more like a spare parts horse, like big bodies on spindly legs or short thick horses. The people that get the nice ones tend to have done a lot of research and know how to do it right.
What is your mare crossed with?
draft crosses can be lovely (1/2 or 3/4 TB crossbreds are popular in the hunt field). but for show horses H/J, a draft cross is probably not going to give you the result you want. Most 1/2 drafts are very ‘drafty’ – you should be 1/4 draft or less to give you a heavier sport type.
Drafts do bring a great brain, but also up-and-down movement, weak canters, and endurance issues. Soundness wise-they are not conformationally built for jumping, and many have soundness issues from trying to get those giant bodies over, and landing from, fences.
I’d echo other posters and say you should go with a warmblood stallion for a H/J cross. An out of the box thought would be a Cleveland Bay or ISH stud, which do have some draft influence, but are lighter and more sporty than a full Clyde or Perch.
we own a full Clyde – she’s wonderful, sweet, and easy to trail ride/keep. But not anything that I’d choose to add for H/J potential.
OP, I also recall reading an article several years ago that a vet wrote about breeding. One of the comments the vet made is that when you cross a draft horse with a smaller lighter breed, what you often get tends to look more like the draft parent.
People who have studied the lines on each side I think have a better idea of predicting what will happen, but there is still not a guarantee you will get what you are hoping for.
If you want that type with some jumping ability, I would consider a nice Cleveland bay. Half Bred Cleveland bays can be nice enough jumping horses.
She’s supposedly crossed with a Percheron but she has a thoroughbred type body with big ears that makes her look like a mule lol. I’ve been trying to find her original owners but haven’t had much luck as I’d like to know where she came from. She has pretty good bone structure but I’d like something a little thicker. Her weakest conformation point is (besides her ears) her back she’s starting to grow slightly sway backed as she gets older.
Thank you for your input. She’s a very talented hunter which I should have said in the first place lol but her trot is kind of weak. What are some suggestions for a warmblood stallion around Oklahoma? Theyre a little difficult to find here without being insanely over priced
Not to be mean, but it would probably make more sense to spend the money on a nice baby rather than risk breeding a grade mare of unknown breeding and getting something that may not be physically suited.
She’s a very nice mare with a good mind that I would love to have a baby out of otherwise I would buy a baby but I want at least one foal out of her. And I’m not going to just go with the cheapest stud I’m very specific with what I want I’m just asking for suggestions 
[QUOTE=Highflyer;8917527]
Not to be mean, but it would probably make more sense to spend the money on a nice baby rather than risk breeding a grade mare of unknown breeding and getting something that may not be physically suited.[/QUOTE]
Agree with this. Buy a baby already on the ground. Your mare does not sound as though she is of breeding quality, and frankly you don’t seem knowledgeable enough to determine whether she is or not. Additionally, choosing a stallion is far more complicated than just picking one that happens to be cheap and nearby.
If you don’t know enough about hunters to know not to cross with a draft, you don’t know enough about hunters to be trying to breed them. There are enough unwanted grade horses in the world.
Wait, so your mare is a TB X Perch, and you want to cross her to a draft? I personally love draft Xs and a friend of mine (and COTHer) has a lovely draft X jumper - but that cross will make a 3/4 draft 1/4 TB. That is a very unlikely candidate for a successful hunter. Not to say it wont be a good/nice/useful horse, but look at what is winning in the hunter ring right now - not 3/4 drafts. If I had a really nice 1/2 draft mare, I would probably look to cross with a TB stallion or a lighter WB (trakehner type maybe) stallion.
But all that being said, breeding an F1 horse leaves a lot of room for some interesting… surprises in the offspring. I likely would not do it.
She’s not full half and half that’s what they said to try and jack her price up by calling her a “warmblood”. I was able to contact the original owners and she is three fourths throuoghbred and 1/4 draft.
You might look at an Irish Draught stud. They tend to be lighter than most draft breeds, and most have excellent jumping ability.
There’s a list of breeders:
http://www.irishdraught.com/breederslist/
[QUOTE=Count_thestrides;8917583]
This is what they used as her for sale ad http://pin.it/UtLJBh4[/QUOTE]
That doesn’t call her a “warmblood” at all–it’s pretty explicit that she’s a Perch cross, which is also obvious by the very Perchie head.
I’m not saying she’s not a useful horse for you, or that there aren’t very useful draftXs out there. But they’re not winning in the hunter ring anywhere but possibly little local shows. You’re not going to find a stud worth breeding to for less than you paid for that mare once you factor in vet costs for repro exams, AI, foaling etc, so I agree with the above posters that you’re much better off spending that money on buying one rather than breeding it.
Not to mention the risks of breeding a 15 year old, possibly maiden mare.
