As the title states- anyone have one? What are you doing with them? I have been offered a yearling and while she’s super cute, I don’t know if I want another baby and don’t know much about the breed.
As a small child, I actually rode two! Did LL eventing (BN) and dressage (Training). They let us little kids putter around on them, bareback through fields, games, all the silly kid things we used to do. Both were absolute saints and lazy as could be. I remember them being VERY food motivated 
One lived into his twenties and the other is still kicking (has to be pushing 30).
I met two about a decade ago. They looked like small draft horses, or cobs. And quiet. Not super athletic, more trail or husband horse material. At the same facility I also watched a young Belgian Warmblood/QH cross. Gorgeous jumping palomino! I was a bit confused about the huge difference between these horses until I realized the palomino was a Belgian Warmblood cross, not a Belgian! I would absolutely take on a horse like him. The Belgian QH, not really.
I assume you are asking about the Belgian when you refer to breed.
Depends on what you intend to use your baby for.
Belgian is a Draft breed, built more to pull than ride.
If you are planning on doing Dressage or Jumping, things like downhill build & hip angle can make either really difficult.
Driving, OTOH is suitable for Draft breeds & lines up with the way most are bred.
Belgians are also prone to stifle issues & PSSM.
@fanfayre Gorgeous!
Sounds like you won the DraftX Lottery.
I based my Caveats on a friend who got a pair of Belgian yearlings - 1/2 brothers - he trained to drive as a team.
Both had to be put down before they reached their teens due to locking stifle issues.
A couple of my fave stories feature the pair:
–Friends had 6 other horses besides the Belgians & one day, when friend took the team out to drive, a gate was left open & the other 6 went for a run.
They live in Amish country and their roads are not heavily traveled,
Wife heard the escapees run past & was getting ready to get the truck out to look for them when all 6 came pelting back, full gallop, ran right back into the field.
She shut the gate, just in time for DH to come up the drive with the team.
Seems the runaways ran into him coming back from his drive, took one look & headed back home.
Belgians did not even think about joining the race., just continued at their road pace.
–Visiting I once watched the pair following a cat in their pasture. Noses down, ambling after the cat…
Said my friend: “They’re chasing the cat” < @ Belgian Speed.
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Hey, we have one of those at my barn! She’s TALL (close to 18hh, I think), chestnut with a beautiful flaxen/“strawberry blonde” mane, and has some nice chrome. She’s used primarily for vaulting, but her owners had me do some cross-training with her a couple of years ago and I actually took her to a dressage schooling show just for fun. For being a four-year-old (at the time), she held it together pretty well, and we came away with scores in the high 50s. I’ll have to try to dig up some of my photos of her…
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This is mine in his prime, i.e. about two weeks before I bought him at age 9. He was running training with a pro in this shot. Sadly, I took a gamble on something on his PPE and lost. I only made it through about one season at BN before it became apparent There Was A Problem. He didn’t care too much that he wasn’t sound, but even BN just felt mean so I competed him for a while at the unrecognized 2’ level. Technically he’s a Belgian x Spotted Draft, but that means he has a grandparent who was a paint. Also means he was 3/4 draft, and he is pretty thick, but spry and a very good jumper. I don’t know if his heaviness contributed to his soundness issues, or if that was just bad luck. He is an ambassador of goodwill, and everyone knows him everywhere he goes. He’s like Norm from Cheers. There’s a bit of a Shetland Pony streak in there. Nothing mean, but just something to put you in your place if you started to think you knew how to ride a horse. You might be cantering one way and suddenly cantering the other way, but he would always take you with him.
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A girl I went to college with had one- he was gorgeous! He looked very much like a chestnut Friesan. He was a total all-arounder and packer. I believe she still has him (in his 30’s now?) and carries around her very tiny daughter
Thanks All. Seems like most draftx are love em or leave em. I’m going to pass.
