Are Draft horses good horses to own for children?
May 9th, 2010 | by drafthorse |
*I love my Quarter Horse* asked:
I am looking at Drafts because I heard they were good at jumping. Would they be good for an 11 year old that shows, does english pleasure, and all of the other english riding classes and jumping + showmanship?
I am looking at Drafts because I heard they were good at jumping. Would they be good for an 11 year old that shows, does english pleasure, and all of the other english riding classes and jumping + showmanship?
Thanks
She is very tall.
draft horse sales
18 Responses to “Are Draft horses good horses to own for children?”
By viggochk on May 12, 2010 | Reply
I would go with a Haflinger which is a type of draft pony. they average about 15 hands and are great with kids. i had one for ten years, she was a great jumper and she was great with kids of all ages as well as adults.
By ShaunaHorseLover on May 15, 2010 | Reply
Well they can be tough and rough. Usually they are well mannered because they are gentle giants. For an 11 year old, she should be able to show it, handle it and everything. Don’t buy it for her unless she’s able to control dead-sided horses.
By Horseluva on May 16, 2010 | Reply
Hmmm…well, they are big and harder to control. Yeah, Halflingers might work but I’d go with an Appendix Quarter Horse.
By Road Apples on May 17, 2010 | Reply
Eh, many drafts I know aren’t too good at jumping. Sure, they’ll go over the jump, but they prefer not to.
For a kid, I would get a sturdy pony or a small horse.
As mentioned by other users, Halflingers are a really good option.
It’s really hard for a little kid to use enough leg for a draft to feel it and respond to it, and I **** seeing little kids use crops/ whips.
By SO BORED~ on May 18, 2010 | Reply
they have a good temperment, and are great jumpers. so, yea, that would be good. get a gelding. really calm.
By Cait on May 19, 2010 | Reply
I would choose a smaller horse for a child. Like quarter horses they do all the things listed that u said and are very calm. But if ur kid really likes jumping then thourghobreds are great for that!
By redneck harleyy on May 19, 2010 | Reply
warmbloods are excellent jumpers but are also very pricey! but you can deffinately go with a haflinger, and i bet that he/she could handle one because they arent to big!
so yess i would go with a haflinger!
By CTJ on May 20, 2010 | Reply
Hi There,
Draft horses are amazing creatures. They are huge yet they are usually totally docile. Having trained many shire stallions, having imported many draft horses from England and having personally owned many tb/shire cross horses here is what I have learned over the years.
1) Draft horses are very gentle, they don’t scare nearly as easily as the regular light breed horses and they hold true to the name gentle giants HOWEVER you will still meet some that are crazier then a thoroughbred. Like with any horse a lot depends on the training the animal receives.
2) A draft horse is A LOT of horse. They may be gentle but they are huge. A lot of them are not nearly as sure footed as a light breed horse because its harder for them to get around and be agile. They do not make the best jumping horses as they are so large and hard to handle over jumps for the most part as they really do not prefer it.
3) Continuously jumping a draft horse can cause a lot of soundness problems as they were never bred to be jumping horses. English pleasure may be suitable.
4) The most concerning thing to me is a jumping horse for an 11 year old that is a draft horse. I agree with the first poster, perhaps a haflinger or something but a draft horse? If you go to the shows you will likely not find a draft horse in any sort of jumping with an 11 year old riding. No matter how hard I try its hard for me to imagine that an 11 year old no matter how experienced they are would not have problems controlling such a large animal in such a demanding sport.
5) A draft horse cross makes an excellent jumping horse a lot of times and mostly keeps the docile attitude of the draft horse. In my breeding program we usually get the attitude of the shire and the athlete of the thoroughbred BUT I still don’t believe that is the best horse for an 11 year old.
Personally I would suggest you rethink your plan just because of the above but I am sure other folks will share good opinions as well. No matter what you decide, best of luck.
By Driver on May 22, 2010 | Reply
Draft horses are generally not that good at jumping, and probably wouldn’t be the best mount for a child. However, draft crosses can be very nice horses and good at many horse sports including jumping (I had a Percheron/TB that was an awesome jumper).
By ? on May 25, 2010 | Reply
I can tell by the answers here, who is familiar with drafts and who isn’t. Now, for jumping, draft crosses are great and are in great demand. They are rounder boned, which means that they are colder blooded (not as hyper) and can withstand a lot of physical work. The person who mentioned a “dead sided” draft horse is generalizing, and without merit. Any horse can be made “dead sided” and drafts are neither immune nor prone to it….it depends on the rider. Percheron crosses are very good at everything that you mentioned. When you are searching for a draft, don’t assume that you have to settle for an unrefined head, throat latch and neck…you don’t. A good draft is a good horse and you don’t have to settle for less.
By dnea63 on May 25, 2010 | Reply
ahhhhh no…they are pulling horses..they may be able to jump but they are huge..it really doesn’t matter how tall your 11 year old is…the horse will be wayyyyyy taller…and i have never heard of children being allowed to do showmanship with a draft horse…or jump with a draft
there are plenty of smaller horses out there that are used for the purposes you are looking into…this is not one of them
i wouldn’t even let my 11 year old near one..they might not see her and trample her!!
they can be very friendly..but they all have their bad days…and guess what..?? they get their way
By equimatch on May 29, 2010 | Reply
yes! a draft (or cross) would be a good option. i’ve seen the haliflinger suggested. you can check out what’s availible in the draft and draft cross market, by going to but you will need to sign up for an acct, if memory serves.
i have a friend who uses her very heavy belgan for sport horse classes. she’s quiet, and handles well. she always comes home in the top 3 when they show…they show against warmbloods.
best of luck.
By Sophiesmom on May 30, 2010 | Reply
If you want draft i would go with a cross, draft and whatever. I have a draft cross and she is big, i would never think of jumping her over a little log. .
By Someone in MI on Jun 1, 2010 | Reply
I agree with most of the commenter’s that a draft may not be the best option for a youth’s jumper. Draft horses can be very docile but not as agile as lighter horses.
A Friesian is a light draft that is quite athletic. Maybe check into that breed as well.
EDIT: I was thinking about this a little bit today - since I don’t know about the experience level of your 11 yr. old, or how many shows she’s done etc., I feel limited as to the answers that can be given. Now, if she’s just starting out and has never shown before, a nice bomb-proof grade horse would probably be a really nice starter for her. She’ll be learning as she goes and can “upgrade” horses if she needs to later on. It’s quite an expense to get a Friesian, Halflinger, etc., because they are specialty breeds with high price tags. I had a few grade horses that were more talented than the purebreds. I was just having more random thoughts. Sorry that I can’t be of more help, I just don’t know too much about your 11 yr. olds situation.
By little_whipped_mousey on Jun 2, 2010 | Reply
go with the halflinger or a halflinger cross, geldings are the best,totally bullet proof animals ,and the halflinger crosses can jump with any of the horses,they arent fast tho,so for speed events they cant compete .they do very well in english type classes also generally having a smooth gait and looking good under any sort of tack.The G/F has a halflinger cross draft pony thats been show champion in a dozen classes more times than I can remember and end of year grand or reserve grand several times in a row also. Great childrens horses, and way smarter than quarter horses and not prone to any behavioral issues.
By Flying mop dog on Jun 5, 2010 | Reply
No. There are plenty of horses that are good jumpers without being grossly oversized for the child. Some of the best jumpers going are Irish Draught crosses but they are simply too big for an 11 year old.
By Sharon M on Jun 7, 2010 | Reply
Draft horses are cold blooded so they don’t have a fiery temperament were the thoroughbreds and warmblooded horses are but heavier types like cobs tend to be quite bargy and can be strong and if you dont handle them properly can push you around draft horses and warmbloods both have good temperaments all in all light horses can sometimes be better then some draft horses i suggest you keep looking and consider some of the things i said,
it don’t really amtter what breed the horse is as long as it does the job you want it to and is suitable.
Hope this helps…
By June .B on Jun 8, 2010 | Reply
NO because they can hurt young children and even adults very severely