Draft horse, what do i need?
August 10th, 2007 | by drafthorse |
amandacosner asked:
I want to get a draft horse, can anyone tell me how big a saddle i will need, how big a stall i will need, and maybe a rough estimate of how much hay they eat per month in the winter. he will be grazing most of the time during the summer. thanks for your help!
i weigh around 280 lbs. so i need a bigger horse
GARTH
I want to get a draft horse, can anyone tell me how big a saddle i will need, how big a stall i will need, and maybe a rough estimate of how much hay they eat per month in the winter. he will be grazing most of the time during the summer. thanks for your help!
i weigh around 280 lbs. so i need a bigger horse
GARTH
12 Responses to “Draft horse, what do i need?”
By Bug Fuggy rawr! on Aug 11, 2007 | Reply
A big saddle. A big stall and lots of food. Horses don’t just eat grass and hay.
By missourim43 on Aug 13, 2007 | Reply
You might want to get this book from store or library
The Book of Draft Horses The Gentle Giants that Built the World Donna Campbell Smith New book that focuses on the History, Breeds, Breeding, Buying considerations, Health care, Showing draft horses, Draft Horse Pulls and using them for Pleasure. This book does cover briefly a few showing guidelines. Hard cover some color pages, 147 pages.
By Tamitay on Aug 14, 2007 | Reply
Why not just get a pleasure horse..A draft is huge, so is its feeding bill, shoeing bill, not to mention vet bills…Its going to cost you double of a regular horse to maintain. Your going to need a huge trailor to haul it to the vet too..Things to think about.
By kahnegirl on Aug 15, 2007 | Reply
They make draft size saddles. Circle Y makes them. Go on line & look up draft tack. I own 2 draft horses. They do eat more, but GREAT horses! I use mine for trail riding & driving. They are big babies!!!
By frogleg752 on Aug 18, 2007 | Reply
I am pretty sure “easy keepers” come in draft size, too. I would look for that. However, a horse needs to feel full all the time. Horse feed bags usually tell you how much a 2000 pounder needs to eat. That includes hay and grain. I would guess about 40 pounds of hay and 10 pounds of grain a day. A 1200 pound bail of hay will last you about 1 1/2 months. They run $60.-$100 each here in Texas. A bag of grain is about $10. for 50 pounds. I think the saddle will be the same size you have now, but the cinch strap would have to be long enough to fit around her belly. PS. Just because you weigh 260 does not mean you need a draft horse. Large cowboys have gotten along fine on quarterhorses for centuries.
By can76chaser on Aug 19, 2007 | Reply
There is all kinds of saddles & tack for drafts. Cricle Y, Tex Tan, they have draft tack. Go to their wed site & look at them. They do eat more, but wonderful horses!!! They make great trail horses.
By anna84 on Aug 22, 2007 | Reply
they make saddles just for drafts. aussies, english, or western. shoeing will run you more if you have a draft too. for a stall i would get 12 x 12. i like to give ‘em room. feeding depends on if you give them hay or cubes and even what kind of hay. i just use cubes so in cubes you would need 1 - 2 buckets. depending on his weight. i wanted a draft horse too, but i didn’t want to buy a new horse trailer or pay $200.00 for shoeing. so i looked into smaller draft horses. i bought a haflinger and a norweigan fjord and i love them. he looks like a hummer. shorter, but very very wide. take a look at some and do some research. drafts are usually very dosile. good luck
By Katie on Aug 22, 2007 | Reply
if him or her is a belgian then you need about a 16 to 20 inch girth and whatever saddle fits you. the stall probaly a slightly bigger one then a quarter horse stall and they eat no more than an average quarter horse
i have a belgian but that is all i know i am sorry i cn’at help you more
By Danielle B on Aug 25, 2007 | Reply
A lot depends on the individual horse. I have a full draft mare and she eats the same as any other working horse- 3 flakes of hay AM and PM (~9-12 flakes in a bale) and about 5-10 lbs of sweet feed. I do know of some drafts that eat a lot more than my mare, even with not even half the amount of activity (I ride 4-6 times a week)
Stalls- they fit fine in a normal 12×12 box stall. Saddles- for most drafts you need just an extra wide saddle. Depending on the brand and english or western, some fit well, others are not wide enough.
any other questions about drafts, feel free to ask, I have raised, trained, and bred drafts and draftcrosses since I was young.
Your weight can easily be carried by a stouter QH, draftcross or Paint as well- you do not need to limit yourself to draft horses, though I love them and stick with them anyways
By carriebhe on Aug 28, 2007 | Reply
Chick’s saddlery makes draft horse saddles as well as other draft size tack-http://www.chicksaddlery.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=1007
Valley Vet has draft size bridles and bits(example)-
You can also try the Draft Horse Resource, as it has many links to different sites that can be of help.
Depending on the size of your horse, I’d say that a 12′ x 12′ stall would be adequate, but I personally would want something like a 12′ x 24′, just because I’d more than likely own a HUGE draft. That combined with a lot of turnout time will help keep your horse happy.
The hay really depends on the horse itself, and how much its being worked. I’d guesstimate around twice as much hay for a draft horse as a “regular” horse, just to be safe.
Good luck!
By livingafractionatatime on Aug 28, 2007 | Reply
Just because your a big girl doesn’t mean you need a draft. I’m no small girl either. I’m about 5′3 and 200 pounds. I have a 14.3 morgan x QH and he does just find carrying me. What you’re looking for is a stocky animal that won’t make you feel as though you’re straddling a fence post. Drafts tend to be tall and if you plan to do any trail riding, you may want something you can learn to mount from the ground. Trust me it can be done. Older style Lippit Morgans make wonderful first mounts that are shorter, stocky enough to carry a larger rider, and a very levelheaded and are known to ‘ get fat on air.’ Not only are they generally easy keepers but both Morgans and QH’s are known for being good all around horses. As for the tack, each piece of equipment you get other then halters and leads will not be a general thing. The best thing you can do if the horse you find as a partner doesn’t come with tack you can work with, is go to a tack shop, or find a trainer or tack fitter to help you find a saddle that will fit your horse correctly without pinching, and be comfterble for you.
By WILLIAM H P on Aug 28, 2007 | Reply
you dont realyneed a saddle a draft rides real nice and theres a lot of room on its back they dont have a lot of speed .you have the rains and a hand full of hair and enjoy the ride. i have been on a couple of waggon trains and rode the drafts after we stoped for the night.