Is my Draft horse okay to jump?
April 15th, 2009 | by drafthorse |
StarsAreStatic asked:
I have a 4 year old, 18.1 HH shire mare.
I have a 4 year old, 18.1 HH shire mare.
She is currently in training for dressage (and doing brilliantly!) and cart.
I’m interested in going over jumps with her, but I’m not sure if it is safe for her. 
I have gone over small jumps with her…No higher than 1 foot yet, but I’m sure she can jump higher.
Anyone have any opinions on this?
(Some info on me: I’m 19, 5′2.5, weigh about 105 pounds.)
TOMMIE
21 Responses to “Is my Draft horse okay to jump?”
By budteresa on Apr 17, 2009 | Reply
I think it would be safe if done in a gradual manner. Starting with trotting poles, then raised trotting poles working up to crosses to which she can still walk over like 1 ft, this will teach her to jump through the center work on the approach which is straight with a balanced rhythem . Take your time with the low jumps work on form before height. As long as you do not rush the height and balance the dressage and driving she should be fine, I would only work on the actual jumping once a week, and gradually increas as she ages. I wouldn’t start any real height for another year or so to ensure she is finished growing and developing. I wouldn’t expect great heights from her but as long as you do not push her.
Keep an eye on her legs and note her behavior to the jumps if she starts rushing or refusing take it as a hint that she one isn’t enjoying it or it is hurting her I know this sounds like common sense but for some they see it as difiance, since she is heavier and not built for jumping it is your responsibility not to hurt her, but poles are always great for any horse and would not hurt at all.
Just thought I would clairify what I stated.
Good Luck
By Amy S on Apr 18, 2009 | Reply
She should be just fine. Just don’t jack the jumps up too high too fast. Not ony can it scare her, but she is still young, and the wear and tear on her legs and joints at such a young age isn’t worth it. So yes, jump her, but raise the jumps slowly. I would keep them under 3′ until she’s at least 5 or 6, then go up from there as much as you and she are comfortable. Have fun
By Road Apples on Apr 21, 2009 | Reply
Aww I think it would be really cute to jump your mare!
Just keep in mind that she has a LOT of mass she needs to get over those jumps, so she may not be able to do much higher than tall crossrails (like 18 inches). Start low (a foot is great), and work your way up slowly. Because of her height, she may be able to do up to 3 foot. You just need to make sure she tucks nicely, because those hooves are HUGE! I jumped a draft once, and his dinner-plate-sized hooves chipped almost every rail.
I just noticed the age of your mare; since she is a draft breed, it takes longer for her joints to mature than smaller breeds, so at this point, her joints aren’t ready to take the abuse of jumping. She will probably have to be six or seven.
By peggylu on Apr 21, 2009 | Reply
this is just an opinion but i don’t think jumping with a draft horse is a good idea. i just don’t think they are built for it. too much body weight. like i said just an opinion.
By super_goofychick on Apr 21, 2009 | Reply
it’s not a good idea to jump a draft horse… especially at 4 years old. draft breeds are not even designed to ride, they were bred and developed to drive and pull. their legs cannot take the stress of impact landing a jump and drafts run an even higher risk of injury, falls, and early lameness if you jump them too often. small jumps like you mentioned shouldnt be a problem but i’d never jump a draft more than 2 feet for any length of time (like multiple show years). if you want to jump you really need a light horse breed or a cross
By emeraldblonde5 on Apr 21, 2009 | Reply
Well you can jump your mare, because all horses can jump, just not every horse has great jumping ability. I would think that jumping 1 foot would be ok, but I would be cautious about raising it any higher. These are my reasoning’s.
1. She is only 4 years old, and as a draft horse she is no where near done maturing yet.
2. Draft horses are huge, and heavy. Yes she may be very tall, and jumps will look small for her technically, but there is a lot more weight to carry over the jump. I see this as a potential(and likely) problem.
3. I think you can jump to an extent, but not more than once or twice a month. I think it could be a great way to give her diversion from dressage and and driving, but should never be pushed for it.
Good luck with her!
By john r on Apr 23, 2009 | Reply
shires are a little more adept at jumping than other draft breeds but they need time to mature.at four years old they will need another two years achieve full structure and muscular maturity so you are not having joint problems later in the life of the horse,plus draft horses need to find their gate that they can work with and sometimes it doesn’t match up with the layout of a course set up for lighter horses so you may want to reconsider your choices.in war horses were expected to go where the rider wanted and that included logs,ditches and bodies so i would keep the jumps lower than the natural lift of the front hooves for right now.
By Katie on Apr 26, 2009 | Reply
I know most of these are not shires but they are drafts and look pretty good over fences.
Flip to 5 minutes. The first part is warm up:
Just one still pic:
Nice jumper:
Shire over small fences:
Bad quality and poor rider but its a jump:
These videos were meant to show that drafts can do low jumps. I think she will probably be able to go higher in a couple years but is a little young/probably under developed at the moment.
I would also try to find a trainer that knows how to work with drafts and won’t push them too hard or too fast.
EDIT: Just found my responce to people who don’t think drafts can really move:
Really big, really fast horses
By Greg B on Apr 29, 2009 | Reply
There is no reason she should not be able to jump just like any other horse. I have seen a Clydesdale do upper level jumping and know a Shire/Appaloosa cross that does eventing.
As long as you bring her along slowly, teaching her should be just like training any other horse - she’s jut bigger.
By horse_freak333 on Apr 30, 2009 | Reply
drafts arent meant to jump, but they are fantastic at it!!!
if you arent really sure, you can just call your vet.
he could tell you if its a good idea or not.
good luck!
By Debi on May 2, 2009 | Reply
I wouldn’t advise pushing the issue at the moment, she’s still very young and needs to develop more but there’s no reason why you couldn’t jump her in the future - just don’t expect her to be super-athletic.
I bet she looks fantastic doing the dressage though.
By SO BORED~ on May 4, 2009 | Reply
do it after youre done dressage training. she could get very confused. after dressage, lunge her over some jumps.
By DF92 on May 5, 2009 | Reply
My personal opinion is that if she is doing dressage okay, then she probably would be just fine going over small fences. I’ve seen some draft crosses that weren’t even that big, they just were way too heavy on the forehand to jump or even do dressage.
It only would concern me if you tried to take her over a fence more than 3′. Horses just weren’t meant to be that big, and there’s going to be too much bulk. ESPECIALLY if the fence is solid. One little accident and she’ll just flip over it =[
You know your horse better than anyone else does. If you’re confident that you both can do it, then you can.
By Alex N on May 7, 2009 | Reply
Its fine. You should work on trotting poles and some low jumps because she is still young. Once she gets 5 or 6 you can start going higher from there but make sure you dont push her too high. Other than that she should have a problem since she is a really tall horse.
By tkt117 on May 10, 2009 | Reply
I ride a Shire/Tb cross in dressage. While my horse is not energetic enough to jump, many of his siblings are jumping 4 1/2 foot fences with ease. So don’t be fooled by their size, they are quite athletic and agile. However, being 4 years old, she will not completely mature until she is 7 or 8 years old. So you must take care with her joints to make sure you are not putting to much stress and strain on her. If you are concerned you can have a vet out to x-ray her knees to see if her growth plates have fused.
Once her knees and joints are okay, she will be perfectly fine for jumping. I know a lot of people think it is crazy to jump a draft… but I have seen it done many times and they are fantastic! Good Luck!
By dudet#12 on May 13, 2009 | Reply
go slow with her… Draft horses have history with jumping problems somethng to do with there bone density…but if aloud to build there density gradualy they can make good jumpers. hope this helped
By walrus on May 16, 2009 | Reply
I don’t see why it wouldn’t be safe. Just make sure you get some lessons and take it slow because she is still pretty young and she’s still developing.
Some people think that because drafts are so big that they cant jump. But with a good rider who keeps them balanced, they have a lot of potential. I had a Belgian who was a fabulous jumper. A lot of people didn’t take him seriously because he was so big and pretty unconventional. But he jumped over four feet and was great in the jumper and equitation rings and on the hunt field.
So yeah, I think your biggest concern should be her age, not her breed.
By crazy kitty girl on May 19, 2009 | Reply
1. to trolls who think draft horses cant be ridden: What did knights ride? goats?
2. you can jump a draft horse, and really it all depends on each horse like any other breed. conformation and if the horse is willing to do it play a major part if the horse is able to jump.
3. yes i know people will say draft horses shouldnt jump, because they’re heavy and it’s hard on their legs. but draft horses jump and run in the fields when they have a mind to.I wont go against that, but you can over jump any horse. you just have to learn the horse’s limits and not to over push them.
4. i’ve jumped a draft horse, he loved it and did it with ease. we didnt jump him as much as the other horses.
5. i personally, from what i’ve read and people i’ve talked to think it’s best to hold off on jumping till 5 or 6 just because the hores isnt done growing yet. but that’s just my opinion
By Horse Luvr Girl on May 20, 2009 | Reply
I think you should stick with doing 1 foot jumps OR LESS. Make sure that you dont wear out her joints at such a young age. Just stick to the small stuff for now.
I have some draft horses to! They are Gypsy Vanners. But they’re way smaller than yours. LOL! I love big horses! Good luck with your horse!
By Jumper88 on May 20, 2009 | Reply
I mean if shes really heavy then no I wouldnt jump her. Drafts are not built to jump there built to pull. I Think 2″6′ would be a safe hight for her, to be safe on her joints and hocks
By mulegirl_ash on May 23, 2009 | Reply
At the barn my friend boards at there is a 3/4 Perchron gelding who is about 17 hands and very heavily built who jumps over 4 ft. Loves it. Has been doing so for a couple of years now and is showing no ill effects, this suprised me as I had thought his front legs would have started breaking down or showing stress due to the impact of landing that much body mass on them repeatedly… but he seems fine.
I have also jumped a full Clyde, but no higher than 2′ as he had no real aptitude for it.
Honetly, I would discuss this with your vet. I’m sure that they would have an opinion… Maybe they’d do some xrays periodically (after she begins jumping) to see if your mare was showing any stress in her front end not visible to the ***** eye?