Heavy Horse?

[stillnotjustamummy]

I've loved heavy horses since I was six... a field has come up opposite my house and I'm daydreaming about an older heavy horse in it. I'd have to do all the care myself. My girls are still too small to ride such a magnificent horse...
Please list all the reasons this is a really silly thing to do...

Its a fab idea! probably not at all I love heavy horses. I used to ride a shire cross. He was an absolute gent. A dope on a rope which is my kind of ride

I have an Ardennes. It sounds like a lovely idea but if he's anything like mine, he won't thank you for being kept on his own.

The feathers can harbour mites.

You would need a stable for an older heavy horse through winter.

The hay bill will be huge.

The ground would get poached.

They can have joint problems related to their size.

Don't do it. Most heavy horses are bred for being in harness. They aren't conformationally the best for ridden work but because of their size are used for larger riders which leads to more joint and back problems.

Have a nice cob instead. Or a pony for your dcs.

If the hh is up to it in health, soundness and temperament, and your DCs are ok ages, sizes and temperaments too, you could actually ride with a DC sitting in front of you and a DC sitting behind you or that's my happy experience anyway and certainly not attempting to encourage you at all

What do you have in mind - Shire, Clydesdale, Suffolk, what? And from where? Have you had much experience of them?

Although s/he'll probably need a social life - how about a pair?

If you can make it to Staffordshire in March, the National Heavy Horse Show is on.

It's a lovely dream, but the reality would probably be anything but. Keeping a horse on its own is cruel.
Depending on the size of field and the type of soil, the green field will soon turn into a quagmire, and both the horses and you will be miserable.
Adequate fencing will cost you a fortune, as will a shelter of a decent size, and hay.
Unless you have a friendly farmer nearby, you will have to invest in a tractor or at least a quad bike and equipment to maintain the field, which will also be very costly.
I can't think of anything positive to add, sorry!

Have you had horses before? They're not all gentle giants with great spatial awareness and a rude HH is a friend to no-one!

And yes, yes to Frouby's considerations.

Sorry, I meant National Shire Horse Show.

Frouby ours is ridden by my 7.5 stone daughter!! Admittedly, he's a smaller breed than most heavy horses.

Op - be careful - just because of their sheer size and weight, you really need to know what you are doing around these magnificent beasts. Manoeuveting them in to stables or horses boxes can be dangerous if they spook. Ours is remarkably agile and strong and can be a bit cheeky too!

Ours had to be on his own for eight weeks for various reasons and he got very stressed and depressed during that time.

Have known (and ridden) quite a few woman. Some are gentle giants, ultra polite and kind and would work until they drop.

But have known 2 with serious hock/stifle problems leading to pts. Probably half with mite/heel problems, and then issues around feet being done. Am happy to hang onto a pony wanging its leg about but not a heavy horse. And they don't do well out 247 as a rule though there will always be exceptions to that rule.

I do hanker after a suffolk punch though. Currently have a highland that is built like the proverbial outhouse but would really like a suffolk one day.

Bet your daughter looks like a little pea bless her, what is it you have?

Ours is an Ardennes Frouby; generally very kind - nothing bothers him much at all - but he can be a bit cheeky with strangers.

He lives with a mixed herd (he's reluctant to come in at night but when it's very cold they all come in to a large barn). What's funny is that when we first had him he'd been a riding school horse - let's just say small circles are not his forte - and he couldn't keep up with the herd who live in a vast undulating field, he was always way slower and way behind the rest. Now though he is so fit he's up with the best of them (even his "special" friend a spindly thoroughbred ).

Ooh I certainly envy you your highland. That's what we searched for initially (and a Connie) but they are as rare as hen's teeth over here (live abroad) and hard to find a good one in UK I imagine as they are so much in demand. Nearly bought an Icelandic but it failed the vets exam.

Love Suffolks too! Very sadly, aren't they rarer than giant pandas nowadays?

Happily DD is tall and has very long legs for her size!

Suffolks are very rare and very spendy too. One day maybe.

Highlands are fab but as you say hard to find. I ended up buying a 2 year old filly from a breeder, shes 6 this time. Very, very kind and loving but not adverse to taking the piss out of novices or people she doesn't like. She's also the cleverest pony I have ever known and I have had welsh ponies for years and an arab x. We backed her last year. My dd is a nervous nellie much to my dismay, but pony looked after her beautifully. She's supposed to be for me and dd to share but I can see me losing my ride.

I love her and trust her very much. Had sat on her once (after lots of groundwork) and had arranged for YO to come and leg me back up the day after but she had to work. So I managed to drag my fat, 40 year old arse back on by myself from the top of a feedbucket and had am amble round all by myself. Have not ridden for 20 years 😂.

She's had the winter off, but farrier here Monday, teeth check and possible wolfteeth out end of the month then am cracking back on.

I might not love her as much by the end of February 😁

I used to ride an ardennes as a child. Big grumpy git but mostly sweet under all that attitude and it was like sitting on a big comfy armchair. I wouldn't go for a heavy horse for your first one. Maybe a big chunky docile cob?

Good luck with it all Frouby she sounds really fab! . Hope your DD progresses well on her too.

Snap! Ours is also meant to be a mother-daughter share but I am not having much of a look-in currently (also I'm having abdominal surgery soon) but did a lot of fat-arse ambling before that AND a ton of groundwork (long lining in particular ) after a 15 yr break. It's great isn't it?!

Armchair is right Namechanged! I agree it's perhaps not an ideal first horse. But imhe many cobs turn out not to be as docile as first advertised!

I don't think the op is thinking of riding though is she? I think she wanted to give an old hh a happy retirement which is admirable but I wouldn't keep one alone.

No it's not a silly thing to do, but that does depend on how much experience you have with horses.
If you do have experience, pre DC for example, then things to think about - is it just a field or is there a stable too? Where would you keep your 'stuff'? Do you have room at home or could you put a shed up somewhere? Is there good access? Is there space to store your hay or could you roll a round bale in? Do you have enough time to poo pick etc every other day, without DC as its cold out there at the moment! Is it big enough to split into two so you can rest some?

You can't really have just one, so you would need a pony or mini to keep it company?

Even if they're not ridden, you will still need jabs, dentist, insurance etc.

But if you now all this and I'm teaching you to suck eggs then I'm really sorry and good luck in your search!! (And please come back with photos of horse once bought!!)

Not very silly no, but since you asked for reasons why not . As others have said you would definitely need to get a friend/companion for him or her if there aren't other horses living in the field.

Heavy horses can be a PITA to buy tack and rugs for (even XL horse size will often not fit and they need very wide gulleted saddles, very hard to find and fit), and obviously bigger stuff costs more. They also wouldn't necessarily fit easily into a standard trailer/towing set up, certainly not if you are travelling two side by side!

They eat a lot, would your budget stretch to generous hay and possibly some hard feed over winter, is the field big enough to accommodate such a big horse and still allow you to divide in two in winter and rest a part or would it end up picked bare?

Not all heavy horses fit the gentle giant stereotype, some do of course but shires in particular are known for actually often being quite hot and sensitive. I think as with all horses it comes down to good consistent handling and schooling but obviously with such a big animal it becomes more of a problem particularly if they forget their ground manners and start getting bargy or pulling....

They were never bred to be a riding horse so can have some confirmation issues, they tend to do fine as hacks but if you or your DDs ever wanted to get serious about schooling for dressage or do jumping etc you may find you struggle!

If you are hankering for a low maintenance horse my honest advice would be buy a steady cob or cob x , they still have the hairy 'look' but that bit smaller and easier to handle, and a better chance of becoming a nice mother daughter share in future. But if a heavy is what your heart desires then go for it!

It does sound like a completely silly idea.

Very few horses are happy alone and even two can pair bond which is a huge nuisance. How big is the field? You’d need 1.5 acres for the first horse and an acre for each horse after that, but the larger the horse the more they will eat and the more they will trash the field. At a minimum you need water to the field, but ideally you need a shelter, a flat area for he farrier and electricity for emergencies.

I had a Suffolk Punch cross. He was the liveliest horse ever but I viewed 15 horses before I found him and called about about hundreds. With a larger horse you may well need a larger stable, a large horse box and large rugs/tack/shoes. You’ll also spend more on feed, hay, workers, etc. I got me boy at 6yo and he was PTS at 21yo due to arthritis. It was horrible to see him struggle to move towards the end and he was more affected because he was so large.

Loveliest not liveliest, sorry.

Phew! A zillion reasons! I rode as a kid, took time out at uni, then sporadic lessons and hacks for last 15 years. I've never owned my own, so I think practically I will have to accept it isn't a good move. The field has shelter, water etc. The lady who has hers there currently once did ask about a share arrangement but changed her mind on the horse. Maybe one day!

Owning a horse is not a silly idea though.

Instead of breed, color and looks think about what you want to do with the horse. Presumably you want to ride not just look after a horse? Do you want to mainly hack or do you also enjoy schooling? Do you like jumping? Do you want to do dressage? The right horse will not be a breed but the horse who can help you do the things you want to do.

First time horse owners will find it a lot easier to keep their horses in large yards with facilities and support. If you have your horse on your own in a field you will have to deal with every behaviours problem and assess every medical need on your own. It takes a while to build up the knowledge base to be able to look after a horse on your own.

££££s! More of everything!