Someone mentioned about the white feathering on the clydes.... I didn't even consider this to be a problem but now I can see how it can be. I love leg action though... had a morgan at one point and he had great action... real flashy and I like flashy... so is there another draft that would be good??
2006-12-11 23:39:33 · 6 answers · asked by horselady 2 in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
You should be looking at carriage horses rather than draught breeds.
Do you have vehicles in mind? The Horses need to match the vehicles & pairs are easier to manage than teams - both for transporting & manouvering.
My choice would be Cleveland bays - they are a traditional carriage breed and the even coloured bay coats compliment wedding dresses.
If you want smaller animals look at Friesians, lipizzaners or even quarter horses. If you want really flash you need a pair of Hackneys.
http://www.workingcarriages.com/ may give you some ideas.
2006-12-12 00:18:33 · answer #1 · answered by sue 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I mentioned the feathering on that clyde driving post, it is good to know people read :) If you have the extra time and do not plan on putting your horse into muddy pastures, they should be fine. My mare's feathers are constantly a yellowish/offwhite color- I can't get them white anymore.
Shires have good leg action, though I haven't seen many as cart horses (not sure why, could just be price or availability), Percherons do as well. Personally, I like a gray percheron pulling a cart, if you are going for looks.
Clydes are the best known for the high knee action and paddling out, but all draft horses should do it to some degree, some individuals more than others.
If you are going for a very high end clientel (and have the money to buy them)- you could go with heavier style fresians- that would be very flashy and they have the black feathers- no mess. A team of fresians could pull a decent sized cart for 3 or 4 people. Another possibility as a lighter carriage horse could be a draft cross- you could get a half clyde and possibly get some of that knee actions.
2006-12-12 08:28:46 · answer #2 · answered by D 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Black Percherons are beautiful horses in a team. They are a lot of work to keep shiny and clean looking, but it is worth it on a sunny day, they just shine. As for the white feathers on the Clydes, a good shampooing works great. You really need to stay with a draft horse if you are in the business of SHOW. A Morgan is a flashy horse but not for a carriage business. If they spook the race is on. A Morgan is a working horse but not to pull a carriage, put him on a cattle farm and he is in his element. You need a calm and slower horse for a carriage service. I don't think anyone wants to go the the Races when heading to the wedding reception or thei r senior prom. If you want less work go with the Clydes if you want real SHOW go with the Blacks, a little more work but wait till you see them shine.
2006-12-12 09:25:22 · answer #3 · answered by tbird 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Depending on the size of your carriage you could do any of the light harness breeds (Morgans, Saddlebreds, Cleveland Bays - which I love) or a larger draft breed as you mentioned. I would suggest going to a draft or driving show and seeing what you like. If you're looking to buy straight out of a hitch, most likely you're going to want to buy a pair that is accustomed to being out front of the hitch (usually a front or second pair in a multi horse hitch). The true draft hitch horses that i have been around are very high energy, especially if you buy them out of a hitch because you like their action. Unforttunately if you look at pleasure driving horses, they are not usually going to have the action that you are looking for unless you go into a smaller light harness horse - Morgans, Freisans, Saddlebreds. Check with the owners and breeders at a show and see which ones would fit your personality better. I personally would look at Percherons as well as the Clydes. If you wanted a smaller draft pony, Haflingers are more manageable than a large draft, but have the same action and drafty "look". Good luck with your search...
2006-12-12 10:26:29 · answer #4 · answered by skachicah35 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm having this problem in reverse-I want a horse drawn carriage for my daughters future wedding and we have a great trio of standerdbred horses and no carriage.
2006-12-12 07:51:25 · answer #5 · answered by rcdc_wva. 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
percheron
shire
2006-12-12 17:04:04 · answer #6 · answered by Kelly J 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋