Heavy horses - who has one?

I am interested in looking into buying a heavy horse - Clydesdale, Shire or Irish Draught type.

Does anyone have a heavy horse? If so, how easy are they to care for? Expensive? What are they like to ride? etc etc. Oh and photos too please

I have owned a clydesdale that I have ridden, I find them to be very safe, not as highly strung as my other horses, I got her for dougie to ride, bought her as an eight year old mare that had never been ridden, she never put a foot out of line,

as you know my farming friends breed clydesdales, On the whole they are a lot less work/problem than any of the warm bloods, they seem to be very healthy, the only problems we seem to see with them, is a bit of mud fever on really wet years, clipping the feathers will stop most of that though,.

My friend has a Clydesdale.
She shows him in hand but he is rideable.
We used to have a Clydesdale at college too that used to partake in normal lessons, he was actually a pretty good all rounder, we used to jump him, hack him and he was pretty well schooled.

Obviously an ID are the most popular riding type of heavy horse, and when you cross an ID with a thoroughbred or a warmblood of some sort you can have a fantastic animal!

They obviously need a larger than average stable (if you have a real "heavy horse" like a clyde or shire) and they will eat more obviously being bigger!!
But can be surprisingly adaptable to a "normal" horse life.
Think of them as the great danes of the horse world!!

Things to think about though are expense, the fact that they may not fit into an average horse box and you will need a decent farrier who is experienced in shoeing large feet!! Their shoes will be more expensive too!

What do you want one for Moobli?
A pet, ride, drive or show? X

I can recommend the Irish Draught this is her 16.3hh, very beautiful and gentle. Rides like a dream and is the perfect lady...



Ive worked with Shires, but only in the capacity of driving them. Also gentle but dont let one stand on your foot!!!

not the best photo, will try to find some others,



this is me on Arabella's lad Monty, hes clydesdale x TB, {NB} Never ride with just a bit of rope and no hat....its silly.
these are the only photos I can find of him though,

Thanks Shona. I had totally forgotten your friends breed Clydesdales! D'oh! Do they have a website?

Cheers for the info. I am quite new to horses really, but have fancied getting one for a while. I am going to give myself 6-12 months to really think about it, let Ben get a bit bigger, and visit as many heavy horse places/shows as I can, as well as getting some riding experience in.

Do you have any info on heavy horse shows or places I could visit and/or have a ride in this area?

Thanks for all that Honeysmummy. I have lots to consider. I don't think that land/space and expense will be a problem, but certainly something to bear in mind.

As I have said to Shona, I am quite new to horses so am hoping to ease myself in with a gentle giant, who will be a pet and an occasional ride, also as a companion to our shetland pony. Do you know whether the police sell their retired horses ... one of those would be perfect!

I have a friesian, not sure if you'd class her as a heavy horse, she's not as big as a shire, but is classed as a draft in this country!

She is a very easy keeper, lives out 24/7 and i just feed her with sugar beet and barley to keep the weight on her.

Friesians can also be prone to mud fever, though my mare has not had it.

Heavy horses are often ideal for new riders if you'd not intimidated by their size. They are, on the whole, a lot less "hot" than most warmbloods so easier to manage on the ground, and ridden.

I believe Clydies are pretty expensive to buy, there are loads of crosses for sale at the moment!

Oh my goodness, she is absolutely beautiful! Is she yours Luz? She is just the kind of horse I have in mind. Would you like to sell her?

Thanks for the pics Shona. I love Monty - he looks a real gentle giant.