Convincing parents into getting me a clydesdale

So there is a perfect clydesdale for sale for me in my city. Very pretty and not a thick clydesdale. My mother thinks the bigger breeds are harder to handle and it's too stong (dont know how that is when I handled my recent wild caught brumby filly that bucked and reared all the time, dangerously) and that 3000$ is a lot for a clydesdale.

Tell me some pros and cons to help me convince them.

I've handle big horses so many times before.

I wouldn't say $3000 is a lot for a clydesdale, depending on the level of training, it's bloodlines, conformation, etc.

Personally, I've never handled a draft. I cannot speak from firsthand experience, then, but only tell you that I've heard wonderful things about their temperaments. They are reported to be gentle giants, level-headed with willing personalities. That is, of course, also dependent on their level of training.

I don't see why a clydesdale would be a bad choice, given that it has good manners, rides well, and you click with the particular horse.
The only issue I see, if all the above are a go, is tack. Drafts require different tack and shoes, so there is an added expense to the initial purchase if you don't already have those items.

Oh, btw. Here are plenty of folks who will tell you just what makes a clyde so awesome. ;)
Anybody Here Own Clydesdales?

Tell yourself why you want the horse. Tell yourself about what you will do and your dreams and your plans. Tell yourself how much work you will do for it. Tell yourself why you need it. Tell yourself why it is worth $3000 of someone elses money.

Then fix up the grammar and such and tell us, and perhaps someone on here will help your phrase it better, make your arguments more persuasive. But we can't make the whole argument for you, we don't know why you want it. We can just make up something magical.

So far I would say:

Pro - You want it

Con - It costs $3000, it will cost more to keep, you'll probably have to buy new tack, gear and rugs to fit it, it might be too big for stables/floats,

I actually already have a saddle that would fit this horse perfectly. The stable that it'll be kept at has kept off the track TB's that are 16hh+ and definitely wouldn't be as 'sweet' as a clydesdale.

This horse has basic education and has been wormed, feet done etc. It does have good confirmation looking from the picture.

I will mainly be pleasure riding, some pony club, trail rides.
I know Clydesdales are known to be 'gentle giants' which is way better than a wild caught brumby filly.
I prefer bigger horses and I have over too much time to dedicate to him .

Yes Clydes are pretty and big and gentle BUT there is one thing you are forgetting the cost of maintaining him. They eat more. Shoes cost more.

Even though the saddle fits a TB doesnt mean its going to fit a CLYDE. A saddle may fit one horse and not another even if the same hieght. Alot more into fitting a saddle then hieght.

That's *if* you can even find a farrier to shoe him. My old farrier wouldn't touch a draft with a ten-foot pole.

True and some drafts require stantions to trim or shoe I have 5 out of my 12 that require stantions

And expecting to do pony club on a pure Clydesdale might see you laughed out of the place... They are really too tall for anything like mounted games, as well as having far too high a centre of balance for it, and whilst many Clydesdales and Clydesdale crosses jump and do dressage, it isn't to say every one will, as they aren't built for it and are bred to be more on the forehand than other breeds.

They eat A MASSIVE AMOUNT, you'll need specially sized rugs, tack (bridles especially you'll probably have to order in, and seriously don;t assume a saddle for a 16hh TB will fit a Clydesdale that is probably twice as wide) and remember that an ordinary sized stable won't be comfortable for a full sized clydesdale for long periods of time either.

The farrier point is a good one - outsize shoes and the fact that they have to deal with all that feather and the likelihood of something that weighs 3/4 ton+ leaning on them... and that's if they're well behaved.

And handling tall horses is very different from very tall and very heavily built ones like Clydesdales. Especially young Clydesdales. Oh, and worth investing in steel toe boots if you haven;t already got them - even with my proper protective leather boots I got a broken foot when one stood on me by accident.And because they're so docile and not as reactive as something like a TB, they didn't realise they were standing on me, and I didn;t have enough leverage to move them over...

And if you're going to attempt jumping etc, I'd recommend a decent body protector. It's a long way to fall, let alone if you get fired.

Not to be negative, but I've known a few people buy Clydesdales who really weren't prepared for all this, and subsequently the poor horses have sat in a field with their owners nervous of handling them and too scared to ride.... and it's so sad, as they're lovely horses!

Oh, and $3k is nothing. A decent bred Clydesdale here will fetch £7k (around $12k US I think?) for a fresh-broke two-year-old with no training, and the minute they have the training put in the prices skyrocket...

The saddle-- we've compared to the saddle the current owner uses it's the exact same...brand and all!
It's WAY too hot ALL year around for rugs here, it doesn't need shoes and there is plenty of farriers around that do draft horses.
There's an outback/heavy horse tack store here that has all the tack etc.
Feed is not a problem.


Where I live to any of you is VERY different. I also wouldn't consider buying a clydesdale without considering all of this stuff. I'm mainly on this thread looking for pros for owning a clydesdale not to get talked out of it.

By the way I never said anything about the saddle fitting a TB.

Where do you live, then and we may be able to give you better advice.

Even for my area in Germany 3000 for a just broke, with basics is a LOT of money- worming is by the by and should be done regardless.

Also, expect as you do more work that the saddle fit will change due to muscles.

Have you looked in to other horses?