Introduce Your Drafties!

Love this thread!!!
Please will someone start up some US show classes for cobs/mini drafts like the UK show cob classes where they are shown hogged/roached with clipped legs - a braided mane or shorter would be OK but these extra long manes/tails and feather aren't always practical and our girl is now redundant. If we left her legs unclipped they would grow thick feather. We bought our mini-clyde (as far as we know she is a clydesdale x arabian) as a 4 year old from a Brightwells sale in the UK, she was probably only 3 as just broke and ridden lightly on. She was for our then 14 year old son as a replacement for his outgrown pony. She is quite a forward going ride, never needs more than a gentle nudge and keeps going at that pace until asked for something else. She is more likely to spook at an imaginary gremlin than at a huge noisy truck, we've never had to 'desensitise' her to anything as she happily accepts anything you throw at her. She is bossy if she gets the chance, will round up her field buddies like a sheepdog and adores attention - can be a bit demanding of it when the farrier or vet come!!! In 2007 she and our two other horses left the UK by trailer, boat, plane and trailer (and a spell in quarantine) to eventually arrive totally unflustered in their new home in the US. Our long haired (just a phase) 5ft son is now 6ft and much heavier, she still carries him happily and her little face lights up when he comes home from college.

Some of you might know me from another forum I chat on. I kept my same username so there is no confusion if it is me or not. I wanted to join another forum that had something a little different. So here I am. Sorry if you already know me, I'll post this for those who do not.

I raise, breed, and train Registered Percheron draft horses in Michigan. I am breeding horses that I am trying to stay true to some of the original characteristics that made the Percheron great. All my mares stand under 17hh. I also document and study blue roan, and bay Percherons. Blue roan is very rare in the Percheron draft, but bay which is even more so, is on the verge of extinction. 16 breeding age and sound horses remain. I am hoping to make a difference there as well.

I own a blue roan Percheron stallion by the name of Ace. I also own 4 mares; Wixi, Indi, Lore, and Meg. 2 blacks, 1 blue roan/grey, and 1 bay mare. Next year will be my first breeding season with Ace as I just purchased him at the beginning of this year.

Glad to be here, and hope to keep posting.

This is Ace





(put his bow on crooked, whoops.)

And these are my girls. First Wixom





Indi






Lorelei




And last but not least, Meg

I'm in love with all of your horses and especially in love with the fact that you are staying true to the origional breed characteristics and not following the show/hitch scene! Love that they are all under 17hh!!! Short and stocky is totally the way to go! I'd rather brag about what a brick powerhouse my horse is than brag about how tall they are! Kudos!

I'm sure some people don't consider them drafts but I sure do..so I'm sharing!
Meet Tolef! He's a 4yr old Norwegian Fjord. 14.3hh He's being used for trail riding but I would like to do extreme trail courses with him and would LOVE to have him pull a cart! I also dream of tilling my garden with him! HAHA
He's like a big kid..always being silly but always so kind. Love the draft horse personalities and gentleness! Sorry for so many pics..I can't get enough of that boy!

Bodi-I love your Indi! Reminds me of my big chested/butt Belle.....before her sway back. I just wish the tails wouldn't be docked. Can't they just be braided during work?

My Belgians have full tails... I keep them trimmed up above the hocks, and they are still long enough to braid if I ever actually "work" them haha... I love how Sam looks when he's trotting and strutting his stuff with his long mane and tail.

Thank you. She is quite a chunk of a mare, and always in my business. I've owned her since birth. Her dam is actually Wixom. Lorelei is her maternal sister.

As for the tails. They could, but would definitely need major trimming. Every draft I've met undocked, has a tail thick enough for 3 horses. Believe it or not the bay mare is undocked. I cut her hair quite short. I hacked all her mane off when she arrived too. Indi and Lore, though docked, can grow tails to their hocks. I keep them cleaned up short incase of visitors. I make it a habit to go out and flyspray my girls to keep them comfortable. Because of that, all my drafts flyspray free standing.

I dock them at a few days old and try to make it as painfree as possible. I make sure to measure so they can grow a reasonable length tail if necessary. If a foal was bought in utero or at birth and it was requested a long tail, I would respect that. :)

I like them docked, providing they are done properly and of proper length. Simply my personal preference.

[QUOTE=ThatDraftGirl;1554342]My Belgians have full tails... I keep them trimmed up above the hocks, and they are still long enough to braid if I ever actually "work" them haha... I love how Sam looks when he's trotting and strutting his stuff with his long mane and tail.

Only in Belle's dreams.....

That is interesting. I didn't realize that the correct length of the dock would allow the tail to grow. I wish Belle's would grow. I fly spray her well too, but the big B52 bomber horseflies will land directly in the center of her butt above her tail where she can't reach.....and no tail. I try to keep a tail cloth extension on her, but the little knub doesn't allow her to fling it around too well. She loves it when I flyspray her....she just stands there like she is so thankful freestanding like your guys. She is wonderful. I love the breed.

I had to go back and look. Poor Belle is docked just as short as Wix. I actually one year took joined tail hair from a Haflinger/Belgian cross, and my Morgan, a couple sections of binder twine, braiding, and tied a mini swish in for Wix like that one year. She had just enough tail hair for me to make one thin small tight braid and I had to work with that to keep the hair on. While I worried about her hanging it up on stuff, at the same time I thought anything had to be better than what she has.

We actually learned where to do it from our first team of mares. Those girls could grow thick, swishy tails, yet were still docked that if they needed to show, a little cutting here and there and you had a nice cleaned up horse again.

It irritates me like you wouldn't believe when they just give them nubs. Now that I think is not very nice.