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Jumping full drafts

4K views 14 replies 10 participants last post by  Ozzys mum 
#1 ·
I know this issue has been discussed before, but I can't seem to find where.

Anyways, I am officially going to be the owner of Delta, a 12-year-old registered Percheron mare! Whoop whoop! She's super-sweet, but very green, especially for her age.

Aaanyways, I was just having some fun, walking around on her bareback today in the arena, and she happily walked over some groundpoles with no hesitation whatsoever.

I've always had a small interest in jumping. Never to be a grand-prix competitor or anything, but to able to pop over small jumps (always under 3' ... I'm a huge chicken) is very appealing to me, especially if the horse enjoys it too.

Would it be okay to do small jumps with a full draft? Whenever I mention it at my barn, I get the weirdest looks, and somebody even mentioned that it wouldn't be "right", beacuse drafts aren't phsyically built for it.

Thanks in advance :)
 
#4 · (Edited)
I used to show a Percheron mare who is a total cutie.




And I've jumped plenty of drafts.. I don't see why not? I've never done over 2'6 or 2'9 with them but still.
GRANTED, I think most of them were crosses, but I could be wrong. There was one draft named Sherman at the barn I used to ride at, and I remember everyone disliked jumping him because - well, he was built like a draft and moved like a draft. Slowly and with way too much effort.
 
#6 ·
I don't see anything wrong with jumping drafts, as long as the jumps aren't too high. I'm hoping to make my American Cream into a schooling level hunter.
 
#8 ·
We leased a Belgian once that happily leaped over 2 feet+. BUT, that was over a log .on a trail ride Haha.

I am sure that small jumps(maybe even some big ones) would be ok.

And drafts are already huge, so you will really feel like you are flying. =]
 
#12 ·
The Eventing Percheron Blog, go look it up! they are great! Full percheron and does well at low levels of eventing. Alot of great fox hunters are full draft percherons!
 
#15 ·
Any horse can jump, its a matter of can they do a course of jumps - and yes some full drafts can and do.

At the coast there is Kendall Venning, who events with her full clydesdale mare, and also does jumper rounds, I believe she does around 3'3 - I think, not sure about the height.

I have Ozzy, who is a full clydesdale, and he's jumping at home at 2'9 - 3'0, at shows we are now competing at 2'9. Although typically he is clearing the jumps a lot higher then they are.

We are just very careful about what we ask for and we practice, practice, practice.... lots and lots of flat work, and we don't jump our show height all the time at home, a horse only has so many jumps in him - regardless if he's light or heavy.

Its just a matter of do they like doing it, or do they prefer to crash through the jumps - I don't think if your horse likes to smash poles that your going to be all that successful at jumping then.

Ozzy is in amazing shape, and we keep him at a very tight weight, he is not at a halter show weight, or out of shape if we are jumping. In fact other then his enormous head - if we were to shave his feathers, at times he looks more warmblooded.

He has a website, which I haven't updated for awhile, but it chronicles some of the struggles we've gone through to get him light and safetly jumping. ozzyclyde.weebly.com

Here are some images I have of him jumping from last year.


And my favorite jumping image....
 
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