Riding Draft Horsses?

I have an 18 hand 2200 lbs. Percheron. I wouldn't describe him as slow and steady when he has a mind to jump right into a gait! He's very agile for his size and I've got a great stop on him.

Your inner leg muscles will get really sore until you are used to riding a couch wide horse. That's one of the biggest issues I have when riding after some time off. The walk and jog are really nice and smooth. The trot is about the same gait as a light horse galloping so that's really weird. My boy is pretty smooth but can occasionally get bumpy.

The gallop is like floating on air. We don't really use that gait much.

He can turn on a dime if he chooses, pretty interesting to watch. And he can go from a stand still right into the canter.

It's a lot of fun riding them. They don't need to be ridden heavy handed like a lot of people think. Mine works best on a nice light rein.

Don't feel bad, I was almost 25 years into my riding career before I rode a draft for the first time. He is huge and flat, super comfy bareback. His walk feels like those elephant rides at the carnival and his lope is to die for (though a standard horse has to nearly run to keep up LOL). His trot however, is the most uncomfortable thing I have ever ridden. I have ridden lots of rough travelling horses but Good God, nothing like him. I haven't been able to ride him enough to really accustom myself to sitting his trot. I have to either post or stand. But talk about quick, especially considering his size. All because of a kid on a bike, he went from walking one direction to loping the other direction before I could really react. He tried to buck with me once but that was more amusing than anything. Not quick enough to really make me think I would fall off but if I had let him get going, I am sure that the sheer strength would have torn me in 2.

I have ridden a few draft crosses that are just like any large horse and about average as far as smoothness. The two full drafts that I rode were night and day different. One was an 18 hand percheron and riding him was like driving down 50 miles of bad rode. Every gait was rough but the trot was unbearable. When he decided to buck there was nothing funny about it. He bucked me off four times in one day. He was honest about it but it was just way too powerful and once I got behind there was no catching up. The other draft I rode was a 17 hand shire stallion and he was one of the most agile powerful horses I had ever been on. Any gait you rode was like floating on air. Unfortunately I don't own the horse but if I did I don't know that I would ever need another one.

The first horse I would rather walk than ride and the second horse I would sell my left testicle to own.

I own a 22 year old 18 hand Clydesdale, we typically only use it for pulling a sleigh in the winter. However last summer I decided I would saddle her up. The person I purchased her from had said that they rode her one time and after they climbed a small hill she decided that was enough and laid down. It took them about half an hour to get her going again. That is the kind of horse she is these days, with her age and being overweight she is an incredibly good natured horse. I will sometimes lead the young kids around the field with them on her bareback. So decided I would give it a try, I put my western saddle on her, put some reins on the halter and off we went. I would agree that it felt like riding a tank. We rode about half way up the trail on our property, I decided that was enough I didn't want to push her too much. She has a nice gait but they are powerful!