19.1h >>>>>>>> I mean, that's just HUGE!

CeeBee

CeeBee

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My Harvey is pretty huge, but at 19.1h, that's almost a foot taller than him!
Lovely looking horse, but finding things to fit must be a nightmare :D
 
I had one of those...oh if only moments when I saw the ad!!!! I'd love to have him but stable too small, grazing not good enough, the expense of shoeing, saddle, tack....the list of reasons why not is way too long. :(
 
I ride an 18.3 5y/o Irish draft gelding, gettting things to fit is a bit tricky particuaurly rugs he takes a 7'6 rug and most makes dont go that big, his owner is about 5ft though and he is the sweetest horse ever and put his head down to put his bridle on and is so good to deal with,

im about 5'11 so dealing with him is pretty easy although a large fence is necessary to get on board, and he is also like a barrell so is super comfy to ride, the saddler and back lady both need steps to treat him though and for some things like teeth the vets would rather take him in to deal with him

she describes him as the biggest labrador she's ever had
 
Hate to say it, but if he's done well in in-hand shire showing he won't have the conformation for brilliant ridden work - a shire's conformation is all about close hocks and generally built to pull not carry :)

He's also too expensive, IMO. I'm sure I remember the Shire horse man I know who is one of the top breeders doesn't get more than 3k for any of his stock he sells, and the 3k ones are really really top serious show quality.
 
We used to have a 19.1 shire gelding, ride and drive. His headcollars were specially made as his head was so large, his saddle was an XXwide 17 and a half inch but we had to have all sorts of girth extensions. He was sent off to be broken to drive after he was backed, unfortunately they were pretty harsh with him and when he came back he'd never again accept a bit. This was before we got him. We rode and drove him in a hackamore.

We had loads of wonderful times with him, and a few hairy ones as well...the day i was long lining him round the village and the vicar tried to squeeze past us in his car. Ollie took umbrage and sat on the vicar's car bonnet. Honestly, I didn't think vicars knew such a lot of rude words. The day Ollie joined the hunt, they were going through his 25 acre field so he thought he'd go with them...
Tragically we lost him when he got an infection through a puncture wound in the bulb of his heel. The infection travelled up his leg and although it was responding to antibiotics he suffered a massive heart attack. I found him dead in his stable. One of the most awful days of our lives, my husband cried like a baby. as did I.

But....fabulous once in a lifetime horses, such amazing characters.
 
When I worked with the shires the youngster stood about 18hh and still growing at 4, but as Naturally said, they all had increadably close hocks - thats what the show men like, although my boss and I are old school and didnt like it much.
All our headcollors were made specially and the harness weighed a ton!
To give you an idea, their shoes were £120 a set, and they ate the following 4 times a day:
2 scoops manger mate (specialist shire chaff)
2 scoops cool mix
2 scoops bran
6 carrots
4 slices of hay
They did live in though as they were brewery horses, when they went on holiday they just had 2 feeds a day of bran, chaff and carrots and some hay if the weather was v hot and dry or v wet!
I miss those boys so much though, wish I had space time and money for a biggy!!
 
Cor, I practically need a stepladder to get on my friend's 16.2! I would absolutely love to have a go on that beastie though, I bet he's a BFG. I've always loved shires, but my YO has said that if I bought one I'd have to keep it in my garden because she's not having something that eats and poops that much on her yard! What a beauty though. :)
 
Woooaaaaah.. wouldn't like to fall off that! You'd definitely need a mounting block to get on him, either that or a set of ladders? :p Could you imagine how tall he would be when bucking? lol :D
 
A moaning minnie comment I know, but you would have thought if they were asking that kind of money for him, they could have spent 20 minutes washing his socks/feathers before they took the photos?

He sounds a lovely sweet boy, and only down the road for me to go and look at, but a tad on the big size for me... Not to mention the logistics of owning one so big.
 
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