Anyone got a Belgian Draft?

soulfull

soulfull

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I bought my first one about 8/9 weeks ago. 4/5yr old 16hh

He is a very loving and cuddly lad. Slightly nervous when 'people' do something different to him, but otherwise he is pretty bombproof.

I've rebacked him as there was so much missing from his training and found out he had previously bucked 2 people off.

So far so good. He is doing walk trot (huge) and a little canter and hacking out nicely.

I'm rather surprised that he actually doesn't feel huge or wide to ride. He does feel very powerful and bis a proper wobbly baby bless him
 
Sister has a Westphalian Draft, in her 20's and absolutely wonderful :) She is absolutely traffic proof (and pretty much everything else proof too!) has as big a character as she has body :) She is fantastic with anyone who may be a bit nervous of her, loves children (of any species :) ) but will take advantage of people who think they know what they are doing and try to tell her! She is amazingly empathic. Everything is supersized to fit her, as she is 16.2 and built like a tank.
How tall is your Belgium Draft?
 
Is he a European Belgian - with feathers and a bog brush mane - or an American one - ginger without proper feathers?
You can't tell us this and then not share a picture!!
I had the delight of riding an Ardennes once and he was SO wide and an old sharer of mine had a Trait du Nord on loan for a while. I think they're gorgeous but they always seem to have a bit more personality (stubbornness) than my Clydesdale.
 
YorksG said:
Sister has a Westphalian Draft, in her 20's and absolutely wonderful :) She is absolutely traffic proof (and pretty much everything else proof too!) has as big a character as she has body :) She is fantastic with anyone who may be a bit nervous of her, loves children (of any species :) ) but will take advantage of people who think they know what they are doing and try to tell her! She is amazingly empathic. Everything is supersized to fit her, as she is 16.2 and built like a tank.
How tall is your Belgium Draft?
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she sounds really sweet. He is 16hh and built like BIG cob. He may well get bigger though lol

abbijay said:
Is he a European Belgian - with feathers and a bog brush mane - or an American one - ginger without proper feathers?
You can't tell us this and then not share a picture!!
I had the delight of riding an Ardennes once and he was SO wide and an old sharer of mine had a Trait du Nord on loan for a while. I think they're gorgeous but they always seem to have a bit more personality (stubbornness) than my Clydesdale.
Click to expand...

Must be European as he is strawberry roan with feather and lots of mane. (I'm just learning about the breed)
Haha I think they can be stubborn, teddy will try and halt if you let him, but so far he seems to enjoy having a go at whatever I ask.
webble said:
Please can we have some pics added to this thread people!!
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https://goo.gl/photos/ptS95aY2R1FaPyHz9. Hope that works
 
Me! He's a Belgian Ardennes about 14h and 14h wide - particularly at the moment because he's working on his winter waistline. Working on it well I might add....

He's my cuddly teddy bear and I need to work out how this forum does photos so you can all give him virtual hugs and snog his nose.
 
SEL said:
Me! He's a Belgian Ardennes about 14h and 14h wide - particularly at the moment because he's working on his winter waistline. Working on it well I might add....

He's my cuddly teddy bear and I need to work out how this forum does photos so you can all give him virtual hugs and snog his nose.
Click to expand...

Cool. Lol about waistline. I love how cuddly they are
As for photos I opened a Google online photo storage, clicked share and then posted the link
 
You would put her to a TB to get a warm blood and we think that this was how she came to be in England, she was born in Germany, on a Westphalian stud (her grandsire was called Enorm :) ) and imported through Holland. Our best guess is that someone imported her for the foal she was carrying and then sold her on a year after import. She is a superstar!, currently standing in the field looking after a ewe and her unintended September lambs, with a look of absolute sogg on her face :)
 
I am not sure that she (Westphaliian) would appreciate being called 'sweet', OP, she is TOUGH!:D She will take on the world, if she deems it necessary! Cross her at your peril! But she is fiercely protective of her people and other friends and has the softest marshmallowy nose, which, if she is pleased, she presents for a kiss. We call it 'snog training'! A bit like c!Icker training for people:D
 
Yup - so the one on the left is Militaire who is Ardennes and the other one is Trait du Nord but with Appaloosa thrown in. Her mum came out of a meat herd in France and apparently they like the variable skin colours because they have a secondary use in the fashion industry. These days though I think most horse meat is coming via Eastern Europe. I always say the Appy has the tummy of a draft and the legs of an Appy!
 
SEL said:
Yup - so the one on the left is Militaire who is Ardennes and the other one is Trait du Nord but with Appaloosa thrown in. Her mum came out of a meat herd in France and apparently they like the variable skin colours because they have a secondary use in the fashion industry. These days though I think most horse meat is coming via Eastern Europe. I always say the Appy has the tummy of a draft and the legs of an Appy!
Click to expand...

Lovely
 
Regarding the bucking, Soulful, I've just found out that your chap's breed has a 92% incidence of EPSM/PSSM. Many are symptom free, but if you do get any more behavioural difficulties or apparent 'laziness', you could try treating him as a PSSM case.

Lovely boy :)
 
My friend has one she did endurance on - he looked very odd amongst all the Arabs but was well able to hold his own. She very sadly lost him after he ingested a small piece of metal, believed to be from a Chinese lantern which lodged in his spleen.
 
ycbm said:
Regarding the bucking, Soulful, I've just found out that your chap's breed has a 92% incidence of EPSM/PSSM. Many are symptom free, but if you do get any more behavioural difficulties or apparent 'laziness', you could try treating him as a PSSM case.

Lovely boy :)
Click to expand...

Thanks. I have thought if this as have in retirement the first ever horse in the UK to be properly diagnosed with EPSM.
Teddy is very forward and loose in his gaits. But it is something I will be monitoring.

I think the bucking was just a baby pushed too far.
 
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