Experience with ridden shire horses

[Hack4fun]

Are shire horses remotely practical as a ridden horse? I am interested in people's experience. Just to explain a little more, the ridden work would be hacking often on quiet roads but also some forest tracks, mostly walking but some trotting, up to a maximum of about 12 miles but usually much less than this. Thank you.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

Yes, a Shire could do what you are asking about with no problem. There are showing classes now for ridden heavy horses. They are big horses, though, everything you buy for them has to be enormous and is usually expensive because of that. If they are shod, the shoes usually need to be specially made. And ime they eat a lot.

 

[Hack4fun]

Thank you. I should have added that I would hope not to need to shoe. The horse would live out and either graze or eat ad lib haylage from large bales, along with 17.1hh and 16.2hh 'normal' horses. I have no particular desire to show.

 

[Surreydeb]

We had a ridden shire for 20 years, although he was small at 16.2h. Fantastic horse, great hack, would also jump and gallop with the best of them. Most honest horse I've ever owned. Had to have bridle made as didn't sell extra full in those days. No more expensive to keep than my current cob as lived off fresh air!

 

[Equi]

Reserve the shoe debate until you see how they go. I think they are generally a shod bred due to their work load and showing traditions. They can do it, of course, and many people do ride them but it wouldn't exactly make me want to go and buy one even just to hack. Just the general care of feathers on grass etc would be too much for me and the fact many have premature leg issues purely because of how they have been bred for so many years to have legs that fit into the plough marks. What is the reason for getting this particular breed?

 

[OrangeAndLemon]

Love my Suffolk but as others have said, everything costs more cos he's bigger (except tack, saddle was second hand from saddler, bridle was a standard price but made to measure). On the bright side, you won't see me coming back from shows having spent up on him, his size isn't usually in stock.

They really have to be perfectly behaved and anything that size with their own opinions can be terrifying. If they stand on your foot you'll know about it.

Mine is a gent to ride and his only vice is planting if he isn't sure about something (we haven't been together long) and if you're going to get off, getting back on needs some thought. If he is spooking at something you can tell because he'll go slower. He has lovely paces with an exceptionally bouncy trot but which can lengthen and collect.

The downsides of riding a draft horse are that you have to work very hard to get them off the forehand and develop and maintain the right muscle, and don't underestimate how long it takes to groom and bathe a horse this size, and transport has to be thought through (mine literally weighs a tonne)

They are very intelligent so learn quickly. I love mine but I'd volunteered with heavy horses before so had an idea of what I was taking on. If you can, spend some time around horses this size before you consider buying and if you're on a livery yard, check the staff can handle a horse this size.

ETA. I'd intended to only have shoes on the front but the routes we hack meant it wasn't working, he got foot sore and we've got shoes all round. They only had to be made the first time, and when he lost one. The farrier now has the right size available and he orders in advance.

 

[Snowfilly]

I have a ridden Clyde and previously a ridden shire. The shire was a makeweight in an exchange, so I didn't chose him. He was 17hh, very forward and bouncy. He sold to a teenager boy for hacking and hunter trailing and I occasionally see pictures of the pair of them going hell for leather across an open field. To be honest , clipped and plaited up, he didn't look much different to a big hunter.

The Clyde is a nightmare - at 18.3, all his tack is specially made (7.5 inch bit!) (7 foot 6 rugs!) and I wouldn't have brought him as a riding horse because of this. Hi I wanted a Clyde for showing and he's great for that and looks lovely in harness so our hacks are a bonus. We don't canter in small spaces because he's so gangly but he's a delight to ride, although a long way to fall!

Things to think about more than riding - farrier costs, a few won't shoe or trim heavies, potentially limited show classes, the amount they churn up the ground, the sheer width of some of them isn't great for your hips, and mounting blocks need to be extra high!

Feather care is easy enough if time consuming as I oil them once a week.

If you ever need to sedate them, the take enough to knock out an elephant, and wormer doses are a fortune.

Good luck! And find your county heavy horse group, most areas have one and they'll happily lead you onto the dark side

 

[abbijay]

Well, I've had a ridden Clydesdale for the last 8 years and I wouldn't change a minute of it.
I wanted a horse I could safely hack in any traffic but what I got was a horse that has taken every childhood horsey dream and fulfilled it for me. We went on fun rides, we started showing and even managed to win at county level, we tried our hand at eventing and got placed, we went hunting and now we're learning dressage together and blimey this horse has a natural talent for collection and lateral work! Will a shire horse do what you want of it? Is there a sensible horse out there that won't? Just don't limit the shires to being gentle plods.
There are perhaps 2 things you need to consider:
Firstly, stables, shoes, transport, rugs, haylage, wormer, etc. Everything needs to be bigger. They are not cheap. Some heavies who have never been shod cope well unshod but they do tend to breed poor quality big hooves into them so do not rely on it as a guarantee to stay happy in a decent level of work. Mine costs £120 every 6 weeks to shoe and we're not overcharged. I can't move to just any yard as the boxes aren't big enough and the time I didn't have transport but needed to rush my boy to horsepital I couldn't ask anyone (of 15 people with transport) on my yard to give me a lift, he didn't fit and I had to call in some huge favours!
Secondly, they generally have fabulous temperaments but there are some seriously opinionated, bolshy ones out there. Even the good ones have it in them and when 800kg of horse leaps about it can be quite intimidating and there is no stopping them. My yard joke that my boy has to have 2 days a year where something happens, the rest of the year I let my kids ride and handle him but when he decides to get his knickers in a knot I have to grab a very large pair of brave pants and tell him quite clearly to respect me. If you are looking for a shire because you think you are in for an easy life you probably will be 95% of the time, the other 5% you need to make sure you've had your Weetabix.
I would strongly suggest, as others have, that you get some time to have a go of one. I can highly recommend both Cumbrian Heavy Horses or Adventure Clydesdale to give you a proper experience of riding one and make a decision for yourself.

 

[AdorableAlice]

Shires are not born 'gentle giants' they are made into gentle giants if they are in the right hands.

Many Shires are sharp, I have a half bred, large vanner x purebred mare, who looks like a Shire but is only 16.3 and he has been as sharp (in a good way) as a needle. Very very forward going, very anxious to please and gets panicky at times. He was a bag of nerves and very difficult to deal with until he was 5 but going the right way now at 6. He is doing novice dressage, moves well and finds collection easy.

He is in 7'3 rugs and extra full bridles, Farrington saddles fit him nicely. He did eat a lot as a young horse but now at 6, I have to watch his weight, he has little to no hard feed but goes through hay or haylage big time. He has good feet but they are flatter than ideal and he does need fronts to do any roadwork.

 

[SEL]

I used to ride a 3/4 shire x 1/4 TB. He was around 17h and with a good rider was great. Unfortunately a novice bought him and he learnt to run away on rides and caused 2 people to have nasty falls.

Luckily he was sold on again to an experienced hunt home and they couldn't sing his praises enough - but I agree with posters above that they are big strong horses so don't expect a plod

 

[JLav]

Not Shires but Clydesdales.....check out these guys.....trail riding across Dartmoor on pure bred Clydes. They are fantastic riding horses. https://www.facebook.com/adventureclydes/

 

[poiuytrewq]

We had one at a yard I used to work at. Years ago! I was 17 and small so not really one of my rides until one day I apparently looked miserable so my boss asked if I could ride anything on the yard what would it be? I said him and from that day on I don't think I ever got back off him (too far down )
He was just awesome, incredible power. He loved going for a good burn across the fields. I even started having jumping lessons with him. He'd not jumped before but took to it with such enthusiasm. I'm not sure if he was a stereotypical shire but he was one of the best horses I've ever known

 

[Pearlsasinger]

Not Shires but Clydesdales.....check out these guys.....trail riding across Dartmoor on pure bred Clydes. They are fantastic riding horses. https://www.facebook.com/adventureclydes/

IME, I have had both, Shires are sharper than Clydesdales. Although I was run away with by a frightened Clydesdale, come to think of it!

 

[GirlFriday]

I've certainly rode a couple at RSs who were (with what I think are called grass-reins although, I forget, might be daisy ones - something to stop them getting their heads down to graze with novices on top anyway) really sweet actually. The feeling like thunder of a good canter was awesome - plus, if you fall 'off' you mostly fall onto another bit of horse - like riding a table!

Having said that I did see a novice come off properly on a hack and the horse just stood there calmly waiting for him to find a way back up. Neither of us were really big enough for them (we were light and also riding 14.2s and below on occasion!) but wanted to give it a shot and loved it.

Having said that these were also trained for vaulting so were very used to riders doing unusual things.