Full Irish Draught advert - Why so light?

Goldenstar said:
They certainly do ,the one I got in the December of his five yo year from a dealer he came over in the May just backed and looked tall ( he's not at 16.2) and gangly however he had Lots of bone huge hocks and knees he's now seven and people who have not seen him for a while think I have got another one .
He's literally filled out to match his bone and looks better for it , the bad thing is after having an easy time since he arrived with his diet I will now have to start watching him carefully .
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I agree- We have bred several, all well done as youngsters, one mare I sold at 4 measured with SJI at 147cms (14.2hh), she still has the same owner (now age 12) and she now measures 15.2hh. Another I sold at 5 measuring 15.3hh made a good 16.2hh by the time he was 8.
I dont think Irish Draughts mares should really be above16.1 or 2, they seem to lose type if they get too big.
 
stormox said:
I agree- We have bred several, all well done as youngsters, one mare I sold at 4 measured with SJI at 147cms (14.2hh), she still has the same owner (now age 12) and she now measures 15.2hh. Another I sold at 5 measuring 15.3hh made a good 16.2hh by the time he was 8.
I dont think Irish Draughts mares should really be above16.1 or 2, they seem to lose type if they get too big.
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I agree on height I won't view one that more than 16.2 .
Fatties 16 HH and H is a full up 16.2 he was advertised at 16.1 when I bought him but he looked as though he was going to finish at 16.2 .
Fatty although lovely to look at ,very dark bay looks black nice white stripe but he's got a broad head and is light on bone for his top ( for my taste ) I looked at the bone on viewing and hummed and haaed but his character was shining at me I could not turn him down .
Of course in any breed there's a spectrum of types you just need to look at Tbs see that they go from slim 14.2s to big NH types like mine .
I won't get a brood mare again I am too old to be able to make the youngsters but if I did I would buy an ID .
 
Bonkers2 said:
I noticed this ad too for the same reason, it s bizarre, but if you look at Welsh Sec D, the original type was ride and drive and possible light ploughing. They vary in size and type, but they are passported and presumably breed registered.
It happens in both horses and cattle: fifty years ago Clydesdales were cow hocked for showing, and Aberdeen Angus were "belt buckle high" ... both are now nearer to the original working / fattening type.
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I agree about Ds. There seems to be two distinct types, the smaller, lighter built ones with distinctly pony heads, and the chunky, larger ones with horse heads. These tend to have very square muzzles too. I would have said that the former were overgrown Cs and the latter, the traditional D.
 
Going on the D's that I see around here, the smaller ones with the pony head are the quality animals. In the quest for breeding height, the quality is lost to a certain degree. The big ones that I have seen in the flesh are narrow in the chest, weaker looking due to conformation faults and have a more 'common head'. Where as the smaller ones tend to be wide chested, good limbed and strong. I know which i would buy.

I do like Janet's grey a lot. He looks to be an older gentleman in the photo, but the quality and excellent conformation shines through. You could scale him down to 15.2hh and he'd still look in proportion.
 
Faracat said:
I do like Janet's grey a lot. He looks to be an older gentleman in the photo, but the quality and excellent conformation shines through. You could scale him down to 15.2hh and he'd still look in proportion.
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Thank you. He was gorgeous. Very sadly, lost him to a severe colic - aged 22 - 2 years ago. He was incredibly athletic. At 20, he gave me my first (and last) experience of riding a capriole - that was HIS reply to a large lorry that revved up his a*se and wouldn't stop when I asked him (it was a VERY narrow lane.) Having a horse's hooves 12 inches from his windscreen stopped him - and he turned off. It was 5 minutes before he could bring himself to start again! I DO have lots of his daughters in the breeding herd - and a 3 year old colt by him I hope will grade (it has Daddy's fab temperament - but I'll always miss him dreadfully. He was very special.
 
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