Shire x Clyde or pure Clyde?

cblover

cblover

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For those with experience of owning big draft breeds, do you have any experiences or opinions on which you feel is the most quiet and steady? A pure clydesdale or a clyde x shire?

And which sex would you choose, mare or gelding? I’m just curious really and I’m interested in first hand experiences. Thanks.
 
Shires are much sharper than Clydesdales but that’s not to say they don’t make good riding horses. They do but they’re definitely less forgiving than Clydes.

A very wise heavy horse breeder once said to me that any shire cross is worth considering but only if the dam is the shire. Not sure how accurate that is but he knows his stuff.

Just from personal experience, give me a Clydesdale every time :)
 
Clydesdale any day of the week. IME they have a calmer, easier disposition than Shires.
I'm personally more of a fan of geldings but I wouldn't say no to the right mare. I'm biased as Clydes are my all time fav breed, I've never met one or ridden one I haven't fallen in love with 😍😍😍
 
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My Shire x cob gelding (out of purebred Shire mare) is as sharp as a needle with a massive flight response, thankfully that is diminishing very slowly, he is highly intelligent, very willing, very kind and has taken years to produce. Even now at nearly 8 he is not a mugs companion.

My Clyde x ID mare is very forward going, has a wicked sense of humour and is frighteningly intelligent but not sharp. I would not touch another Shire and if you are looking for a pleasure horse that you don't want to or can't ride everyday you need to go for Clyde x.

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We have a shire x have had him from 6 days and he’s 20 now. He’s a perfect gent is absolutely rock solid and is a delight to take anywhere and handle is fantastic with novice riders. Hubby has taken him to pleasure rides upto 20 miles and coped with all terrain.
 
Thanks for replying. I have a clyde x shire and regret she isn’t a full clyde, albeit she does have a clyde passport and totally looks full clyde. She is a grade up filly...not that I totally understand that. Lol her mam is a shire and dad is a clyde.
 
cblover said:
Thanks for replying. I have a clyde x shire and regret she isn’t a full clyde, albeit she does have a clyde passport and totally looks full clyde. She is a grade up filly...not that I totally understand that. Lol her mam is a shire and dad is a clyde.
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Some ClydexShires have been registered as Shires, so yours might be a 3/4 Clyde really.
 
OOO I'd love to think she was mainly clyde but I have spoke to the guy who bred her shire mam and she was a quiet as a lamb according to him. In fact she was one of the shires that pulled the anchor from the titanic through London...don't know the whole story but I've seen pics.

I've tried to post pics of my mare on here but I'm not being very successful.
 
My Shire-TBX isn't sharp or panicky at all (unless we encounter nosey cows or she is in season). She's a steady, sensible horse most of the time -- does dressage, hacks, jumps. She's intelligent (smarter than many humans, I reckon), but without overthinking and getting stressed or using it against you. Puts up with me putting random friends on her. And she is 25 and still going strong (this pic was taken last year). Mum was the TB and dad was the Shire. Like a lot of breeds, it might depend on which Shire lines you have.

Would I get another? Possibly. She's a diva and has to be kept in the lifestyle to which she is accustomed and requires human slaves, so a tough-as-nails native that doesn't care so much about the weather/insects/grass quality is tempting. But that might not be a breed issue. It might be an imported-from-Colorado issue. 300 days of sunshine a year, baby. The other issue with the F1 cross is that there is no set type, for conformation or temperament. I have seen some terrible draft crosses. Gypsum dressage.jpg
 
We have shires. Most days they're all well behaved and mannerly. However they are all capable of being idiots if the mood takes them the same as any other horse. I think there is a misconception that the heavies are all dopes on a rope. Shires can be very sharp so a good trainer, for harness or ridden is essential. I believe Clydesdale blood has been introduced over the years which is evident with some that have silkier feather and the odd white splash. They are often referred to as "shiredales" even though they are fully registered shires.
 
3/4 Clyde for me but never had a shire. Mine would go everywhere do everything still had character. Actually reminds me of times when people would comment on him this particular woman had made a comment about him as she had some fancy warmblood type. One time I remember she met a horse drawn caravan on the road and I could see her riding away in front of me. Her horse went mental, I went up to her and she was terrified of the horse as it was rearing, mine could not careless. Gave her a lead home.

To be honest its all in the education, my boy had been all over town, even the supermarket carpark with all the trolleys etc. Keeping them in a sterile environment is no good, get them out seeing things and being able to deal with situations from a young age even if its just inhand.
 
In my very limited experience of having ridden two Shire x horses when looking for a horse for my husband, they were both fairly sharp.
 
She certainly has a lot of Clydesdale in her! Neither of mine looked as typical - one was bay and the other was blue roan. The only thing that gives her Shire heritage away, imo is her legs which are longer in proportion to her barrel than a typical Clydesdale. She is gorgeous, whatever her breeding is. The first Clyde mare I had was terrified of cows. When we bought her, we hacked her home, she didn't bat an eyelid at the ambulance or milk tanker that passed her on a narrow road but when we got to the field on the other side of the road with cattle in it, she had a panic attack!
 
Knew a fantastic Shire x TB gelding, very sensible not sharp, built like a Shire 18hh with loads of bone and the most enormous hooves. He was an absolute gentleman had an amazing amount of scope for such a solid horse and had affiliated eventing but not progressed because he just couldn't make the times! Did a lovely dressage test too. Really an all round fabulous horse worth his (considerable!) weight in gold. BUT I suspect from others replies regarding Shires he may be the exception that proves the rule.

Clydesdale geldings however I have ridden extensively and found them all to be pretty steady, sensible types but not athletic in the slightest! They will gallop and even pop a small jump but neither fast nor high nor for long! It takes a lot of steady work over a long period to get them fit for anything particulary energetic (though to be fair I am comparing them to my Arab!). If you are looking for calm, steady and sensible that's what I'd go for. They're my hangover horses!
 
ycbm said:
Having had both, I would say buy the horse in front of you, not a breed.
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I think this must be right, and I own a shire and a Clydesdale. The Clydesdale is definitely the saner of my two, but I don't have the experience to generalise to the breeds. Find a horse, you like, then look at its breeding. Horses of both breeds have fabulous temperaments by the way, and thoroughly enjoy people. If it is your first time with large heavy horses, then be prepared for well-intentioned but not always wise advice from others who are not used to them. The heavy horse communities on Facebook will help you. At the risk of telling you things you already know, they grow until about 7 so I wouldn't rush to get a youngster into work.
 
I have quite a few heavy horses .... a registered Clydesdale mare, she’s lovely, gentle and sweet. I also have a half Clyde who is a sweetie. My Shire is more dominant, herd leader, but pushes boundaries, my half shire is second in command. Both big personalities requiring firm handling. Full shire needs heavier workload and more groundwork or he will cause trouble. He eats twice as much as the Clyde and is more expensive to keep. He has three times the IQ. Shires are bigger, generally, need more work and a job to do that’s work suited to a heavy horse, like pulling something. I think Clydesdales also need work, but not as much, they look flashier, and their back leg markings are higher, making them look like they have longer legs, they are also more elevated through all paces generally, though you get the occasional shire that shows nice elevation.
 
Thanks Darlabean and Hack4fun - My mare is very gentle and I've worked on her ground work to make sure she is. I can move her with my fingertips and shes respectful. She's the boss in the field and puts her field mate in her place no problem at all but is very careful with people. She sort of commands respect in the way you handle her, which I like and she's not sharp as such, more quirky I'd say. There are areas on her she doesn't like touch and will definitely let you know if you over step the mark. I'm not sure I like this about her but it is the way it is so hey ho! She's not been backed yet and I'm in no rush as I know she still has plenty growing to do. She's had her saddle on and been long lined, all being fine but I'll introduce some weight on her later this year. She also doesn't hold her weight too well and doesn't have a big appetite but what I'm feeding her at the minute is keeping her looking well.

I've owned heavy cobs for years and clydesdale crosses but this is this is the first part shire I've owned. She looks like a full clyde though and has a clyde passport, as a grade up filly. Her sire is Thorpe Hill Challenger (Clyde) and her dam is Camalter Ruby (shire). Like you say tho....just look at the horse in front of you and decide from there. She was actually bought for me by my hubby for valentines day 3 years ago as an 8 month old. Bit of a pity buy really as she was very poor and we had no idea if she'd live to be honest but here we are 3 years down the line. Happy days. Be lovely to see some pics of yours if you know how to post pics on here. I'm still struggling.
 
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