Tell me about your Irish Draught

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Bunnymare

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As the title describes.... I'm currently looking into possibly getting an I.D. for myself and my husband to share. I've been used to thoroughbreds so don't know anything about the breed, their temperament, health problems, etc... Photos would be nice too 😊
 
I love love love my Irish Draught gelding, 16.3 by Merrymate, bought from Ireland as a 4 year old and 8 years later he is still my best friend and would not change him for a thing. As a breed I'd say they are the sort of horses who will turn their hoof to anything and are rather placid but also have the oomph for cross country hunting etc.

I've done pretty much everything with my boy, dressage, eventing, showjumping, hunting, endurance, and all the usual hacking and schooling at home. He has also travelled up and down the UK with me, and hasn't cared where he has got off the lorry as long as he has a haynet, I moved him from Edinburgh to Aberystwyth to go to university and then took him home every summer.

As for health problems, I can't say I know of many that are breed specific but like any other heavier bred horse, watching their weight is rather important, Taz is such a good doer in summer he's on restricted grazing pretty much from March to November, no matter how much work we do the weight will hang around (this is a horse who hacks about 60+ miles a week at uni and is fed next to nothing).

I would trust Irish Draughts with anyone, having been brought up on a riding school where they were the main breed because of their temperament, I have taught a few friends to ride on Taz, and he has been good as gold. Only downside to him, we go through a set of shoes in 4 weeks! But thats due to all the hacking.

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This is my boy fully fit out common riding (a scottish tradition)


Jumping at uni


Dressage at uni (Novice level)
 
Cant say much more than JenTaz really. Again, my ID is my horse of a lifetime. He just rocks :) Always sane and sensible and the last to complain even after everything went into melt down having had to stay in for the winter with really limited turnout a couple of years back, he just took it all in his stride. I trust him completely to look after me although that's in part to him being an ex lead masters hunt horse. He is sane and sensible but boy is he fun and up for it. You cant go far wrong if you chose an ID if you ask me I just love him :D

An old pic
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I've just realised I need to upload some recent pics to photobucket, lol!
 
Does anyone know if any ID breeders test for PSSM, is it a problem in the breed has anyone heard of an RID with a muscle myopathy. I've been told it isn't, but I've also been told it isn't a problem in breeds where I know for a fact it is so I am unsure what to believe.

I would dearly love to cross my Welsh mare with a RID but this is holding me back and googling hasn't helped me find an answer.
 
Thanks... We went to the Lincolnshire Show today and was bowled over by the ridden I.D. classes. We've been looking at I.D. for a while but it's really made up our minds.. Are they always grey? As there was a couple of bays/ chestnuts. Any ideas on breeders?
 
Bunnymare said:
Thanks... We went to the Lincolnshire Show today and was bowled over by the ridden I.D. classes. We've been looking at I.D. for a while but it's really made up our minds.. Are they always grey? As there was a couple of bays/ chestnuts. Any ideas on breeders?
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No not always grey, the yard I grew up on had bays, blacks, chestnuts, duns, (mostly grey horses though as it was what we liked) Greys are my favourite, they always look so nice clean until Taz goes and rolls in the mud!
 
Bunnymare said:
Thanks... We went to the Lincolnshire Show today and was bowled over by the ridden I.D. classes. We've been looking at I.D. for a while but it's really made up our minds.. Are they always grey? As there was a couple of bays/ chestnuts. Any ideas on breeders?
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Definitely not all grey, Avanti Amorous Archie is bay and siring some super stock, check his facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/Avanti-Amo...Merit-Irish-Draught-Stallion-127749067301147/

If you are seriously looking contact Janet George on here, Indigo stud, she usually has one or two nicely started homebreds ready to go to new homes.
 
I have 2 IDs both are spooky & one is a stress pot not all are placid ,& calm having said that they are not difficult ride. Janet George of indigo IDs would b a good starting place
 
I've had seven of them and they were all different, but all lovely. We tend to keep the greys over here for some reason (drive me nuts with their melanomas) and sell the bays and chestnuts over the water. I only have one now, a full bred mare by Sir Rivie and out of the last remaining KoD mare breeding (born 1995) who is elegant and talented but looks more like a part-bred, but my horse of a life time was a chestnut gelding (Euphemism/Flagmount lines). They tend to be characterful and intelligent. My only advice is buy one that hasn't done a lot, they mature late and you don't want one that has been hammered in it's early years.
 
Rowreach said:
My only advice is buy one that hasn't done a lot, they mature late and you don't want one that has been hammered in it's early years.
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Totally agree with this, I however must have lost out on getting an Irish Draught who's intelligent :P If Taz had half a brain cell he'd be dangerous, his favourite thing to spook at is butterflies!
 
Bunnymare said:
Thanks... We went to the Lincolnshire Show today and was bowled over by the ridden I.D. classes. We've been looking at I.D. for a while but it's really made up our minds.. Are they always grey? As there was a couple of bays/ chestnuts. Any ideas on breeders?
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I was there too!!

As for breeders- try Janet George in Shropshire - do a facebook search on Indigo Irish Draughts - she has lots for sale and they are really really nice.
 
thanks Levrier - we are ID fans - tend to go for the bigger stamp as my OH is 6'4, but I have a little (16hh) one who is like an overgrown pony - fast and funny. They all have different personalities - and with Irish breeding, it is possible to see temperament types/quirks in different bloodlines. Horses by Fast Silver or Sir Rivie tend to be mellow - make good show horses and hunters, rather than show jumpers or eventers.

As a breed, they lend themselves to the allrounder world - we tend to hunt ours, but they can be very sporting - look at Cruising, who was a Grade A jumper.

With regards to PSSM, I have never heard of a breeder testing for it, nor of an ID suffering from it. They are a pretty hardy breed to be honest!
 
JenTaz said:
Totally agree with this, I however must have lost out on getting an Irish Draught who's intelligent :P If Taz had half a brain cell he'd be dangerous, his favourite thing to spook at is butterflies!
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Most of ours have been bright over the years - some are more constructive in the way that they use their intelligence..... the less intelligent ones tend to be more stressy (if there can be such a thing as a stressy ID!!) as life is obviously more confusing for them. My little one is super intelligent - and it dones't always work to my benefit - he has a massive sense of humour and he makes me concentrate!
 
You may find this link helpful http://www.idhsgb.com/web/page.php/stallions_by_county
Beeston Lord Henry is as dark as they come, as is my mare from him.
Previously we had a chestnut, and a bay from other stallions. All very intelligent, and nice natured who would go all day and then look for more.
Graham Fletcher had Tullough Hero as a puissance show jumper for a while, I believe.
Have fun looking and riding them.
 
Bunnymare said:
As the title describes.... I'm currently looking into possibly getting an I.D. for myself and my husband to share. I've been used to thoroughbreds so don't know anything about the breed, their temperament, health problems, etc... Photos would be nice too ��
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You know when you get one you will never want anything else :D

Had two now and love the breed and the temperament and they love jumping, well mine do.

Had ID since the late 80's
 
Bunnymare said:
Lovely, thanks for all the info.. They seem like a good all rounder. I've got my heart set on a grey ��
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They definitely are that, enjoy your search, I can pretty much guarantee when you find "the one" you just know, I had barely sat in the saddle and I knew that Taz was coming home with me, when he arrived home we got him off the lorry tacked him up and took him for a 20 min hack on his own, as my previous horse wouldnt hack on his own, and Taz didn't bother at anything. Best horse i will ever have
 
Any ideas on price for a youngster - unbacked or just backed and hacking out? I guess it's all based on breeding...
 
My first horse from Ireland, just broken, had hunted a few times, good breeding by The Quiet Man, was 3.8k (2008) including transport from Ireland, Taz was about the same also bought in 2008.
 
I've got a black one! He really is my horse of a lifetime. Being used to TB types before it was quite a change, but I couldn't imagine having anything else now. They are very loyal, love people and generally good all rounders. My boy is something you would trust your granny on 98% of the time (the other 2% is when he thinks the hunt is around and looses his noodle!).

He's my best friend and I can't say enough nice things about the breed! He can be quite sensitive for such a big boy. I rarely need to tell him off but if I do I swear his bottom lip wobbles! I've had no health worries with him, but he is now 15 and I do worry about his joints, being so big, there is bound to be more strain on them, so minimal trotting on the roads, and he takes a while to warm up.

Do go for it, you won't be disappointed 😀
 
I have two ID's ATM .
While I would never choose one for me to ride I love both of ours they are for my OH to ride .
H is the youngest he's a handsome grey ,he came to us in the December of his fifth year he had been backed in Ireland in the May and working as a hireling when I found him .
He was frightened and angry in equal measures but the strongest impression you got from him was that he hated the situation he was in .I bought him . He was not the easiest at first but has come through it all to be a sensible calm and very loving he's very good at his job ( hunter ) and will field master one day and hunt at the field the next he's a great jumper and likes learning things now he trusts us.
And then we come to my lovely Fatty
I have never had a horse like Fatty he's black and has the cheeekiest face he's the cleverest hunter I have ever met he knows more about hunting than any horse I have know ,he might have been a hound in a previous life .
If the hounds are running he will refuse to go the wrong way if he thinks your making a big mistake .
He will push an unbalanced rider back into the middle of the saddle after a jump .
He's just the most fabulous person .
A badly started ID can be a hard task to turn round well trained they are lovely calm sensible horses .
All of mine have been very very good doers and that can be hard work .
They tend to have a tendency to get bone spavin (all the draught breeds tend to ).
 
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