The larger breed of cob, clydesdales type horse? Please answer!?

Question

Hi I've been thinking about getting a horse and I had found this lovley 16.2hh Mare.

http://www.horsemart.co.uk/AdvertRef/HM829C61F/Page/2/Referrer/DisplayResultsHorses.asp/Web/DisplayHorseDetail.asp

she's very nice and a real beauty but I relly prefer the chunkier type. So I was looking around and found this fella! 16.3hh Heavyweight Gelding

http://www.adhorse.co.uk/horseforsale_19771

Would this make a difference in my yearly price?

Because the clydesdale is chunkier will he need more food and will he cost more to keep?

Answer 1

It's kind of hard to say. Different horses require different amounts of feed. The fact that the first horse is a Thoroughbred cross makes me think that SHE may cost you more. TBs are often hard keepers (meaning they eat a lot and are hard to keep weight on) Drafts are usually easier keepers. But that's just a general stereotype. The draft may eat more than the TB, who knows? And you'll have to shop farriers to find out if bigger shoes cost more. I would guess that it might be a little more, but individual farriers have their own pricing schedules, so check with them.  

Answer 2

Hey dont worry about the cost a horse is a horse and it has its own prices i dont think it would be that much of an expense why dont you get a heavy weight cob they are chunky good natured enough for children to ride them and strong enough to have an adult ride them and they arent that much cobs are a wild breed and can most of the time look after thereselfs but if you want to stick to them 2 choices the clydsdale is gorgeous dont worry about money and get the one you think would be right for you x

Answer 3

Horse shoes are generally the same price what ever size they are as they are charged by the set. As for the feeding the big lad looks like a good doer so might in fact be cheaper to feed than the mare. Out of the two I prefer the mare but we all have our own tastes. She may well be a good doer too so in fact there may be no difference in what you feed either of them Id say they would do good off of a high fibre diet in the winter e.g ample good quality hay, high fibre feed such as Hifi lite, fibre pellets etc, that way they keep the condition on but don't get fizzy. Best thing to do is go have a look at both of them and ask plenty of questions that's the only way you'll find the answers your looking for.

EDIT: If the horse is going tolive out all year I would suggest the big boy he seems more the hardy type and would porbably weather better out in the winter! Good luck x

Answer 4

Kept out on grass year round ?

The Clyde is probably your best bet. It's a native breed so they are pretty tough and very good doers. You might get a nice surprise when it comes to feeding - I have 2 draft crosses and seem to be constantly trying to keep weight OFF them.

Shoes are the same price regardless of size ( with my farrier anyway )and he never complains about doing the big horses.

I did have a slight problem getting a rug to fit one of them because he has very broad shoulders but in the end they are not greatly expensive either.

My daughter's 14.2 pony does more damage to the fences than anything else. But one of my big horses did push the wall out on the stable. - That was very interesting.

Answer 5

The clydesdale would be hardier but cost more in terms of hay, feed and shoeing.  His tack would be more expensive too.

The mare looks nice, but I am not sure she would be very happy outdoors all the year round.  She would certainly need extra in terms of feed and rugging.  Is there no way you could get her into a livery yard with part time stabling?

Answer 6

Theres not too much of a difference, to be honest i think the throughbred would have a larger upkeep. I've owned/own both breeds of horse. like you i like the draft breeds as they are easy doers, the plus side of drafts is their coats are much thicker, so therefore can be kept at grass all year without rugs and will happily just eat grass and hay, provided the pasture is big enough, if not then they will need suppliments in their diets. For shoeing the price of shoe isn't really any different, its just you have to have them shoed regulary, i shoe mine every 4 week instead of every six, two of mine are barefoot but their feet are still trimmed every 4 week, due to the horses being heavier a long hoof then can easily crack and splay outwards.

A throughbred if kept out on grass all the time willl need rugs as they are a warmblooded breed and tend to have thinner coats, i know my mare would be constantly miserable if i didn't rug her shes such a wuss that when it rains shes always under the shelter or i have to bring her in, but some can be hardier. So a few waterproof and night rugs will be needed. Shoeing again, i tend to have to get her shod every 4-5 week, since her feet are really brittle, but it does vary between horse, so her feet can be left longer sometimes.

Also i only own one TB and the rest heavy and lightweight drafts, since the draftier horses tend to be low maintenace and also gain fewer injuries, such as lameness etc. However no draft horse can jump quite like a throughbred can :)

Answer 7

I like the mare better... but yes having the larger horse could cost you more as far as feed and shoes (i dunno about in the UK, but where Im from alot of farriers dont do drafts bc they are so heavy, ya have to get one that specializes in them)

Is this your first horse? Bc you could just ask what he is being feed, figure out what it costs to keep him for a year an compare it to other horses you've had.

If this is your first horse, then you need to talk to a farrier to see how much it would cost for shoes. And talk to the owner to see what he is being fed and figure out about what it will cost for a year to keep him and see if you can afford it. If your going to be boarding the horse, then the the feed wont be an issue, it will just be what shoes are gonna cost ya.  

Answer 8

Just remember that if you get a draft or draft cross...that they are bigger animals and yes they are easy keepers but inturn are harder on fences and gates and such. They really don't mean to, it's just that they usually don't know their own size and when reaching across a fence to munch on the "grass that's always greener on the other side" that they can take down a fence easily and not mean to.

I have a BIG Haflinger that is pretty hard on my fences when he is just leaning over it and my mother has a Tennessee Walker/Thoroughbred that is about 16.2hh and she is hard on fences as well...we even call her "giraffe" she's always sticking her neck across for something.