Buyer question
Is a Draft horse good for beginners?
Yes: our Animal Library rates the Draft horse 4 out of 5 for beginners (calm, but size is real).
Source: the Draft horse page in the Everybarn Animal Library. Draft horse in the Animal Library
The detail
The heavy horses of farming and freight: Percheron, Belgian, Clydesdale and Shire. They are gentle giants, calm and patient, but everything about them is bigger: feed, tack, trailers, farrier work and vet bills.
- Temperament
- Calm, patient, gentle
- Best fit
- Driving, farm work, trail
- Trainability
- 4 out of 5 (Patient, willing)
- Upkeep
- 5 out of 5 (Big feed, big feet)
- Energy
- 2 out of 5 (Steady and unhurried)
What to weigh
Drafts need oversized tack, trailers and stalls, and not every farrier will shoe them. PSSM1 is common in Belgians and Percherons, and feathered breeds are prone to chronic lymphedema.