i have HORSE questions!

[lv4dogs]

I can only answer part of one question.

I have had a LOT of friends with Clydes & I know they are not the best riding horse.

I can only imagine since they are so big they need more food & the like than a regualr horse.
I know most horses are in the thousands.

Hope you get some more anwers.

[Zowey]

clydsdales are known as 'heavy horses' which were used in the old times for ploughing and carry coal from the mines.

Of course they will be very dificult to ride as they arent really riding horses.
They are normally larger than 17hh your average riding horse being 15hh-16hh

They wont necassiarily (sp) need a larger feed than other horses because the average food amount for my horse is 11.5kg per week with him being 15.2hh, and for how much taller the horse is you add 1kg every 2inches (as it is 2inches to every hand)
overall per week it costs me about £20 for feed and hay and shavings. As you can get 20kg worth of feed for about £7.00

You will need more straw/shavings/hay for heavier horses so they arent uncomfortable when stabled.

As for cost, its hard to say an exact cost depending on the seller chick.

I hope this helps you

[lute]

thanks for the info.

[Corinna]

www.hoof .com and the draft horse jornal are great resources. I look at them all the time as I want Shires some day

[Miss Z]

There is a horse at my riding stables and he is a pure clydesdale. He is broken in, and i have ridden him. He is lovely and gentle and would never spook, but he is very bouncy to ride, and jumping is extremely difficult with him as his conformation isn't quite right for it. You can hear him coming from a mile off as his hooves make the most gigantic CLOP sound every time his hoof hits the floor! If you wanted a clydesdale type horse that was rideable maybe you could seek out one that's been crossed with a light horse (a horse which is better for riding).

[twilightanu]

ive ridden/worked with two clydesdales
daisy a 15.2 clyde x cob who i rode/looked after the only downside to daisy was although she was a perfect hight she was litteraly like a full sized clyde so it was like riding a 17hh+ but at a 15.2 hight meaning she was very wide and saddleing her could be a problem but she was a lovely ride and could really move when she wanted to and outrace alot of the other horses on the yard (although i didnt really try to stop her)
chester a 17.2 pure bred was a horse that i only rode in my riding lessons he was a nice ride but did struggle in the school as he was so big doing circles could cause him problems
but basicly ive found that clydes have loverly temperments and although very wide are quite a nice ride once you get used to them but you must remember they are a big horse and although they are more expensive to keep than say a 16hh because they eat a little more its not a massive amount more
also have you considered the idea of a clydesdale as a driveing horse daisy drives and goes very well in the carriage plus they can pull large amounts of weight

[Alysser]

Clydesdale aren't good riding horses. They were bred to pull carts and tractors. Plus, they are very large and maybe hard to handle. I have heard of them costing over $15,000. I don't know if this is true. Food is probably very expensive since they are very large.