| Author | Message | ||
     Janet Pilling |
I agree, temperament is the first priority but if you know the stallion produces sweet tempered offspring you're 50% there, rather than buying a horse that's an unknown quantity. Most people concentrate on the stallion's qualities as that is generally what's shopped around for. Few people have a stallion and seek a compatible mare! I think Gelderlanders can make excellent single horses - and are four times nicer in a team :o) Ours are also ridden all winter and have hunted the past two seasons. This year we plan to do some unaffiliated dressage. | ||
| Jane Wilson |
This is an interesting thread. I would like to make the point however, that it is a common mistake in all spheres of equestrianism to look only to the stallion! He is only potentially 50% of the mix, the rest coming from mum! Personally I would prefer to look to a good performance and temperament record in the dam's line, whatever the breed and would always put temperament at the top of any list of requirements when looking for something to drive - perhaps it's my age! | ||
| Janet Pilling |
Two of ours are by Manno - they have the sweetest natures and are big strong horses, nice to ride too. Jed is by Fabricius, he is a bit more inclined to have an opinion on his work! | ||
| Karen Blair-Imrie |
Hi, Janet, Yes, I agree that some breeds, such as the ones you mentioned, have been developed for driving. What I meant was that I don't limit myself to a particular breed when looking for a new horse. (Although some folks even drive Thoroughbreds and Arabs, and I wouldn't call them driving breeds :-) I suppose that there are exceptions in every breed. What stallion line do you favour, then? I've just spent a considerable time on the KLPN site and noticed that several sires seem to dominate - Fabricius, Renovo & Manno appear to have sired the most award-winning stallions. | ||
| Janet Pilling |
I disagree about the breeding - some breeds have been developed specifically for carriage driving - Welsh Cobs, Hackneys and Gelderlanders included - however within the breeds you will find strains which are just NOT suited to that job. We have just bought our third KWPN gelding and he is yet another absolute sweetheart. Our boys have been chosen for a line of breeding which seems to give a willing and sharp horse, two are off the same stallion and the other (Owen's single) is off that stallion's sire. They are challenging but want to please and we find them lovely to work with, even the 3yo. What I would say is don't go to Holland on your own, find someone who has a contact there as it makes life a lot easier. Various people on the driving scene go back and forwards to Holland, some to breeders and some to dealers, and some bring over batches at a time. If you decide what you are looking for - a youngster or an older horse - then you can ask your own 'personal shopper' to look out for something for you and you will stand a better chance of getting a suitable horse at a realistic price. | ||
| Heidi Wealleans |
Hi Karen I don't think that any of the horses that are there to be graded in Scotland will be for sale on the day, but Annabel at Blacklaw up in Scotland has two Knab broodmares who have both been driven in their working lives - one in Denmark and one here in the UK. http://www.blacklaw-stud.com/ I'm sure she'd be more than happy to talk to you about Knabs! She will also be taking some of her horses, including 3 stallions, to the grading. Heidi | ||
| Karen Blair-Imrie |
Wendy, hi, I agree totally that it is the individual horse, not a breed. Hew and I drove Welsh cobs for years before suddenly acquiring a Russian trotter from Moscow. He was great, but the propensity for this breed to twist their hocks meant that he was unable to stand up to the stress of the marathon if conditions were too heavy. Then, we had the Hackney. I had never considered buying a Hackney. There were very few on the driving circuit back in 1995, and the show Hackneys I'd seen didn't really make me want to have one :-) But Bella (Hamewith Bellabeg)is the best horse by far that I have ever had. However, I know that today many Hackneys are bought and trained for driving trials - especially now, after the success of Ian Bertram's and Di Hayes' Hamewith Hackneys -, but few make the grade. We were just lucky to get Bella. I bought another Hackney 2 years ago, but, although he was brilliant on the day I tried him down in England, when he arrived here 2 weeks later he had transformed into a completely neurotic beast and was riddled with sweet itch. Strangely, the sweet itch was not mentioned when I tried him... I went to the Czech Republic to see the Kladrubers for 2 reasons: I'd heard that they were trained to drive, and performance tested. That is not something we do here in the UK - very sadly! - so I hoped to get something that had at least had a good start. Unfortunately, the mare I bought did not work out, and now I'm looking again. | ||
| Wendy Stromberg |
Hi Finding a good single horse is the most difficult thing. I have come to the conclusion that it is not a particular type or breed but a horse that has the right mental attitude. Many years ago we started with a little spotted pony which never gave up, he had many conformatiion faults and couldn't do the walk time.However, he also competed gymkanas and jumping with the children. We had great fun in club with some success at novice level. If you look at the breeds at the top in singles there is a real mixture. That is what is great about driving - such a variety! As it happens I am competing with a KWPN at the moment and he is great fun. So I would look at lots of horses and just pick one you think you would like to work with. Wendy Stromberg | ||
| Karen Blair-Imrie |
Thank you, Patti & Heidi. I can agree that not all pairs-trained horses make good singles - the Kladruber I brought over from the Czech Republic has proved to be one of the failures. So you're saying that all Dutch harness horses are trained as multiples? I didn't know that. I'm in Scotland. The Knabstrupper website says that there will be a grading at Balcormo in Fife on Oct 7th, which is about an hour from here. Will there be horses for sale there? As for a Hamewith Hackney - are there any about?? Thanks very much :-) | ||
| Heidi Wealleans |
Hi I am involved in organising the KNN Knabstrupper grading over here in the UK, and Knabstruppers are very versatile horses, being ridden and driven throughout the centuries. I don't know how close you are but we have our grading on 5th October at Kingswood Equestrian Centre (Wolverhampton) and spectators are more than welcome. There will be classes from foals to stallions, so a wide cross section of the breed will be represented - both Classic and Sport Horses. http://www.ukknabstruppergrading.org.uk/ Knabstruppers are available both here in the UK and in Europe - they are most numerous in Denmark and Germany. Regards Heidi Wealleans | ||
| Patti Atkinson |
Hi Karen. I got a pair of Dutch Warmbloods from Wilf about 18 months ago and they are great. Very well mannered in the stable and (as a pair) very forward going. I havnt tried them single. I am prepared to be shot down on this but - many ex multiple horses dont make good singles. I know there are exceptions to this... Cherry's Nelson comes straight to mind... but there are loads that dont. They look flash - some of them almost float - are very trainable - but are they the right type of horse for the single job? I believe many of them may not be. Good luck with your search... what about a Hamewith horse? | ||
| Karen Blair-Imrie |
I know that a lot of you out there have warmbloods (Dutch harness horses, Gelderlanders, etc.). The driving scene has really become dominated by them over the past few years, and very flashy and capable some of them are. Did you go to Holland to find them? I see on the KLPN Dutch website that various events are held throughout the year promoting the breed(s), most recently a harness horse show and a mare keuring. Is this where I should go to see driving horses for sale? Thanks very much for any advice you can give me. |