# How much more expensive are draft horses?



## TrailxxRider (Feb 13, 2012)

I currently have two horses and one is not working out (he was a rescue). My trainer has a horse she thinks would be perfect for me. He is a Shire/Thoroughbred cross and a big boy. How much more on average does a draft cost then an average horse? Vet bills, tack, feed, boarding, ect? I have had big horses but nothing this huge. Is there a huge expense difference? They would just give him to me but I want to know what I would be getting into. Thanks!
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## franknbeans (Jun 7, 2007)

Only thing that costs more with mine is that you need more wormer. But I have one that almost lives on air, so about as easy a keeper as you can get. I think some farriers charge more though. Mine does not.

Tack can be more, depending upon the build of your cross. Mine could wear a regular wide saddle, did not need a draft one, just a longer girth.


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## DraftyAiresMum (Jun 1, 2011)

All depends on the horse. He's a cross, so he may not need some of the specialized draft tack and such.

My boy is a Percheron/paint cross. He's just about to hit 17hh as a 5yo. He wears a draft-size halter and bridle, a 5.5-6" bit (depending on the type of bit), and right now we can eek by in a FQHB saddle (western). Once he fills out, we'll probably have to go with a draft saddle. My farrier doesn't charge me any more than she would for a regular horse, mainly because he's barefoot. If he was shod, it would probably be a different story. Haven't had any vet bills (knock on wood!!!) and give my shots myself, so I can't comment on that.

The hardest part for me is finding draft-sized halters and bridles. I live where the QH is king and the Arab is queen. Everything is made for smaller-headed horses. I had to have my tack guy custom make me a bridle so that I could be sure of the quality, and I am already not happy with the style I chose, so that was $40 down the drain (doesn't sound like a lot, but when you're on a tight budget...).


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## Horseychick87 (Feb 5, 2014)

The vet bills such as vaccinations and what not will be roughly the same as an average sized horse.

Board is often the same, especially if it's pasture board. Some may charge a bit more for extra feed if they provide the feed for the horse.

Shoes and farrier work will be a bit more expensive.

Dewormer, fly spray, supplements, and feed will all cost more due to amount needed for a horse over 1100 pounds.

The easiest way to figure this extra expense out is to calculate how much more of each you will need and price it.


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## TrailxxRider (Feb 13, 2012)

He would need all draft size tack. He is a monster, make the 17 hh Saddlebred I had look tiny. He is barefoot and has never needed shoes even when he was used for eventing. My other gelding is cob sized so I would need new everything.
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## Change (Jul 19, 2014)

Beyond tack and wormers, you'll have increased food costs.

If they are working, drafts eat a LOT more than a regular horse. Thankfully, though, they are considered cold or (for crosses) warm blooded, so don't need much in the way of grain. Shires, from what little I know of them, tend to be fairly easy keepers.

Shoes are a lot more expensive, so if you can stay barefoot, do.


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## TrailxxRider (Feb 13, 2012)

He is 15 years old and was used for eventing. I was told hes a very good jumper. I cant even imagine a horse his size jumping. They say hes 100% sound but should I be worried about his joints and arthritis?
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## JavaLover (Nov 7, 2009)

I don't believe that drafts are more prone to arthritis and joint problems than any other horse though they are heavier, which means more strain on the joints. I probably wouldn't worry about it too much. I personally know a Percheron/Thoroughbred gelding who is 17hh + and jumps awesomely. Never had any soundness issues! Now, if your guy was a full draft I would be a little more concerned because not only are they usually tall, but beefy also. All that extra weight can be hard. Drafts are not meant for speed events! They were bred for power.


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## SummerShy (Aug 3, 2014)

This was a very helpful thread as I too will be looking at drafts in the future. My advice to you is to make sure you get a vet-check before you buy. 

Let us know what you decide to do, TrailxxRider!


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## HagonNag (Jul 17, 2010)

I would be concerned about hauling him. What size trailer would you need? Our OTTB FILLS a warmblood trailer from one end to the other. He's only a hair over 16 hands. If we went with a larger horse, we'd certainly need a larger trailer. I can't imagine hauling a horse the size you are considering.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

i was just going to mention the whole trailer issue. not every draft or draft cross will fit in a standard trailer.


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## TrailxxRider (Feb 13, 2012)

They would be giving him to me for free, and we use the same vet so thet will release all his records to me. My trainer and his owner are also willing to work with him and me foe a while before I take him to ensure a good fit. I believe hus owner will let his tack and things go with him. He remarried and hasnt done much with the horse in two years. He just wants whats best for him...
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## TrailxxRider (Feb 13, 2012)

My landlords have a stock trailer that can haul multiple drafts. My two horse on the other hand would not. I would eventually need something bigger.
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## DraftyAiresMum (Jun 1, 2011)

The trailer thing is a real issue.

I haven't trailered my boy in a year. Last year when I trailered him, he was about 16.1hh and around 1300lbs. He was almost too tall for my friend's two-horse slant load that I borrowed and if we had had to trailer another horse, it would have had to be a pony because there was almost no room left in the trailer. Now, at just about 17hh and 1500lbs, I honestly don't know if he'll fit in that trailer any longer.


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## anndankev (Aug 9, 2010)

You might need a bigger wheelbarrow for cleaning his stall 

Not to mention spending a bunch more on bedding.


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## HagonNag (Jul 17, 2010)

Depending on the weight of the horse and the size of the trailer....will you need a larger truck to pull it with also?


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## beverleyy (Oct 26, 2011)

I have an TB mare who is pushing 17.3h and probably around 1400lbs, maybe more.

She eats more hay than any horse I've ever known, but thankfully I have a wonderful BO who doesn't charge me extra (that being said, I also have a pony who doesn't eat hay anymore so the cost evens out). It is HARD to find tack that fits her and I at the same time. I need a 16"-16.5" seat. She needs a wide in saddles. Finding something that can do the whole rated circuit in that size that isn't completely custom is not the easiest, lol. 

If I were to buy a trailer today that would fit her it would break the bank, but thankfully I've always just payed professionals to haul (I know how, I am just a nervous wreck of a person in general so it's probably a good idea I leave it to professionals haha). She needs a decent sized WB trailer, she will never fit in a regular one. Generally my hauler brings her 3 (maybe 4?) horse angle haul - WB size - to haul her and my pony. Anything less than that and nobody fits.

Blankets are fun too. 86" is not easy to find. And when you do it's pricey and no color choices. =( My local tack store also doesn't usually keep oversize halters in stock, so if I need a new one I always have to order a couple online and play the waiting game. Wormer, I need extra. I've also had to drug this mare a couple times for farrier - long story short she's had a few downright awful experiences with a previous farrier and seems to have "flashbacks" once in a blue moon, one dose isn't quite enough, and the vet isn't able to sell more than one at a time unfortunatly. 

I think when it comes down to it, for me at least, the feed is the least expensive part of owning a larger horse. It's all the little things that you honestly don't even think about, and the slight annoyances that come with it (ie: not being able to find a quality blanket in the right size/color).


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## Rideabighorse (Jan 12, 2014)

I ride a Belgian with some TB in him-mostly the brain I think. I had to get a custom saddle because he out grew the biggest saddle I could find. He needs a 7 or 8 inch bit so needed that custom. I have a 7 ft high 3 horse slant that he just fits into that I pull with an F250 with no problems. He is only 16'3" but weighs close to 2000 lbs. the key is to spend the money to get the right stuff the first time. I haven't bought anything new for him in about 10 years. I have a farrier that has been doing him for years and only charges $60 for a trim. Bottom line is that upfront costs might be more, but drafts are generally such easy keepers they are less trouble than a lot of horses.


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## luvmydrafts (Dec 26, 2013)

My boys eat like 40 lbs of hay every day...at least...where i am at, it just aint been raining like it needs to and we're up on some rocky hills so everything just dried up...the grass went dormant so I wound up having to give them hay like it is already winter and the boys are hoovering it up...they are belgian draughts and around 15 - 16 hands tall and weigh a LOT like around 1700 pounds give or take...also just dewormed them and they need 1 and a half tubes to 2 tubes each each time they get dewormed...one of mine needs an 8" bit and you will not find them at any normal tack store...or even a halter to fit him....many draughts even if they are not that tall can have very broad heads that regular tack will not fit...BUT normally they can live fine on "just" regular old pasture grass with mineral supplements in the growing season...they also have the sweetest most easygoing personalities...their awesomeness more than makes up for spending just a little bit more than for a "regular" horse and IMO it really is not THAT much more...


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## RegularJoe (Aug 26, 2014)

TrailxxRider said:


> I cant even imagine a horse his size jumping.


A horse that size might just have been walking over the jumps.  

I took a lesson tonight on a 17hh Percheron. I thought I was going to need a parachute to get back to the ground. 

One consideration, if you're looking to keep costs under control, is that if you're willing the barn might want to use your horse for a lesson here or there for larger riders and be willing to offset your feed or board cost a little in exchange for those lessons. It might at least be enough to make up the difference in what it eats. I was at a barn the other day asking about lessons and was told they had no lesson horses available for riders over 180 lbs.


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## ARTEMISBLOSSOM (Apr 3, 2011)

I have 3 horses one is a percheron/appy cross. When I just had 2 horses I would buy one round bale of hay 4x5 every 2 weeks. Since I got the other horse I am going through 1 bale of hay a week. The vet costs and farrier costs are the same as for my other horses but he does eat a lot more. Oh and for the farrier mine told me that if he had to go to a draft horse size shoe he would be charging more but thank goodness my guy fits into a widened size 3.


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## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

Rideabighorse said:


> I ride a Belgian with some TB in him-mostly the brain I think.


Curious, forward going, willing, eager to please?


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## kimberlyrae1993 (Mar 20, 2013)

Farrier is more tack is more and Dewormer and such is also more.
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## ecasey (Oct 18, 2013)

My half draft doesn't eat any more than any of the other horses at our barn. And she's a total sweetie, so actually a lot more fun to be around than some of the other horses too. The vet and farrier love coming to see her because they know she'll never give them a hard time.People coming fast when you need them is very valuable to me!


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## kiltsrhott (Mar 11, 2012)

I own a Shire/TB cross and an appaloosa. My Shire cross is cheaper to keep than my appaloosa. She's a very easy keeper and stays fat on forage alone. Routine veterinary expenses are the same for her as any other horse, and her farrier bill is cheap.

I pay $35 every six weeks for a trim. My farrier doesn't charge me for a draft trim because she's not full draft, so she's not quite that big, and she's cooperative for him. If she needed shoes, they would be a bit more expensive, because her feet are bigger than average and she would need a larger shoe, but she has good, strong feet and has never needed shoes.

It is true that your horse may need larger tack, but that shouldn't drive up your costs much. My Shire cross fits in warmblood sized halters and bridles, which are easy to find. I found her saddle used for $475, then had the fit professionally evaluated. It may take longer to find the right saddle, but you can find nice, used and affordable saddles for any horse, if you have the patience to look.

Really, it's up to the individual, but I have found that the drafty-types can be cheaper to keep because they tend to have slow metabolisms and do well barefoot.

Add: She does take 1.5 doses of dewormer, but dewormer is not that expensive. When a tube of Ivermectin only cost you $3, adding another $1.50 to your bill isn't going to break the bank!


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## beverleyy (Oct 26, 2011)

kiltsrhott said:


> Add: She does take 1.5 doses of dewormer, but dewormer is not that expensive. When a tube of Ivermectin only cost you $3, adding another $1.50 to your bill isn't going to break the bank!


Where do you get your wormer!?!:shock: I want to pay only $3.00 haha. For a single tube it's $18-$22 depending what kind and what store I happen to be at when I buy. I own two mares, one who doesn't need the full tube thankfully, otherwise I'd have to buy 3 tubes (1 for pony, and 1.5 for moose mare).


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## kiltsrhott (Mar 11, 2012)

beverleyy said:


> Where do you get your wormer!?!:shock: I want to pay only $3.00 haha. For a single tube it's $18-$22 depending what kind and what store I happen to be at when I buy. I own two mares, one who doesn't need the full tube thankfully, otherwise I'd have to buy 3 tubes (1 for pony, and 1.5 for moose mare).


Valley vet sells generic ivermectin for less than $3/tube. I have seen generic Ivermectin in the same price range at local tack shops as well. When I buy from my vet Ivermectin is closer to $10/tube, sometimes more. A tube of the pyrantel pamoate I used earlier this year cost $18 from my vet, but you can find it cheaper from other suppliers. When you do fecal floats and your horses consistently come back with low or negative counts so you only have to deworm a few times per year, an extra $2-10 3 times per year, is really just pocket change in the grand scheme of owning a horse. I also do not need to buy two full tubes because my sister's horse is also a 1.5 dose horse so we split the cost of the extra tube.

When I boarded Ursula, the cost of deworming was included in my board, and they didn't charge me more for her, so there was really no cost difference at all for her.


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## beverleyy (Oct 26, 2011)

kiltsrhott said:


> Valley vet sells generic ivermectin for less than $3/tube. I have seen generic Ivermectin in the same price range at local tack shops as well. When I buy from my vet Ivermectin is closer to $10/tube, sometimes more. A tube of the pyrantel pamoate I used earlier this year cost $18 from my vet, but you can find it cheaper from other suppliers. When you do fecal floats and your horses consistently come back with low or negative counts so you only have to deworm a few times per year, an extra $2-10 3 times per year, is really just pocket change in the grand scheme of owning a horse. I also do not need to buy two full tubes because my sister's horse is also a 1.5 dose horse so we split the cost of the extra tube.
> 
> When I boarded Ursula, the cost of deworming was included in my board, and they didn't charge me more for her, so there was really no cost difference at all for her.


Oh no, wasn't trying to say that wormer was a huge added cost at all. I worm every 3 months, so total averages about $175 per year, so really not a lot at all considering all the other expenses involved. 

I'd just love to find it for $3, compared to around $22 a tube :lol:


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