# New draft owner/rider



## Eggman (Apr 26, 2021)

A lot of info here.

Been around horses for quite a few years. Always wanted a Belgian. So, I finally bought my first horse. She's 18hh, 14 year old rescue.

Thanks for the add


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## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

Welcome to the forum! Belgians are one of my favorites!


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## redbadger (Nov 20, 2017)

What a beautiful lady she is.


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## tishacking (Sep 11, 2020)

She's gorgeous! I'm a sucker for big drafts. Welcome!


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## addctd2horses (Jul 10, 2020)

WELCOME! I have a Belgian/ Morgan mix that's not as tall but a tank LOL Are you riding or driving? I'd like to learn to drive someday...


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## Palfrey (May 29, 2020)

Welcome! She looks super sweet! Gotta love drafts!


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## Animalia (Nov 10, 2019)

She looks awesome! I love drafts. Are you going to ride her?


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## Eggman (Apr 26, 2021)

Thanks everyone. Plans are to do both, ride and drive. A friend has a saddle that was used on 17hh mules that I'll try on her to see what size I'll need. Once she gets to feeling normal, I'll be building 2 wheel cart or a 4 wheel wagon.

Farrier came to the farm yesterday and trimmed her hooves. He found an abscess that had burst on her right front and a rock buried about 2" up inside her right rear hoof. She is now his favorite big horse to mess with. The big girl just stood there the entire time with out issue. He has worked with Perchons, Shires and a few other Belgians, none were as well behaved as she was.


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## Robert Atwood (Apr 27, 2021)

Eggman said:


> Thanks everyone. Plans are to do both, ride and drive. A friend has a saddle that was used on 17hh mules that I'll try on her to see what size I'll need. Once she gets to feeling normal, I'll be building 2 wheel cart or a 4 wheel wagon.
> 
> Farrier came to the farm yesterday and trimmed her hooves. He found an abscess that had burst on her right front and a rock buried about 2" up inside her right rear hoof. She is now his favorite big horse to mess with. The big girl just stood there the entire time with out issue. He has worked with Perchons, Shires and a few other Belgians, none were as well behaved as she was.


She has that classic Belgian look to her. Are you going to breed her for a colt next year or just enjoy the ride and drive time. I raised many Belgians and my grain of choice was fall barley. They seem to get more out of that grain than any other. Also have the vet check her back teeth for possible rasping off of molar points which may inhibit proper chewing.


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## Eggman (Apr 26, 2021)

When the vet was at the farm last weekend, he told me that the marks on her hips were from a stallion mating with her. Since we have no idea what breed he was or if it even took, only time will tell.

When we picked her up from the kill pen, her milk bag still had milk in it. So she had recently been separated from a colt. I was told that that was prime time for her to be bred. So, I'm guessing that we will have a blood test done the beginning of June to find out for sure either way.

Between the vet and the farrier, they have her age around 11-12.


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## Robert Atwood (Apr 27, 2021)

As the former owner of a Belgian Stud Farm I never had marks on a mare from breeding. Your mare comes into heat at 7 days after foaling and then again at 30 days after foaling. After that it is anyones guess when she is in heat unless there is a stallion around her. June has always been the most usual time to come into heat because the daylight hours are the longest all year. You can also induce a heat cycle with and injection of prostin from your local vet.


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## Eggman (Apr 26, 2021)

Just going by what I was told, right, wrong, or otherwise. Interesting to know that. I'm going to guess that it was probably from shipping her in a trailer. Either way, time will tell.

Thanks for the info Robert, I'll probably have more questions as time progresses.


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## Robert Atwood (Apr 27, 2021)

I was curious if your new mare came from a working farm where she would be hitched almost everyday. Beside shipping abrasions, nylon harness has been known to chafe a horsehide really hard when it does not fit very well


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## Eggman (Apr 26, 2021)

Supposedly she came from a carriage company that had to close due to the covid. I have no idea how true that is.


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## addctd2horses (Jul 10, 2020)

If you have a hard time with saddles, I got a Duett Companion for my Draft mix. They build on a hoop tree that is specifically for slab backs. The Companion model is the one a lot of mounted patrol units use, and they have draft and draft mixes often. No other saddle fit mine and the saddles that say "draft saddle" go very quickly on Ebay LOL


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