Show me your dutch harness horses/crosses

[kcmel]

I bought a 4 YO cross (out of a hackney/clydesdale mare) early last spring, and he is really turning out to be a nice horse. Great brain, loves to work, and learns quickly. He was a hot mess the first couple of times we took him off the farm, but he has really matured and even picked up a couple of blue ribbons at some schooling shows. I'd love to hear about yours. I have only ridden one other before, and he was a very different type than my little guy (huge in other words!)

I posted some of these pictures already in the young horse forum; my trainer is riding.

wally_sara_trot_side-small.jpg (135.37 KiB) Viewed 14177 times

wally_sara_smile_small.jpg (119.65 KiB) Viewed 14177 times

[Ponichiwa]

Your guy is adorable!

I've got a DHH cross (other half is Danish). He's huge-- 17.3, big-bodied, and used to move a bit like a freight train with the hocks out behind. That still can happen sometimes:


I bought him after he failed out of a jumping career for spooking. He really mellowed out with age, and no longer spooks at basically everything. It took a while, but I managed to get him to spook upwards instead of sideways, and then passage was easy:


He's the consummate showman; always likes to be the center of attention:


He's the first horse I've done the real training on, and also my first GP horse. He's pretty special.

[kcmel]

He is lovely Ponichiwa! Thanks for posting the pictures. I don't have Grand Prix aspirations for my guy (although my dressage trainer sure does love him!)

[onetrickpony]

Cute horse, kcmel. And yours looks like a hoot, Ponichiwa. Bringing him to GP is pretty special.

[Velcro]

I really appreciate seeing your pictures of your horse, kcmel, as I have been training a Hackney horse for several years now from -2 to 3/4th and schooling piaffe/passge. I have seen several of his offspring (many of which are draft crosses) and yours looks like he could pass as one of them! But his age makes that impossible...he is LOVELY! I can attest to the high intelligence and trainability of the type of horse. I also have a client with a newly acquired Dutch Harness Horse who is phenomenal though just raw potential right now. Oddly, both of them came off of Amish farms. That said I do have a Hackney horse mare in training right now, raised by her breeder, who is incredibly easy and straightforward. I wish all horses were so nice!

[kcmel]

Thanks Velcro! My guy came from Canada although I don't have any information on his breeder. We are starting to see more DHH's around here that are likely Amish-bred (my equine dentist calls them "Amish Cadillacs")! I've heard some people say the DHHs can be difficult, but so far mine has been pretty easy, although he definitely has his 4 YO moments!

[Velcro]

Actually, it just occurred to me the possibility of your horse being a grandson or other relation of the stallion I train. He is a dead ringer for him (though bay rather than black!) And the boy I ride was bred up in Canada where apparently breeding them to drafts is a huge thing. Hmmm...I would be interested in the pedigree on your kid if you ever have that become available.

[kcmel]

Velcro we need to see a picture !

[Velcro]

Well here ya go. He has blue/lavender marbled eyes, carries the sabino gene, and in spite of his history having been used by the Amish for hard work in the first part of his life (part of his breeding career included) he still managed to 'make it' as a dressage horse. Sure he is a bit compressed in the ridden photo....but I am sure you can see a resemblence!

[kcmel]

Thanks Velcro. Yes, his face, especially his expression in the 2nd picture, is very similar. And Wally also seems to have the sabino gene, although that doesn't seem to be too uncommon in the DHHs. And he may have a marbled eye--he has a glob of blue pigment in one eye.