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  Discussion on Riding a Clydesdale
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New Member:
Dyduroc

Posted on Friday, Apr 23, 2004 - 11:13 am:

I'm looking for contacts with anyone who rides a Clydesdale. My 11 year old mare is a great trail horse during Autumn, Winter and Spring but has trouble with the heat in the Summer months. Any advice/comments would be greatly appreciated.
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Member:
Liliana

Posted on Friday, Apr 23, 2004 - 11:43 am:

Hello D.

Where do you live? This after all are cold bloded horses very gentle and hardy but as you know they originate from cold climates.
All the best
Liliana
Member:
Dyduroc

Posted on Friday, Apr 23, 2004 - 4:26 pm:

Thanks for answering. We're in New Hampshire where there are only a few months of the hot muggies.
Member:
Kthorse

Posted on Friday, Apr 23, 2004 - 8:16 pm:

Hi, I just started a 9 year old clydesdale under saddle a few weeks ago. She was a brood mare and an amish horse till she was 4. She was too lazy for them. What an absolute wonderful horse to ride. So brave and gentle. I too wonder how she will handle the heat. She went on her first 1 hour trail ride and was very hot even though we walked. She acted like she has done this all her life. We did go out with a few horses so she felt safe. Now I now why they cross them with thorabreds. This is my first experience with these wonderful horses. I dont think she will do well in the extreme heat though, but then again I have seen a few enter hunter paces without any sign of heat problems. They were clipped and in excellent condition. wish I could be of more help
Member:
Dyduroc

Posted on Saturday, Apr 24, 2004 - 7:59 pm:

So happy to hear about your wonderful mare. I'm amazed at how gentle, willing and trusting these horses are. I'd like to keep in touch with you as you're the only other Clydesdale rider I've made contact with!
My goal for this year is to participate in at least 2 long (15-18 mile) sponsored trail rides. Our training average is about 5-6 miles 2-3 times a week, but the vet recommended we go for shorter rides more frequently in preparation for the summer and the longer rides. Your comment about conditioning is what all the experts keep telling me.
Happy trails!
Member:
Kthorse

Posted on Saturday, Apr 24, 2004 - 9:20 pm:

Hi, Unfortunatly she isnt my mare. Wish she was. She belongs to thr barn I am at. They have soooooo many horses that havent been ridden for years. This one never.I have a friend who wanted to ride her when she came for a visit. When I asked They said sure as long as yoou train her for saddle. I had not realized she wasnt broke to saddle. However she is so wonderful I am going to keep riding her. Hey they got a free trainer. I love them. The trot is to die for, especially after riding arabians all my life. I think they can do extremily well with conditioning and do anything any other horse can do. I wish you all fun possible with your wonderful big horse. I will keep you updated on our progress.
Member:
Dyduroc

Posted on Sunday, Apr 25, 2004 - 11:34 am:

Glad you've chosen to keep working with the Clyde, despite the fact that she isn't yours.
If you think her trot is to die for, just wait until she's in shape and you can get her to hold a canter! When I first got my mare, it took almost six months to build up her muscles to where she could comfortably sustain a trot or a canter. Don't get discouraged. It's worth the effort.
I've never ridden an Arab but I did have a Morgan and then an Appaloosa before I got the Clyde. There's no comparison! Not only are her gaits smoother but she's also an incredible trail horse.
I'm also fortunate to live in the seacoast and can trailer her to the beach during off-season. She LOVES the water and the side benefit is that her feathers are snowy white after a day at the beach!
Keep me posted on your progress!
Member:
Horsepix

Posted on Monday, Apr 26, 2004 - 12:46 pm:

I don't have experience with Clydes, but I do have experience with Percherons. I imagine they're fairly similar. We ride and drive the Percherons and the main thing for them in the summer is to keep an eye on respirations. Make sure you take frequent walk breaks during hot weather too.

The other thing we do is feed powdered electrolites. You can mix them with water, but sometimes the horses won't drink it. We mix ours with apple sauce and have never had a problem with the horses not eating it. Feeding electrolites will ensure that your horse doesn't loose (through sweat) any essential salts or minerals needed by the body.
Member:
Dyduroc

Posted on Monday, Apr 26, 2004 - 4:57 pm:

Thanks, Amy. Your input is greatly appreciated.

The vet recommended the electrolytes, too. Love your solution (applesauce) for getting your horses to eat it! Will definitely give this one a try.

Do you give the electrolytes before/during/after a workout?

Have been keeping a watch on respirations as well as how smooth her gaits are (she tends to trip or become choppy if she's tired).

Do you have any other strategies for hot weather such as mane braiding or cool-back pads?

Thanks again for your input.



Member:
Horsepix

Posted on Wednesday, Apr 28, 2004 - 5:21 pm:

I think braiding the mane is a good idea. French braiding it is easy enough and will help the neck stay cool. Be careful about pushing her to the point of tripping. If she's anything like our horses, she'll go to the end of the earth for you -- even if that means collapsing of heat exhaustion.

We used an 18h Percheron mare in a combined driving event and fed her electolytes throughout the competition weekend -- that is to say, at all meals and randomly throughout the day. In your case, I think it really depends upon how long you're going to be working her, how hot it is, etc. The weekend of the CDE was VERY hot (90+ degrees with very high humidity and a HUGE black horse). We actually ended up retiring during the marathon phase because she just couldn't cool down fast enough during the walk periods and we were really concerned about her collapsing from heat stroke.

For cooling down, Willow drank as much cold water as she wanted during all the vet checks as well as when we came in from marathon. Some people think this is a bad idea, but vets at the '96 Games in Atlanta did a study (due to very hot & humid conditions down there) and found that allowing a horse to drink as much water as they wanted after working hard (while still hot) did not harm them in any way. It certainly didn't harm Willow at all and she was much happier after two or three buckets of cold water.

I've never used cool back pads, but that would probably be a good idea. Even ice packs or frozen sponges stuck packed inbetween the saddle blanket and towel would probably help her cool down some. Although they might also cause an unexpected reaction (think about an ice cube on your back!! ).

At the end of your workout, if run the hose over her entire body, but be sure to wipe the water off with a sweat scrape as it will quickly turn hot from her body heat.

Also, don't keep the hose on huge muscle masses (gaskins, back, hamstrings, etc) for long periods. We've found that the cold water would actually stiffen Willows muscles, but that she would stay supple if repeatedly hosed and then scraped with a sweat scrape.

It also helps Willow cool down when we run the water continuously on her legs. Unlike most CDE horses, draft horses have a lot of muscle mass on their upper bodies and not a lot of veins near the surface of the skin (used to cool down). The place where they do have a lot of veins near the surface is their legs, so that is a good place to let the cold water run.

I hope this helps!
Member:
Paix

Posted on Wednesday, Apr 28, 2004 - 5:52 pm:

I love my ClydeXPaint: Chester - he was the sweetest gentle giant. I lost him due to Oleander poisoning about 6 weeks ago (long story I posted under "Oleander Poisoning" when he died March 13th).

I really miss him. He was only 3y10m.

I kept his mane and forelock up in the heat and his tail braided. One great quality in him was that HE LOVED ICE! If it was a warm day - most the time it is here in So Cal... I put Ice in his water and he crunched away and it cooled him significantly.

He wld sweat just "hangin" around and playig with others - so the ice really helped him stay cool and comfy.

When we worked out (or when he was sweaty and hot from turn-out play) I also cooled him down with a hose on the legs. If you think abt ur own body and where ur "hot" areas are - thats a good indicator as to where ur horse cld use some extra attention with cooling aides.

Have a great time with ur gentle giant - I think theyre one of the best kept secrets!

Ciao
Member:
Dyduroc

Posted on Thursday, Apr 29, 2004 - 4:41 pm:

Amy, thanks for sharing so much. Will try braiding to see if this helps. We ride in areas where there's water (beach/ponds/streams) and Surprise loves to wade so we take advantage of mother nature's natural cooling when we're on trails. I also hose her down when we get back to the barn and she especially enjoys having her legs cooled. Now I know why! Wasn't aware of the legs being the best area for cooling. Will be especially mindful of not over-doing the large muscle masses, especially since the water at the barn is from an artesian well and is VERY cold, even in the heat of summer.

Dina, I'm so sorry to hear your sad news about Chester. I've had to say farewell to 2 horses in my lifetime and it hurt more than I care to remember. It sounds as though he was a rare and special soul.

Thanks, too, for your tip on ice. I don't know if Surprise will take to chomping on ice but it's certainly worth a try.

I also agree with your comment that they're one of the best kept secrets!

Member:
Jeans

Posted on Sunday, May 2, 2004 - 11:52 am:

Hi--Dina, I am sure sorry about Chester.
After riding one of my instructor's Clyde crosses, I loved the ride so much that (even though I am short-5'3" on a tall day) I did some searching and bought a Clyde/Thorobred cross from out of state (I am in Colorado). I had never had a young horse, but she was so easy to train. The owner had imprinted her at birth, which I assumed helped, but her temperament is just great, which is one of my biggest priorities in finding a horse for me. I wanted to do dressage and possibly some jumping with her. Unfortunately, we found out she had a OCD growth in her stifle, and according to a very good vet, there's not much they can do for her. It's just a matter of time until it interfere's so much with her movement that she will be in too much pain and we will have to put her down. She will be 3 in July '04.
Being a cross, she has not had problems with heat, although I have not worked her intensely, since she was too young. Whe her winter coat sheds out, she is quite sleek. She has always ran, jumped, and played out in the pasture. She can outrun my Paint by far, and they race around a lot, even in the summer.
The greatest thing I can say about her is she is so personable, and mild mannered. She will do anything for me if I can get past her fear of something. And most things she is afraid of are not physical things, like plastic bags-I can rub those all over her, but DOING things, such as backing out of a trailer or over a cavaletti pole. However, if I go slow enough with her training so she understands that she can do it, she's always very willing. Praise goes a long way with her.(For example, teaching her to back out of a trailer, I had to first back her down a very low-grade hill for a few steps, then we graduated to a slightly steeper hill, then a more steep hill, until she could back down a pretty steep hill (I used the side of my arena which is elevated) confidently. By this time, she would shake her head when she got to the bottom as if to say, "I am ALL that! See what I can do! Watch me do this again!" Of course praise and carrots go a long way with her. But after that, backing out of the trailer was a piece of cake. Instead of freaking out when she gets scared, she just stops. It's much safer for an amateur like me! And like I said, she is so personable. She comes when I call her out of the pasture, and will follow me around. Although I will not get to ride her, I wanted to let you know what I really love about this breed. I am hoping one day I will get the chance to get another one, when we have to put Harmony down (which we will not do until it is humane to do so).
Take care,
Jeani.
Member:
Albionsh

Posted on Sunday, May 2, 2004 - 3:53 pm:

Jeani,your love and acceptance of your mare and her condition are inspiring. For each of us, there will be a time when our beloved horses will no longer be with us. You have a more certain deadline, yet you are enjoying every moment, living for now, and making the memories that will remain when your sweet filly is no longer meeting you at the pasture gate. I do hope you are getting more than one opinion on the possibility of surgical repair for her OCD lesion. She sounds so wonderful, and you have done so well with her and her fears. You are the kind of person I would love to see owning one of my precious babies. Thank you for uplifting my day.
Member:
Dyduroc

Posted on Monday, May 3, 2004 - 3:24 pm:

Jeani, I'm very sorry about Harmony's condition and echo Nancy's recommendation to seek out a second opinion. Your love for your sweet girl comes through in how you write about your experiences working with her. Your creativity and patience in helping Harmony overcome her fears is inspiring! Thank you for sharing! You made my day, too.

My mare is a rescue horse (near starvation and possible abuse) and has issues with large rectangular objects such as snow-plows and trailers and goes into hyper-vigilant mode when she hears diesel engines or when she sees a horse/horses under harness. I wish she could talk and tell me why these things distress her so much. We have not avoided routes that have scarey-boos, but reassurance, praise and well-deserved pats are beginning to pay off with the rectangular objects and the diesel engines. The harness thing is an entirely different subject. Jeani, your story inspires me to dig deeper into myself and find other ways to reassure my sweet Surprise that I'm not going to harness her.

Nancy, do you raise Clydes? I've fallen in love with this incredible breed and am humbled by how far my mare will go to try and please! She's a gem, but then aren't most horses?

Member:
Albionsh

Posted on Monday, May 3, 2004 - 5:21 pm:

Hi D.
I am raising a mixed bouquet of warmbloods, as my profile will show. I am sure it is the steady, true "cold-blood" side of them that I relate to in Jeani's post, but I do love the excitement that comes with the "hot-blooded" side. The cross seems to make the perfect horse--from the first to the fifteenth generation.
Member:
Paix

Posted on Monday, May 3, 2004 - 7:04 pm:

Jeanie-Im sorry to hear abt Harmony, too. Chester wasnt the healthiest boy, I think mostly due to his fragile beginning as a colt on a Premarin farm in Canada... They dont get the nicest care (to say the VERY least abt these farms).

Regardless of his health during his short life - he really was a wonderful treasure and I never minded the many 24/7 vigils I needed to do when he did get sick. I wldnt change any thing for the chance I had in getting to know him and bonding with him.

I will certainly have another Clydes in my life - they are a wonderful breed!

Thanks for everyones input and experiences.

Ciao

Member:
Jeans

Posted on Monday, May 3, 2004 - 9:39 pm:

Hi, Nancy, D., and dina,
Thank you so much for your kind words--they brought tears to my eyes. I want to say that YOU have inspired ME, and it's heartening to know that there are people out there who actually take in these Premarin foals, and abused horses.
I did bring Harmony to 3 of the best vets in the area, the last one being CSU vet school in Fort Collins, CO. And it is hard to understand how she could be lame soon, when I see her run and play out in the pasture. However, one of the vets told me this was the largest OCD she had ever seen, (it's about the size of my index finger, right in the middle of her stifle joint) and there's already cartilage damage. She is so riddled with this disease that it must have started in utero, and her hock on the other side has a mild OCD lesion. I had done a lot of research on nutrition to prevent this when I bought her, but to no avail. Not to go on and on, I just wanted you to know that I have exhausted every option I can think of, short of spending $2000 on surgery to get a horse that I might be able to breed, never ride, and no guess on how long she will last, even with the surgery.
But, again, thank you so much for just hearing my story about her--I didn't realize how much it could mean until I found your replies and felt tears in my eyes...those of us who have taken care of an ill horse until death know that we made a difference in their lives, short as they were, and that they had the best lives possible because of us. That is what keeps me going with Harmony. These ARE moments to cherish. Thanks for reminding me of that, Nancy.
D., I wish I could help you with your sweet Surprise, but being the amateur that I am, all I can say is that with the limited experience I have had, I have never gotten a better response than from positive reinforcement. It seems that most of the problems I have encountered with horses have been born of fear, not obstinance or disobedience as some people might have insisted. It only makes sense to me that the best way to overcome that is not punishment or reprimand, but understanding and patience, which builds trust, which overcomes fear. I have found that sometimes just the very smallest step in reaching a goal is the answer to progress, and that at the end of the day, one of the most important things is that the horse feels good about themselves and what they have accomplished, not what they have actually accomplished. Take care,
Jeani.
Member:
Megster

Posted on Tuesday, May 4, 2004 - 8:14 am:

My last horse, Bess, who I loaned for 18 months, was a Clyde x Welsh D mare - a real sweetie. She was clipped out all year round to keep her cool as she's a very hot horse when ridden and rugged when turned out through the winter. We only get three or so months of hot weather here in the UK (if we are lucky) and she did tend to get quite sluggish in the heat when ridden. The clip helped though. She was also hogged as she had sweet itch so we didn't have any problems with her mane making her hotter. She was a fantastic dressage horse and loved to jump XC, a real allrounder with a gorgeous temperament. Her owner eventually sold her to the riding school where she was stabled which broke my heart as I felt it was no longer fair to ride her given the amount of work being required of her. As with most riding schools, the good horses always seem to end up working the most. I have offered to buy her when she retires from her job to come and live a pampered life of leisure with me - I only wish I could tell her. I don't go there often now but she still whickers at me each time I see her. On the subject of cold blooded horses, my friend has a Haflinger gelding who is also a hot horse. He has a full clip all year round and has his beautiful mane braided to keep his neck cool. He seems to manage pretty well at that.
Sarah
Member:
Dyduroc

Posted on Tuesday, May 4, 2004 - 7:34 pm:

Jeani, All my best to you and Harmony. My prayers are that your days together will be filled with joy. How right you are about positive reinforcement!

Nancy, I love your description (mixed bouquet)! Wish you were nearby so I could see your beauties!

Sarah, thought of clipping Surprise but we have a real problem with black flies, mosquitoes, ticks, deer flies and horse flies from May through first frost (usually late September). Surprise is turned out at night and stabled during the day which helps to minimize her discomfort with the biting inspects. Much as I'd love to clip her and braid up her mane to help with the heat, I realize that she'd only be that much more exposed to the bugs.

It's sad that your horse's owner sold her to a riding school. I hope you get your wish and are able to buy her when she retires.

D.
Member:
Maggienm

Posted on Friday, Feb 25, 2005 - 6:19 pm:

When you talk about hot how hot is it?

What do the electrolytes do? What synptoms do you lok for to know you should feed them?
Thanks
Member:
Dyduroc

Posted on Wednesday, Mar 2, 2005 - 1:04 pm:

Hi, Lori. Sorry it's taken so long to answer.

By 'hot' I mean a heat index over 80-85 degrees F (heat index = temperature combined with humidity).

As Amy said, the electrolytes are used to prevent a horse from losing essential salts and minerals when they sweat.

My horse is one that can be standing knee deep in snow on a sunny day and get damp (sweaty) from the heat of the sun so it's taken me a while to figure out what her 'normal' sweat-index is. I only give the electrolytes when I know she's going to be sweating a lot more than usual (long trail ride, high temps, etc.) or after a work-out that leaves her abnormally sweaty.

Hope this answers you questions.

D.
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