# and we think it's something to train ONE four-legged..



## ann schnerre (Aug 24, 2006)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcUzcXyEN6Q&feature=related


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## Laney Rein (Feb 9, 2011)

you have to marvel at how one man can precisely control the individual movements of each of the 8 up hitch. I just love when their new commercials come out cuz they really do teach the horses to kick the footballs, etc. My favorite all time is their tribute to 9/11.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4yfivS8SWs


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## ann schnerre (Aug 24, 2006)

IDK, i can control a side-pass of ONE horse when i'm astride. i think it's WAY cool to ask (and receive!!) it from 8 horses from a wagon.


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

Living in St. Louis, the home of AB, I've seen them many times and never get tired of doing so.


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## Anne Jones (Mar 27, 2006)

Yep, a ton of long rein work with these guys before they ever see a harness or are worked in a team. 

A side pass is something that takes time to teach a horse from astride. To teach it to a team to do in unision must take ALOT of patience & practice. 

You are right Bob, I don't think that anyone ever gets tired of seeing these guys in person or on tv or videos.


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## Maren Bell Jones (Jun 7, 2006)

They're just amazing animals. Love the big draft horses. Whenever one of the AB Clydesdales would come to the MU vet school, the students on equine rotation would practically duke it out to get to be the student on the case. All I got for long term patients was an a-hole Thoroughbred for a week and a half and an a-hole quarter horse for three whole weeks. Luckily both were food motivated and I could use some dog training skills to teach them some ground manners while they were there.


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## David Frost (Mar 29, 2006)

I've only seen them in a parade pulling a wagon straight. They are beautiful animals. One of my favorite things to see at the county fair is the horse pull. Same as a tractor pull only "old school". To see a horse lean into a harness and start pulling is a thing of beauty.

DFrost


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## Lorrie McCarthy (Aug 26, 2011)

They are impressive, beautiful animals. We have a breeder here and in a newspaper article not too long ago, she told of how the breed has significant foaling problems. I was surprised.


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## ann schnerre (Aug 24, 2006)

what kind of foaling problems, lorrie? it's not like they're english bulldogs with physical abnormalities, so i'm curious.

@david: in my hometown they have a street fair every year, a large part of which is horse pulling. funny thing is the draft ponies can pull more weight pound for pound than the big guys. i miss horse pulls--out here it's all about tractor pulls--noisy, noisy, noisy!


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## Lorrie McCarthy (Aug 26, 2011)

This breeder said that she has to watch her pregnant mares all of the time as they are not easy foalers. From her experience, if a mare isn't feeling well, it's easy for them to just lie down like "this is it" and will quietly die. 

Kind of dramatic, but ,that's her snipette of how it goes. She's been a breeder of Clydesdales for 30 years. They even sold one of their stallions to the AB breeding program. 

My take is that I guess you have to keep a vigil when they get ready to foal, as they don't easily show signs of problems and then you can lose both the mare and foal. Apparently not a breed that can foal easily without assistance like some.

I know our barn's Appaloosa herd would foal without problems out in the pasture. They would also breed naturally out in the pasture too.


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

When AB was bought out a couple of yrs ago the new folks talked about getting rid of the Clydesdales. 
Shit from the public reaction really hit the fan with that one! 
The new owners changed their mind! :grin:


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## ann schnerre (Aug 24, 2006)

oh i remember when AB was bought out, and there was talk about ditching the Clydes. NOT a good thing


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## ann schnerre (Aug 24, 2006)

still wish i had 3 lifetimes to (1) be driving an 8-up and have them side-pass like the video. the other 2 i won't get into here.


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

When I was a kid we had Adam's Dairy her in St. Louis. They had a 6 pony hitch for special events. Cool little dappled grey ponys.


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## Laney Rein (Feb 9, 2011)

Best decision they ever had. The clydes have an American icon.


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## ann schnerre (Aug 24, 2006)

if i was the farrier for 'em--i'd charge enough for massages/acupunture/steam baths/whatever. that's a LOT of shoe!


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

ann schnerre said:


> if i was the farrier for 'em--i'd charge enough for massages/acupunture/steam baths/whatever. that's a LOT of shoe!



Private, in house farrier. 
Grant's Farm here in St. Louis is one of the two breeding facilities for them in the USA. 
Everything about their care is in house. 
I think the new owners may have taken the GrantS Farm tour off thier agenda but it's well worth seeing. Same with the brewery tour. The horses are often down there.


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## ann schnerre (Aug 24, 2006)

there aren't that many good farrier's in the US (IMO). but it makes my back hurt just THINKING about dealing with draft horse feet every day. OUCH. 

(i applied for a job at Grant's Farm just out of college, but ended up @ a Morgan horse outfit instead).


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## Maren Bell Jones (Jun 7, 2006)

Before my back got too bad and I thought I might still see horses in practice, I took a farrier short course at the vet school taught by some of the good area farriers and made sure I helped out a lot on our equine rotation for the farrier corrective shoeing day. Most were farriers but two of them (a guy and a gal) were farriers before they were vets and they were amazing. People would trailer their horses in from hours and hours away to be seen. Makes my back and knees hurt just thinking about it. I think shorter strong guys make the best farriers. It's a disappearing trade, that's for sure.


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## ann schnerre (Aug 24, 2006)

you know maren--you're right i think, most farriers that i've worked with that were worth a crap, WERE short guys. physiological reason for that i'm thinking


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## Molly Graf (Jul 20, 2006)

not to down-grade the amazing 8-horse hitch and side-passing - but side-passing for a harness horse is not the same as side-passing for a dressage horse. It's not the same kind of "training". The hitched harness horse is trained to harness, they learn they cannot bend or turn while in traces. They have very limited mobility, and so if they are asked to turn, they go sideways. The more acute the turn, the more sideways they go. They must, as they cannot turn in the traces. So yes it takes training, but it's not training to sidepass.


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## John L'Orange (Aug 29, 2011)

Thank goodness that was cleared up.


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

ann schnerre said:


> there aren't that many good farrier's in the US (IMO). but it makes my back hurt just THINKING about dealing with draft horse feet every day. OUCH.
> 
> (i applied for a job at Grant's Farm just out of college, but ended up @ a Morgan horse outfit instead).



One of the last blacksmith/farrier shops in this area is being dismantled and will be reassembled at one of the county parks here. Faust park. The have a number of old, restored/moved buildings there.


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## ann schnerre (Aug 24, 2006)

John L'Orange said:


> Thank goodness that was cleared up.


yeah, thanks molly. appreciate the lesson.


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