how well do irish draughts jump?

[caroline/halle]

went to see my friends irish draught yesterday and was amazed it was so gentle and quiet, was thinking maybe of getting one, but i want to do show jumping/xc mayb a bit of dressage, anyone who has one how well/high can yours jump as they aren't the lightest of horses lol thanks xx:)

[Dash]

Nearly every horse I've rode is an ID X They seem to make really good all round horses!

[AlexNI]

They are fantastic jumpers! Generally not spooky or silly but as you say the big chunky types can lack a bit of speed. My mare was a brilliant jumper - jumped lots of xc at 3'6" ish & team chasing with some massive hedges. Never as quick as the lighter types but would jump anything. She wasn't too careful showjumping though, was never that bothered if she hit something.

There are some top showjumpers with a lot of ID in. Have a look on www.irishdraughthorsesociety.com. I bought mine from a dealer and knew nothing about IDs but she has done everything I could have wanted. They are also well known for being fairly tough, sound horses. Mine is 21 now and is getting a bit arthritic but apart from that she has had the vet about 2 or 3 times since i got her when she was 5yrs old.

And yes, they generally have very kind, gentle temperaments & love people.

[nattyhorseluver]

One of the horses I ride is ID X TB, by god he can jump! Hes unfit atm and is jumping 1.10ish with ease, it doesnt even feel like he is trying or pushing himself!

Video - Its not 1.10 we were warming up :) Its about 95cm-1 Metre


http://s70.photobucket.com/albums/i86/mistymoo1990/?action=view&current=BJJumping1metre.flv

[Skippys Mum]

Irish Draft crosses make fantastic jumpers - as do full ID's. Skippy was IDx and could turn in mid air on a sixpence and he was a big lump of horse:D

[carthorse]

Most full IDs are fantastic jumpers - they may be big but so are their backsides & that means they'll power over almost anything!

I wish mine jumped a lot more slowly though, half the time he scares the living daylights out of me so we don't do much jumping now- that size horse hurtling in like a point to pointer & launching from maybe three strides out isn't my idea of fun nowadays :eek:. On the plus side though he's very careful & as clever as a cat on his feet and he doesn't always jump like a loon, some days he's merely forward going.

Overall they're lovely horses, I grew up around them & have known quite a few over the years & I can honestly say I've never met a nasty one. I love mine to bits.

[Alice1992]

Probably the best you van get!!!

[pmcc]

I used to own a 16.2 irish draught mare and although she wasnt the fastest she could jump alright. she was my first horse really easy to handle even on the ground with all her strength. (It was like feeding and mucking out an elephant.:eek:)
Tried jumping her over small jumps for my benefit but she'd always jump them as if they were three times the size I had put up, honest big horses most of them aren't spooky but mine was a bit, not too good on the road but think that was lack of experience, just think really big cob!:)
Also took two really nice thorough bred x foals from her which do make really good jumpers.

[vikkig]

i know a load of idx that are amazing jumpers, my mac only learned last year at the age of 13 but would try anything i put him at, will never run out would rather try first, always corrects my mistakes bless him, very honest horses

[caroline/halle]

thanks for all your replies! i think i am going to get an irish draught x if i can just so it is slightly lighter on its feet if i can find one!! are irish draught x the same as irish sports horses? i know its ID x TB for them and ther ment to be good allrounders but what are ID also crossed with? i stil want to keep the lovely temperment and reliability of the ID...jus slight more lightness as showjumpin is my fav :)

[vels mum]

My boy is ID X Danish trotter, he is 26 now so retired from jumping but was a Pro SJ in his day, competing in the big competitions, he also won Glen Eagles in 1994. He had a nasty accident soon after where he was empailed on a jump (pole went through the side of his neck! :eek:) so he came to me for retirement.
Still did local shows though, here he is at show with me where he won overall champion, he had no problem clearing our jumps lol :D
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n249/helphorses/2303537876a3148742453b271183104l.jpg

[carthorse]

Have a look here for some pics http://www.idhsgb.com/web/mediagallery/album.php?aid=8&page=1 . Certainly more than one ID stallion has been a Grade A showjumper - Creggan Diamond, King of Diamonds, Sea Crest, Cruising, Rebelara, Glenagyle Rebel are some but certainly not all.

The rest of the site is also well worth looking at if you're interested in IDs or part-breds. They really are far more versatile than people realise, a lot of them are far from heavy plods!