Question: I am really interested in getting a young horse because I just recently had to give my older TB gelding away because of really bad arthritis. I had a friend who takes care of older horses 'out of commission' and she loves him so much. Is your weanling still intact, or has he been castrated since the ad? Are draft horses the same as hotblooded horses in that they need to be castrated at 6-9 months of age? Are draft weanlings that are kept intact become aggressive studs or do they remain docile? I am mainly asking about the castration because if the colt is for sale for $1700, and then I have to get him castrated, I don't want to not be able to afford to get him castrated if his attitude starts to change because of hormonal changes. (Unless you're willing to sell for a lower price.) I am really interested in raising a draft horse. I had my older gelding for four years, and a mare for three years prior. I am into trail rides, easy trail rides and want a very docile horse. I think Belgians are beautiful. I am a third year student at UC-Davis and would plan to board at a local boarding facility called Pine Trails. It is a wonderful facility with several arenas, turn out pastures and stalls. Thank you very much for time.

Answer: The colt in question is for sale by a friend of mine and yes he is still intact. I will put you into contact with the owner and he can give you specifics about this colts personality and disposition. I can offer some general opinions on drafts and raising a baby horse. My first question to you would be, have you ever raised a horse before or have you ever trained an unbroke horse? If you answer no to both questions then I'd advise against purchasing a baby unless you had a trainer that would work closely with you. I breed and train horses and while it's not rocket science it does take a lot of learned skill, time for working with the horse every day, and tons of patience. Also, you couldn't start riding the horse until it was well over 2 years old and even then it would be light/minimal riding until the horse is well over 3 years old. Draft breeds mature later than light breeds so you shouldn't ride him until the bone and joint growth was complete. Plus baby horses need to be raised in pasture settings with plenty of room to run and be horses. Babies that are stall raised can have a variety of disposition issues as well as problems with feet, bone, and joint development. The general disposition of the colt would determine if you need to castrate him - but unless you plan to use him as a breeding stud (which is a whole different conversation and set of issues) then you should have him castrated. Also, you'd probably find that most boarding stables would not want to have a stallion on premise. Let me end by saying that draft breeds are wonderful and usually much more docile than the lighter breeds. I own 2 white driving percherons and a shire/TB cross baby. I've done trail riding, dressage, and cross country jumping not to mention driving and I love the draft horse. But I would recommend you go with an already broke to ride draft horse. Good Luck, Amber