How well do horses, goats, and LGD mix?

[SarahFair]

I thought it was something along those lines....

 

[Pepperwolfe]

Glad I looked at this. I'm thinking of adopting a horse and Mom still wants goats.

 

[la dee da]

If you do not plan on sharing pasture space, I suggest you consider getting another horse (or some kind of equine) to keep the other one happier.

That is what I would do, horses need companions

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Just a note-disbudding is only painful to the goat for about 2 hours (maybe, I'm judging by noisiness, and I have Nubians and they are super whiny) It can prevent injuries in the future, and most breeds can only be registered with no horns. Goats with horns know that they have horns and are not squeamish about using them. If you can find sombody else with goats, then they probably disbud and you can have a disbudding party and look at alll the cute babies! That's what we do, and it's my 2 cents.

I know, I have read about it and believe that I could do it. I just love the look of a horned goat

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[Chick_a_dee]

My neighbour has horses and goats in the same field and they're fine together.. though i'd totally go with goats that have been disbudded incase they try to ram the horses.

Horses are herd animals and do best with other horses, but then again i've had horses by themselves and they've been peachy with lots of attention from us. Currently Luna our QH pony is alone but on the other hand there is 2 horses just down the road, cows across the street, and about 6 more horses at the end of the road and we get lots of horse traffic on the road so she's always able to communicate with the other horses.

 

[Chick_a_dee]

Quote:
Oh for sure... Especially those big guys with their huge pie plate feet. Most of them don't realize their size when they're in the pasture! My Belgian cross sure didn't LOL

 

[Chick_a_dee]

On a second note.. You may want to consider Shires more... they can get to 18hh and over and believe me THAT iS HUGE. i tried out an 18hh Belgian mare a couple months ago and i'm a big horse kinda gal and even that scared the crap out of me. she was great to ride but in the end i decided that if she was going to rear or something happened i'd be a goner. Can you handle a Shire? Can you find a farrier locally who is willing to work on such a large horse and who knows how to trim a large horse like that correctly? Fencing... you may have to consider higher fencing for a Shire and also consider that drafts can be but not always are, fence breakers... we had a Percheron who busted right through the fence several times ... and he wasn't even that big.

Availability of supplies for your draft is another concern, getting a halter saddle, etc. for that big guy could be an issue.. i know for sure around here none of the co-ops sell draft sized halters, etc. Have you considered a smaller draft with the same hair coat, fetlock, etc. Perhaps a Gypsy Vanner or something similar but of a smaller size and perhaps more managable?

 

[pamperedpoultry]

If your planning on having baby goats I wouldn't mix. we keep our horses in with our cows until they start calving. We had a set of twins stomped to death the year before last so we learned our lesson the hard way. We now seperate the cows from the horses early spring. I'm sure they would be the same with baby goats also. Also with the dog in with the horses, it may or may not work , I've seen horses take after dogs also. It really depends on the horses but I wouldn't take any chances on the baby goats. We had ours together for years and nothing ever happened we had close calls but nothing like the twins we lost

 

[la dee da]

On a second note.. You may want to consider Shires more... they can get to 18hh and over and believe me THAT iS HUGE. i tried out an 18hh Belgian mare a couple months ago and i'm a big horse kinda gal and even that scared the crap out of me. she was great to ride but in the end i decided that if she was going to rear or something happened i'd be a goner. Can you handle a Shire? Can you find a farrier locally who is willing to work on such a large horse and who knows how to trim a large horse like that correctly? Fencing... you may have to consider higher fencing for a Shire and also consider that drafts can be but not always are, fence breakers... we had a Percheron who busted right through the fence several times ... and he wasn't even that big.

Availability of supplies for your draft is another concern, getting a halter saddle, etc. for that big guy could be an issue.. i know for sure around here none of the co-ops sell draft sized halters, etc. Have you considered a smaller draft with the same hair coat, fetlock, etc. Perhaps a Gypsy Vanner or something similar but of a smaller size and perhaps more managable?

Here goes *takes deep breath*. I love big animals and I love being high up, and the look of the Shire is absolutly amazing, everything I read about this breed I love, so if I was to get a horse, it would be a Shire. They can be 18+hh but I've also seen them (purebred) for sale at only 16hh so if I can't handle a BIG horse I'll just buy a smaller Shire. I haven't made a decision on wheather or not I want a horse(s), I probably won't make that decision until I move out. I have done research on the riding gear and it does go through my mind a lot on how I will find some. With the farrier I plan on learning how to do barefoot trimming and want my horses to be barefoot, but yes I would make sure to have a mentor BEFORE owning a horse. Thank you for the fence information, I figured I would have to make the fence higher, but I never read anything about drafts being fence breakers so I'll definatly keep that in mind

. I know that their feed and vet costs are higher, so don't worry about that. One thing I've recently been thinking about is if I could get a couple for plowing so I could grow my own hay (lots more research to do, but again no decisions yet).

Basically what I want to say is that I would definatly make sure that I feel comfortable riding/handling/cleaning after such a large horse before I get one, I've done some research and know there's still plenty more to do. Thanks for the forwarnings

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[Chick_a_dee]

Quote:
Here goes *takes deep breath*. I love big animals and I love being high up, and the look of the Shire is absolutly amazing, everything I read about this breed I love, so if I was to get a horse, it would be a Shire. They can be 18+hh but I've also seen them (purebred) for sale at only 16hh so if I can't handle a BIG horse I'll just buy a smaller Shire. I haven't made a decision on wheather or not I want a horse(s), I probably won't make that decision until I move out. I have done research on the riding gear and it does go through my mind a lot on how I will find some. With the farrier I plan on learning how to do barefoot trimming and want my horses to be barefoot, but yes I would make sure to have a mentor BEFORE owning a horse. Thank you for the fence information, I figured I would have to make the fence higher, but I never read anything about drafts being fence breakers so I'll definatly keep that in mind

. I know that their feed and vet costs are higher, so don't worry about that. One thing I've recently been thinking about is if I could get a couple for plowing so I could grow my own hay (lots more research to do, but again no decisions yet).

Basically what I want to say is that I would definatly make sure that I feel comfortable riding/handling/cleaning after such a large horse before I get one, I've done some research and know there's still plenty more to do. Thanks for the forwarnings

.

You should volunteer at a Shire farm... We have a Clydesdale farm locally but yeah find your closest Shire farm and volunteer to work with the horses and get a feel for them. 16hh isn't big for a Shire and that makes me think that particular shire was still growing as they take longer to mature and grow than your typical horse.

 

[Chirpy]

Generally I think Belgians may be a little more stubborn than Shires (I've never owned a Shire but have had several Belgians - including the mare I have now). So, having said that this may not apply but it's good to know. My Belgians have ruined my fencing... all of my fencing. The pasture fencing is 3 strand barbless wire (NEVER use barbed wire with horses) and held up by 4x4 round posts and T-posts. If you stand at the corner and look down the fence row of T-posts they entire fence line is leaned outward - many of the T-posts are actually bent. Some of the 4x4s have been broken in half and others literally pulled out of the ground when they stuck their head in between the fence and then just lifted straight up instead of backing out. Argh!

The metal horse panel fences (the tubular ones used on round pens and gates) are all bent out of shape because she likes to rub her butt on them! So, I literally have a "round" pen and "rounded" gates - which made them unusable as gates as they didn't fit anymore.

I love my Belgian mare. But, she's expensive to keep and I'm not talking food bills. Plus, to ride her I had to get an extra large saddle. You can find draft horse supplies on line easily - but it's not cheap. Just getting a halter to fit mine cost me more and they had to be ordered on line as no one around her sells a large enough size.

Just stuff to think about.

Have fun.