Towering over typical Wyoming ranch horses and weighing nearly twice as much, draft horse breeds such as Percherons and Belgians might initially seem like intimidating behemoths.
But they’re actually gentle giants, said Patricia Wyer, who runs the Broken Bandit Wildlife Center near Cheyenne.
“They’re big, they’re calm, they’re gentle,” she told Cowboy State Daily. “They don’t have the desire to just go, go, go like your typical quarter horse.”
Upsizing Foster Care
Wyer has long rescued smaller critters such as bobcats, racoons and skunks through Broken Bandit.
She’s frequently given animals that people thought they could keep as pets, but then realized they couldn’t handle.
But in January she decided to start also fostering something bigger.
Much bigger. As in up to 2,500 pounds apiece larger.
She connected with Jasmin Shinn, founder of 1 Horse At A Time Draft Rescue based in Corvallis, Montana, and agreed to start fostering draft horses.
Wyler’s not a stranger to draft horses, having previously adopted two of her own.
They’re taller and much more massive and heavily muscled than other horse breeds and were once a staple of agriculture and commerce, used for such demanding tasks as plowing fields or pulling heavy wagons.
Nowadays, a few people still use them to pull wagons or do other heavy chores, Wyer said. But they’re also frequently kept as pleasure horses or “pasture companions,” she said.
In that latter role, their primary job might be to just keep company with other horses and livestock. Their gentle and steady temperament helps keep other animals calm.
Tragic Situation
Wyler took in four draft horses from a group of 17 horses and two mules that 1 Horse At A Time had rescued from Oklahoma. They were likely “old Amish work horses” that had been abandoned, she said.
When 1 Horse At A Time asked her to help, Wyler didn’t hesitate.
“They’re one of the legit rescue operations. They’re real. They care more about the horses than they do about everything else,” she said.
The horses arrived in rough shape, some of them underweight from neglect and underfeeding, Wyler said.
They included Emilee, a 16-year-old Belgian mare; Clover, a 16-18-year-old Brabant mare; Eclipse, 20, a Percheron gelding; and Summer, a 16-18-year-old Belgian mare.
The Horses
Since their arrival, the horses have been recovering and putting on weight. Emilee, Clover and Summer are up for adoption.
Eclipse isn’t suited for adoption, so he’ll live out his life at Broken Bandit as “an ambassador for the draft breed,” Wyer said.
Emilee suffers from an irreversible genetic condition that’s causing some of her ligaments to slowly break down.
“That does not stop her from enjoying the finer things life has to offer from galloping around to enjoying her carrots and pets,” Wyer said. “Emilee is well-suited to enjoy her life on a pasture as a companion, as she will never be able to hold a rider or pull a cart.”
Clover is spunkier.
“Clover is full of personality, curiosity and kindness. She has discovered apples to be her favorite treat. Clover could be well suited to enjoy her life as a light duty riding partner or even a pasture companion,” Wyer said.
Summer will need kindness and patience, she said.
“Summer was a little thin and extremely scared when she arrived at the rescue,” Wyer said. “She shows that in her past life she was not treated kindly, which does mean she is very scared of the unknown.
“Daily, we are out with her talking to her and offering treats. She has yet to accept them from human hands. Summer will need a home where patience and understanding are the primary language. This girl has a lot to offer a forever home that is built on trust.”
As Long As It Takes
Adopting a draft horse isn’t for just anybody, Wyer said. They require a lot more food and space than other horse breeds.
Finding a farrier (horse shoeing and hoof care expert) to work on draft breeds can also be challenging, Wyer said.
“A lot of farriers refuse to work on draft horses because of the sheer size of the hooves on them,” she said, adding she gets farrier service for her draft horses through the Wyoming School of Horseshoeing.
Wyer realizes that finding people to adopt draft horses can be like “finding a needle in a haystack, because they’re so big.”
But she said the huge animals she’s fostering are welcome to stay with her for as long as it takes.
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
