# Hyperbike or Haflinger LOL



## drivin*me*buggy (Oct 27, 2010)

Hi All,

I haven't been on the forum in FOREVER! Life has kept me hopping- too busy really to enjoy things. Recently I sold my Fjord as I could no longer juggle boarding him and working the 2 minis here at home. If he were older and had seen more of the world, he could have come here. But for a young, green biggie, our setup is a little small. I found him a dream home where the lady will develop him to his full potential and I can VISIT!

So...anyway, I have LOVED getting back into riding regularly and now that my Fjord boy is not with me- I miss it terribly.

Next year I could put up the facilities to keep a mellow laid back bombproof biggie here (thinking haflinger-as there are more to choose from here and price point is more affordable) or just sticking with my 2 minis that I drive and getting a hyperbike! I think Buck would love the lightweight aspect of the 'Bike. Wish is a powerhouse anyway and so not thinking about it so much for her.

Wanna help me think this through? 

Angie


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## candycar (Oct 28, 2010)

Get the HyperBike! They are a blast! Your minis will love the freedom. Do you really want the extra hassle and expense of another big horse just for a few hours a week riding? Spend the time you would devote to the biggie with the minis driving over hill and dale.




JMHO


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## Jill (Oct 28, 2010)

I vote Haflinger


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## ~Lisa~ (Oct 28, 2010)

I am with Jill Haflinger....

If you truly enjoy riding and miss it then Iwould say get a big horse. Driving is great but it is not the same as riding at all


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## ThreeCFarm (Oct 28, 2010)

I agree with Lisa...I ride and drive, and there is nothing like being on the back of a good horse!!


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## Mominis (Oct 28, 2010)

I'd go with the Hyperbike. It doesn't eat or need a blanket and you could wait and find the right horse later.


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## Carolyn R (Oct 28, 2010)

I can TRUELY relate, coming from a big horse background. Haflingers are awesome, but finding the right saddle will break the bank!!!!! When I had one (short lived period, didn't know she would come to me as a medical nightmare)I probably went through 9 different saddles until I found one that fit (GOTTA LOVE THOSE MUTTON WITHERS!). Thank goodness for ebay, always clean it, take great photos and as long as you purchased it slightly used for a great price, you won't loose money.

I can't blame you for wanting a riding horse. I recently got one, but it is win win for me. Stays a few hundred yards down the road at the neighbors (grew up with her kids, looong time ago, second Mom)It keeps her BH company, what I pay in board is only a bit more than I would end up spending on hay, grain and bedding if kept it here.

A hyperbike on the other hand is also on my wishlist





Along with an open wheeled show cart.

Used hyperbikes almost NEVER pop up for sale, I have been looking and looking, just sitting on my funds, hoping I will find one, it just doesn't seem to happen.

so I have to say, pros for the biggie, life is too short, and the discontent feeling does not go away, when you miss riding you miss riding, period. Its hard to forget what it feels like racing around in a saddle, for me it was wanting my kids to know what it is like being on the back of a horse, there isn't anything else like growing up in the country and being able to feel the dirt between your toes, the smell of earth in the autumn air, or the experienceing life other than that that is spent in front of a TV locked in the house. Can you tell this topic pulls at my heartstrings, LOL.

Cons, 4:1 ratio, if you have a biggie at your place, they eat and cost about the same as 4 minis, thats alot of cash that could be going for ALOT of really nice mini gadgets. There are sooooo many mini things on the market.

Sometimes, there just aren't enough hours in the day, and you feel guilty for splitting your time in so many different directions, will you have enoug time for everyone?

Its like having six in one hand and half a dozen in the other


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## disneyhorse (Oct 28, 2010)

I vote hyperbike. They don't eat and they don't need all the extras (blanket, saddle, bridle, vet bills, etc.)

If you miss riding, maybe there's a horse in your area you can lease or offer to work for the owners?

Andrea


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## hobbyhorse23 (Oct 28, 2010)

Hmm, I can so relate. I just lost my full-sized horse this spring but as far as riding goes I lost him years ago. I missed it a lot but couldn't afford another riding horse while taking care of Spyder so I got Kody and started driving him. I do enjoy that, very much, but the reality is it was a placeholder until I could ride again. Right now I'm just beginning to finally see the savings from not having Spyder around (the funds went to showing two minis this summer and then my trip to the UK) so I'm still not in a position to think about it but I know as the years go by I'm going to miss it more and more. And frankly I'm a bit afraid that if I get a new riding horse the minis will fall by the wayside as I prefer riding and it's so much less work to hop on bareback than to have to hitch up for even just the quickest outting. I'll never part with Kody and he hates not having a job so that would be a tragedy! So for now I'm focusing on the mini kids and trying not to think about riding.

May I ask why a bombproof horse is okay at your place but a green horse is not? That would make a difference to me. If the area is really not large enough for a full-sized animal it would curtail my enjoyment and I'd go for the Hyperbike. It's certainly cheaper in the long run! But if riding is really your thing and you can afford a full-sized horse and have a good place to keep it then that may be the better thing for your happiness. I think if it were me I'd buy the Hyperbike, enjoy it, and see if I still wanted a big horse in a year. The 'Bike doesn't cost anything put up in a shed for awhile, unlike the full-sized horse, and you could always sell it if you found you weren't using it because you were mostly riding. As others have said, used Hyperbikes are always in demand!

Leia


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## My2Minis (Oct 28, 2010)

I would get a bombproof horse that was not a Haflinger, like the other poster said because saddle fitting can be frustrating. We have a mutton withered pony and have been through so many saddles and even the best fitting ones slip. I would not get a mutton withered horse again. You may end up spending a fortune on a custom made saddle or special Haflinger saddle. Unless the Haflinger comes with his own well-fitting saddle! (That would be ideal).

Best wishes with your decision!


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## TheCaseFamily00 (Oct 28, 2010)

I vote Haflinger and vote no saddle



I'd rather ride bareback




.


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## jleonard (Oct 28, 2010)

I'd vote Hyperbike. Having had both (Haflinger didn't drive) in my experience the 'bike is much more fun! Although my Haflinger was the older type, slow, lazy, and stubborn, so maybe I didn't get the best impression of them. I know there are plenty of very nice, athletic Haflingers out there too that are great driving ponies. (Or you could always go Welsh! My favorite breed and current project!).

Do not let the saddle issue deter you. I was just leasing my Haflinger, and knew he wouldn't stay forever, but I needed a saddle. I got a Wintec all-purpose with the adjustable gullet. It worked perfect for him, though I still used a non-slip pad. When he left and my super thin TB came into the picture I just switched the gullet out from extra wide to extra narrow and voila! Perfect fit!


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## drivin*me*buggy (Oct 28, 2010)

Wow, Thanks for all the responses! To answer Leia on the greenbroke vs bombproof horse thing...if it were just me messing around outside- greenbroke would be fine...not ideal-but fine...when I throw my young son playing outside into the mix it becomes less then ideal, to watch him and work a young horse. It was a factor in me selling my beloved young Fjord. My son is outside when I drive the minis all the time...but a big horse is -well a big horse....I know driving can be dangerous as well.

As far as a set up- while we don't have acres of pasture- what we can provide as far as care and safe facilites would be excellent. The biggie would have a drylot paddock and rotate on our little pasture w/ the minis weather/seasonally permitting.

I agree that there is a definite $$ savings in just having the minis.

I can sooo relate to what Carolyn R and Leia are saying. Carolyn's post is what I keep saying over and over in my head....it is so hard to decide!!!I love riding and driving...

Leia, having my Fjord- especially since he wasn't here at home- definitely took up a lot of my mini time...which made me sad because I have a couple of sweet driving horses here. And the lack of time I was having for them was another factor in offering my Fjord for sale...I guess somehow in my pea brain I think I can find more time here for riding and driving if the riding is done here. But maybe it would be too much juggling still...

Hyperbike owners- does it feel like riding at all? I think with the bike I could actually use more of my property for driving- hillier areas that I don't venture on too much now due to the weight and instability of the carts I have (Frontier and Pequea)

As far as biggie tack- I still have my Fjord's stuff..Abetta wide endurance saddle and myler bits...so those may be able to still be used if I went with a biggie...

See...I am still on the fence!! LOL Arrgh!


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## barnbum (Oct 28, 2010)

hyperbike=less stress, less complication, less anxiety, more money..... see--this is easy.


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## hobbyhorse23 (Oct 29, 2010)

drivin*me*buggy said:


> Hyperbike owners- does it feel like riding at all? I think with the bike I could actually use more of my property for driving- hillier areas that I don't venture on too much now due to the weight and instability of the carts I have (Frontier and Pequea)


You could definitely use more of the areas that are not particularly safe to drive on in a Frontier. I'm so used to going anywhere in the 'Bike without even thinking about it that the instability of a regular easy entry always startles me!





For me, personally, the 'Bike is not like riding because what I miss is the play of muscles under me and feeling at one with something so much larger and more powerful than myself. You're never going to get that with a mini. But it IS the closest you can get to riding one and has many positives! I enjoy it in the winter because I get a kick out of being able to press my legs against all that warm fur and feel his breathing and heat. I've been known to push on my horse's shoulder with my toe if he wasn't turning quick enough.



(I don't do this on marathon but it's kind of fun when trail driving.) It's also very natural and easy to reach out and pat them which again can make you feel closer to riding. There's more of a "between the ears" sort of view instead of looking down at the whole horse from above and feeling removed from them; they're right there in front of you. You're pretty much right on their tail so you turn when they turn, you pick up and go the moment they do and not a second later when they get the cart going. Everything is very immediate. It's also fun because the horses tend to come alive in the 'Bike and really want to go out with you. They become eager and very full of themselves once they "get it." I've seen some test drives where the 'Bike isn't adjusted quite right (too high off the ground, the traces aren't right, etc.) and the driver never shows the horse what it can do and they just look confused. But get it set nice and low, fit the harness correctly and turn the horse loose to run a little and spin it a couple of times and pretty soon they're the ones not wanting to stop!

I'd say get the 'Bike for now but that's because a carriage is easier to put away or part with than a horse so if I wasn't sure I'd rather start with the carriage and see if I still felt a hole in my life.

Leia


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## RhineStone (Oct 29, 2010)

Get the Hyperbike. People are giving horses away, especially "just riding" horses (read not a super show horse). I know of some very nice horses that are just looking for a new home due to the economy.





Myrna


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## drivin*me*buggy (Oct 29, 2010)

Well, I think I am going to go with the Hyperbike!



My daughter Ash (BannerBrat) will use it for the marathon portion of CDEs and I think it will add a whole new level to driving here....I am thinking it will make my space seem even bigger due to tighter turning!





I will be interested to see how it feels different that driving in my EE carts! and if it changes how Buck and Wish work.

And who knows, maybe there will be a haflinger in my future someday...but for now, I have two talented minis that whinny at the sight of me and love to work. Brace yourself for pix once we get this all figured out 

Angie


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## CZP1 (Oct 29, 2010)

I'd get the hyperbike! That is on my list of things to get. I just had a spinal fusion for a slipped vertabrae and will be out for about 6 months until it fuses. Having a mini and 6 months off isn't such a big deal as if it were a big horse. I find driving more and more enjoyable everytime we go out with the minis. We have had a few people in our driving club that switched to minis than buying another horse after their horses got older.

Hyperbike!


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