hello, i have recently purchased a purcheron, he is 18 hands high, and one of the best horses i have ever come across, however, i have never owned one before, and would like to know if anyone can give my any pointers and ideas, on how to get on him to ride?

I have no experience w/Percherons, but there are some things that are universal no matter the breed. Is the horse broke to ride?

yes, he has been ridden for the past 5 years without a bit, only a halter and lead rope for the reines, he understands left right, and stop. he was on 20 acres and every time with no fail, you can call his name and he will come running from wherever he is at as long as he can hear you.

Wow, sounds like you've got a good boy! If you'd like to continue riding bitless, you might consider getting a hackamore or side pulls. Since it's what he's used to I would recommend it. Personally, just playing around in a field is fine, but I don't know that riding on trails is a great idea w/a halter and lead unless he's VERY good. I would say just start him out in a pasture/round pen to keep him in a secure situation just to be safe at first. I don't know what you've done w/him, so I'll just tell you what I do w/a new horse when I'm not sure how they've been trained. Do you know if he has had much groundwork? It's always a good way to see what they know. Make sure you can mount w/out him going to the side and moving all around. Once you're on him, just ask for a walk, and don't just go in circles make figure 8's, serpentines, etc... Make sure he stops well too, that's important! If he does well w/that, ask for a trot. Just for a few paces and then bring him back to a walk. Do a lot of transitions to make sure he understands what cues mean what. Does he back? If he does well w/all of this, just keep slowly increasing what you ask of him and see what he does. I probably wouldn't ask for a canter the first time or two that you ride, you'll still be getting used to each other, but once you feel confident in his abilities and he trusts you have at it! If he shows confusion at something, he probably just doesn't know how to do it. Have you ever done any training at all? I assume you have a saddle to fit him? I bet you'll need a heck of a step stool to get on him!lol. Where do you do most of your riding?(trail, arena, pasture)

what is a side pull? i am familiar with the hackamore. we rode him several times on the 20 acres he was housed on before deciding to purchase him. my husband tried jumping on him bareback, and he just stood there while several attepts were made, he acts a little antsy when you go to get on,but i dont know if it is because he is confused at why you keep jumping on and off of him, or if it is because he hasnt been rode in while.the backing he does o.k. with, we havent had him long enough to be able to really get in there and see what he can do. thank you for the advice, i will try these things first and then let you know how he does, any other advice please let me know. i am thank ful for all i can get.

A side pull is just another version of a hackamore. I use it when I am teaching young horses collection(gaited) to get a consistent gait like a bit n rig and surcingle w/out a bit . Pretty much the same thing as a normal hackamore, the bosal doesn't seem to be quite the same though. Do a search on a sidepull hackamore and you should be able to find one.

They are big and need to be handled as such. You must demand more respect from them than you would a smaller horse. They are very calm and relaxed, but because of there size can unwittingly do major damage. If he is ridden in a halter, was probably broke/owned by Amish. They work horses in bridles but the kids ride them in halters because they aren't "working".
Other than ground issues and tack fit, they aren't much different than other breeds. You should mount from a block, although they are big, you can pull their shoulders/withers crooked from struggling to get on.
The dancing around may be from being in a hitch. For the most part once a "header" [someone holding them, stands @ head] is no longer in front of them, the reins/lines are picked up, and off they go.

the people that i got him from are here in utah, they have raised him since he was born, the reason they decided to only ride with a halter, i havent asked, thank you for the advice on the block, i will remember that. also, what you were saying about the header, if that is the case, can that be changed, or will he just always be antzy, about being mounted and is the header issue a bad thing to do?

Horses learn through consistant repetition. The same thing everytime=the same responce. So with time you can teach any horse anything. It is how you should work with your other horses as well. We always use headers with our drafts, but its not neccessary, just easier. He may not have had one, but may have been allowed to walk off when mounted, or been kicked when trying to get on, or just not made to stand, reasons vary. You decide what behaviors are important to you, and make them become important to him. If he is not use to a bit, I would have his teeth looked @ before putting one in there.

Congrats!!!

I've had my Perch for 9 years, since he was 2. Here are some tips:

1. Get the book, Draft Horses, an Owner's Manual by Dr. Beth Valentine
2. No grain! Drafts need high fat - the best way to do this is by adding corn oil, but you need to do so gradually if he's not already on it
3. I use Dr. Cook's Bitless Bridle on my boy. Works great!
4. Find a good farrier - it might be hard, most don't want to work on drafts
5. Watch your fencing - they can be tough on fences
6. Saddle fitting can be tough - I have a Wintec with a 10" gullet

His diet should look something like this:

6-9 lbs. of alfalfa or grass hay pellets (I use Purina Packer Pellets)
3-4 cups corn oil or other veggie oil (my boy is only getting 1 cup right now because he's not being worked) If you boy hasn't been on corn oil, you need to star with a 1/4 cup or less and very very very gradually increase it.
1-2 ounces vitamin E and selenium (watch for the selenium though- especially if you are feeding something else with it)
15 -20 lbs grass hay or good pasture
salt block

I also use 2 scoops of MSM with his packer pellets because it keeps his feet in really good condition.

I actually have to use a 55 gallon drum to get on my boy (I'm only 5'4") but it works pretty good.

Have a lot of fun with him! They are the BEST breed out there. But I'm not biased or anything!