# driving questions



## GypsyMoonMinis (Dec 2, 2009)

I am looking to step into the world of driving soon. a few random thing I'm curious about:

What makes a good driving horse? What makes them win in the show ring?

I hear people talk about moving out well, and I understand moving out in big horse terms, but what does that mean for driving minis? leg action? ease of movement? desire to move forward?

What about the differant styles of driving? I love the differant classes with the differant outfits/costumes that people wear. Whats the differance between them?

What about a harness and cart, for show and for training/pleasure. where to find one decently priced?

I just joined giddyupflix.com and have some driving dvds on the way, so ill have a ton more questions for you all soon. As far as training goes, i have alot of experiance with big horses as well as long line, lunging and ground driving. How does that translate to driving training?


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## targetsmom (Dec 2, 2009)

Welcome! I think you have come to the right place, but you are likely to get lots of opinions!

I asked a clinician the same question about what makes a good driving horse and I was quite surprised by his answer. TEMPERAMENT!!! After I thought about it awhile, I had to agree, because among our several minis, we have one that I don't think will ever drive because he is way too spooky and is also claustrophobic. Luckily we have plenty more that seem to take to it pretty well.

The answers to your other questions depend somewhat on what type of driving you are talking about. If you come from the big horse world, you will understand that there is huge diffence between a western pleasure horse, a dressage horse, and a Hackney! You can say the same about the minis - some people like the high stepping ones, but I tend to like a more warmblood type of movement. Can you tell I rode some dressage? So I like a long sweeping stride and the kind of conformation that will enable the horse to extend the stride. And yes, you do want the desire to move forward and the ability to move off the rear end. I think there is thread on the "Best of the Forum" that shows the difference between Country Pleasure and Single Pleasure, but now there is a third category. In AMHR it is called Western Country Pleasure and in AMHA it will be new in 2010 and called Classic Pleasure. Who knows what people will wear or use for that one!!! I plan to enter it and have no idea myself. I might use my wooden wheeled cart and my driving apron. Stay tuned...

Your big horse experience should serve you well with the minis, but if you don't have experience with actual driving, I suggest getting the help of a trainer or more experienced person when you get to the cart stage. That is what I did and I am learning a ton from the trainer, but I still do a lot on my own between lessons. I also joined a local driving club and most of the new members have minis!

I will let someone else chime in about carts and harness - or just keep reading the other threads.

And have a great time!!


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## MiLo Minis (Dec 3, 2009)

GypsyMoonMinis said:


> I am looking to step into the world of driving soon. a few random thing I'm curious about:
> What makes a good driving horse? What makes them win in the show ring?
> 
> To me a good driving horse is one that behaves sensibly particularly when frightened, one that moves well with a strong, determined gait and enjoys it. In the pleasure driving show ring a horse's disposition, manners and way of going are most important and in the breed show ring flash and style seem to be everything - I have seen horses rear (to me that is the worst transgression a driving horse can make) and still win a class!
> ...


These are all first steps in the training of a horse whether for riding or driving so you will find your previous experience will come in handy to start your horse driving. I suggest that, if you have no experience with harnesses and hitching to a cart, you enlist some knowledgeable assistance for yourself when you arrive at that point. Carts can be a dangerous thing if you don't know what you're doing!

Welcome to the world of Miniature Horse driving - you are going to LOVE IT and have a ton of fun!!!


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## hobbyhorse23 (Dec 5, 2009)

GypsyMoonMinis said:


> What makes a good driving horse? What makes them win in the show ring?


 Temperment, as discussed by the other two posters, is first and foremost in a good driving horse. As for what makes them win in the show ring, a horse who has learned to use his body to the best of his natural ability is really what the judge of any discipline is looking for. In combined driving they want a horse who is moving through his topline and accepting the bit with lots of hind-end engagement. They don't really care where his head is as long as it's appropriate for his body type and stage of training...they're more concerned with what the body is doing. In the breed ring they want a horse to be upheaded and powerful, moving attractively with a good steady headset and driving "up into the bridle." A really winning horse has that special something that draws the judge's eye; he may not be the best mover in the ring, but he thinks he is and it shows.



GypsyMoonMinis said:


> I hear people talk about moving out well, and I understand moving out in big horse terms, but what does that mean for driving minis? leg action? ease of movement? desire to move forward?


When I think of a horse who "moves out well," I think of the exact same thing as I do in a big horse. I want a horse who doesn't just move faster but actually increases the reach of his stride and really makes you go "Wow!" when he hits that second gear. He should have reach in his shoulder and power to spare from the rear. You can teach any horse to move correctly and improve their way of going, but if they aren't built to reach and extend they'll only be able to do so much and will never be truly impressive. I don't care if he moves up and down, low and sweeping or nice and round; a good mover should have a second gear and be able to really turn it on. A *truly* good mover in the all-around sense will also have a powerful, purposeful walk with overstride and a nice round bouncy canter that gets his hind end under him.



GypsyMoonMinis said:


> What about the differant styles of driving? I love the differant classes with the differant outfits/costumes that people wear. Whats the differance between them?


You've got a couple of different categories here. There's the different styles of driving, then there's the different classes within each style.




For types of driving there's draft driving, agricultural work, harness racing, carriage driving, combined driving, fine harness, commercial driving, all sorts of things. Within the world of miniature horse breed shows (AMHA/AMHR) you have Obstacle, Roadster, Western Country/Classic Pleasure Driving, Country Pleasure Driving, and Single Pleasure Driving. Obstacle is a functional class so you wear whatever works for you and your horse, WC/ClP driving is more of a working horse class with carriage-style harness, different carts and nice hats on the ladies all being more well-accepted. Country Pleasure is more upheaded and will usually be shown in a show cart with fine harness and the drivers often wear something sparkly or elegant. Single Pleasure is for the highest action horses and is correspondingly fancy with lots of pizazz. Roadster, of course, is shown in silks and sulkies with the driver's feet in stirrups. Usually the horse will have an overcheck and they can wear bell boots for protection.



GypsyMoonMinis said:


> What about a harness and cart, for show and for training/pleasure. where to find one decently priced?


You really can't go wrong with a Frontier or CTM cart for training and a Graber or Jerald for show. You can get a good cheap well-made harness from Ozark Mtn (www.minitack.com) that will stand up to training for many years and get you started in the show ring as well.



GypsyMoonMinis said:


> As far as training goes, i have alot of experiance with big horses as well as long line, lunging and ground driving. How does that translate to driving training?


Those are the basics for driving, what is left is to teach the horse about the cart and about pulling. He must be desensitized to loud noises and squeaks that are not only behind him but chase him without ever going away. He must be comfortable leaning into a breastcollar and sitting down on the breeching. He must learn to move into a shaft on his shoulder and confidently turn the vehicle. He must learn not to panic if he gets a strap caught under his elbow or between his hind legs and to stand quietly and wait for his human to untangle him. (That one can save your life!) And he must learn to do all those things with blinkers on or off, trusting his person to keep him safe and to make decisions for him.

Leia


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