# Multi mini hitches



## GrandmaC (May 11, 2010)

Do any of you out there do 2 or 4 or 6 horse hitches?

How's is going? Any information you can share about your multi horse hitches?

Your experiences?


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## Margo_C-T (May 11, 2010)

I have a pair-bays-and three(!)pair vehicles *Edited by Mod- you cannot post anything for sale!* Half of my pair is one I bred, raised, and trained. About 6-8? years ago, I decided on him for my pair, went looking for a good match. Though color should really be at the bottom of the list for 'matching' for a multiple (of course, if the show ring is your major interest, you might rank it higher, but 'real-world' drivers know that match of movement-length and quality of stride--temperment, and to a fair degree, body height, size and shape, are more 'genuinely' important---I did look for a color match. Was VERY fortunate to find one locally(because seeing and evaluating all apsects of a prospect 'in person' is so important to the likelihood of a successful match!)

Though at first, I 'agonized' over the fact that the prospect was 2" shorter than the horse I already had, it has in truth NOT been an issue at all. The two get along, both are willing workers, can match stride quite well. Luckily, the prospect had had someone who knew what they were doing give him some PROPER training.

I admit I've not gotten to drive the pair nearly as much as I'd like, mostly due to having no one to help me. I have a back-to-back English trap, a buckboard, and a Glinkowski 'mini-mix' marathon vehicle. Most fun is the buckboard; it is a hoot for parades--I got a 'homesteader' dress and authentic sunbonnet, and some 'props', such as a couple of 'mini' straw bales, and 'fake' basket of eggs, fresh produce, gunny sack of potatoes, lariat rope, etc., so I can portray the 'frontier woman coming home from town with supplies(or, if I wish, I can portray the 'frontier MAN' doing the same...just wear my late hubbie's old work hat, work shirt, suspenders,etc.!






I'd love to 'do' a larger-numbers multiple(out of the six minis I now own, 5 drive) but is simply isn't safe w/o help when you're my age...plus it's VERY time-consuming, and takes more gear, a larger trailer, etc.

It is a great deal of fun to drive a pair! Some believe it can actually be safer than a single, as seldom will both horses spook at the same time, and the 'steady eddy' will likely resist the other's attempt to act up when scared/upset, thus 'defusing' the situation.

There is much to know about what constitutes proper pair harness, pair rein and trace adjustment, etc., so it would be wise to find a good instructor, knowledgeable in pair driving.(In light horse driving, two is properly called a PAIR, more than two, a TEAM, while in draft/draft-oriented driving, two is called a TEAM.There is also a difference in style and configuration of harness in light horse vs draft; and usually, different types/styles of vehicles are used, for both singles and multiple hitches.)

Just a few 'tidbits'...

Margo


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## RhineStone (May 11, 2010)

We have a tandem. We don't have a pair, because we have access to six driving minis and none of them are matched enough in size or way of going to put side by side. (Ok, my mom had a pair, but the off horse is partially blind). Besides the fact that you should have a four-wheeled vehicle to put to a pair, and that would just make ANOTHER vehicle around here!





Tandem is the hardest way to configure horses, except for more than two horses in line, such as a Randem (3) and a Quadrum (4) (sp?). I have heard of 5 Haflingers that were put to in a line, but that seems just rediculous to me, other than to show that you can do it.





The issue that we have with the tandem is that the leader (horse in front) needs to be quite forward and "in your hand". My mom's gelding we use can decide at the drop of a hat to "back off the bit" while our wheeler (horse in back) tends to be more ambitious. We can't switch them around because the leader isn't big enough to pull two people around. ADS rules say that you need to have a groom anytime you have two horses put to. I think it is a good rule, though, as just about anything can happen with a tandem. Our 8 yr. old son serves as groom, and he has more than once had to jump out of the cart and get a trace out from under a leg. I have thought about trying to find a 3.75" "happy mouth" snaffle for the leader, just so that he stays up in the hand. He normally takes a reg. jointed snaffle, but we moved to a mullen for tandem, and that was better, but.....

Anytime you configure horses together, they need to be solid as singles first. Both of ours are. It also helps if they know their names well, and some form of verbal right and left, i.e. "come" and "get", etc. They also need to be confident when the whip goes zinging past their ear. We also need to practice using the whip and catching the thong. Or teach your kid to catch it for you.





Also, anytime you put more than one horse together, you need help. It is just plain stupid to try to do it yourself, especially the first few times. I don't care how "good" your horses are. There is a reason that ADS requires an extra body with more than one horse, even if that body is just on the ground and not on the vehicle. Pairs and multiples are just so much more complicated than a single. We just saw a wreck last weekend where the near horse in a pair decided to throw a hissy fit. He went up and then down on the pole, broke the pole and ended up with his head under the other horse. The typical response to a horse down is to get on the horse's neck so that you can keep it down until you have undone all the straps. However, the position of this horse and it's legs, and the other horse kept people from doing that. They resorted to covering the down horse's eye. This kept it quiet enough (but not perfectly still, you still had to watch out for his legs) to get straps undone. They had to get the off horse out first, but had a hard time reaching the doubletree with the down horse in the way, so they released the traces at the breastcollar (another good reason for buckle-in traces.) Finally, after they got that done, we could release straps to get the downed horse out. The breeching was crammed up under the crupper, and so I released the backstrap to take the pressure off the tail so it didn't come out bucking. It kicked some at the loose breeching when it finally got up, and luckily nobody was worse for wear except for that pole. Even managed to not cut the harness. The pole broke right where there was a knot in the wood.

Yup, don't do pairs and multiples by yourself!



You may need that help!

Myrna


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## Marsha Cassada (May 11, 2010)

I tried to do tandem with two of my horses, but we couldn't really work it out. An experienced driver on the forum, can't remember now who it was, said the header should be "brilliant". Well, Dapper Dan is a good boy, but he is not brilliant. The wheel horse gets really confused and frustrated if the header isn't good at his job. I was learning about holding the reins properly while on that project, but now I have regressed...

Dusty may turn out to be brilliant, but now I am too old to start over on the tandem project.


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## Kendra (May 11, 2010)

My grandad drives 8. He did parades all over our provice for 20 years, and took his hitch to Texas for the AMHA World Show twice. He grew up driving the big hitches that powered the threshing machines, and HIS dad worked as a teamster when they built the Center Street Bridge in Calgary.






http://www.circlejranches.com/hitch.html

My mom loves her pairs - she's won the Lord Sterling Cup for Utility Team Hitch at the Calgary Stampede 10 times!






Here's one of her 'teams' (since they're in draft harness ;-). This is our stallion Valdez, driving with one of his gelding son's, Zachary - they were a good team to drive, as they're very well matched in stride, if not in colour! For years now she's driven Zac with another Valdez son, Duke, and they match in colour as well.

I should upload more pictures - I have lots of 2, 4, 6 and 8!


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## Marsha Cassada (May 11, 2010)

Kendra,

those pictures and stories are amazing! Thanks for sharing them!


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## LittleRibbie (May 11, 2010)

Kendra, LOVE LOVE LOVE the video!! My whole body was tingling watching the team make those beautiful turns and circles. I cant imagine the time it takes to keep that harness looking spiffy. The little horses just had HAPPY written all over themselves. Thank you sooo much for sharing...feel free to share more!!


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## hobbyhorse23 (May 12, 2010)

Well, I've gotten to drive four different mini pairs that I can recall but since they aren't mine I'm reluctant to post pictures. I can post one of this lovely Friesian pair I got to drive in a lesson at my trainer's though!






With the help of another forum member who kindly let me borrow her horses, I put together a green tandem at the National Drive in October 2009.











I only knew how to drive one because MiniHGal (Breanna Sheahan) allowed me to drive this experienced tandem with her guidance at Shady Oaks in CA last September:

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs209.snc1/7619_797170821153_3221891_45339280_1308724_n.jpg

That's me peeking out behind the driver.





I hope to drive my boys as a tandem and pair when the colt is old enough.











Leia


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## Farina (May 12, 2010)

GrandmaC said:


> Do any of you out there do 2 or 4 or 6 horse hitches?
> 
> How's is going? Any information you can share about your multi horse hitches?
> 
> Your experiences?


I drive up to 6-in-hand and a team of 4-in-hand in CDE's. My favorite is tandem.

What do you would like to know? Where to begin? What book to read?


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## ThreeCFarm (May 13, 2010)

Awesome video, Kendra. Thanks for sharing.

Just out of curiosity, how long does it take to get that many horses harnessed and hitched?


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## Kendra (May 13, 2010)

ThreeCFarm said:


> Awesome video, Kendra. Thanks for sharing.
> 
> Just out of curiosity, how long does it take to get that many horses harnessed and hitched?


When they were doing parades all the time (every weekend all summer) my grandparents allowed 2 hours to get ready - that's from haltering and grooming and painting feet to harnessing and hooking up, with just the two of them.


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## ClickMini (May 13, 2010)

Here is my first pair. I love driving them together! It is a lot of fun.


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