# Raffa's Big Day



## Helicopter (Feb 15, 2011)

Raffa is named after the tennis player because they are both so darn cute. When he's good he's Raphael Nadarling, when he's bad he's Riff Raff and when he's silly he's Daffy Raffy.

Today he was Raphael Nadarling.

Decided to start training




today with the aim of puttng him in a cart eventually (next week)



:salute

OK, put on a bridle ......he's never had a bridle on before...halter over the top and went for a walk. That soon got boring. Added the harness, back saddle, breeching and crupper and walked around some more....boring. Picked up an 8 foot long log and dragged that along with us. Bit of a fright but then he did what I should have let him do in the first place, had a good look at it. OK no problem. Dropped the log a few times just for fun...no problem.

Good start I thought but not very well planned and totally amateur hour.


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## hobbyhorse23 (Feb 15, 2011)

> Decided to start training today with the aim of puttng him in a cart eventually (next week)


 You know you just gave every driver on the forum a heart attack, right?



No going from first bridling to a cart in a week!



I'm glad you had a good time and that Raffa was good for you but there's a lot more for him to learn then simply not bolting when you put the gear on.

On the plus side I like that you started this with a free-form, let's-see-where-he-leads-me sort of mentality. That can lead to some really great training sessions and give you a better idea where the horse is at. There's nothing wrong with putting the tack on and seeing how the horse deals with it. What I'd recommend doing though (assuming he already lunges, otherwise you've got a LOT more work to do) is going back and asking him to lunge with the backsaddle and crupper at walk, trot and canter. Once he can do this without any buck or concern, add the breeching (securing the holdback straps to the tugs so they aren't flopping around his legs) and lunge him again. I would spend at least a week doing this! Gradually add the breastcollar and an open bridle and teach him to ground-drive from the bit. You can easily spend several YEARS ground-driving around the neighborhood before hitching up, so don't think you have to rush this.



Then he needs to learn to pull, to sit into the breeching, to step over in harness, to stand quietly for five or ten minutes at a time or until his driver says otherwise, to back up, and then he needs to learn all those same skills again wearing blinkers. Then there's introducing the shafts, teaching him to move into them, desensitizing him to sounds behind him and passing him, and THEN, finally, you can think about hitching him up.

Take your time! It's certainly possible to bring a horse along in a matter of weeks but not by skipping steps and mistaking tolerance for acceptance. Minis are awesome and it sounds like Raffa will be a great driving horse, but I want the two of you to be safe and happy driving partners for many years. That means he needs to really understand each step and be comfortable with it so that when things go haywire on the trail (as they eventually will) he has the practiced skills and trust in you to deal with it.

Happy training!

Leia


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## RhineStone (Feb 15, 2011)

Helicopter said:


> Decided to start training
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hobbyhorse23 said:


> You know you just gave every driver on the forum a heart attack, right?


Leia just ain't a kidding! My mouth dropped open even before I read Leia's response! Helicopter, you are kidding, right?







hobbyhorse23 said:


> Take your time! It's certainly possible to bring a horse along in a matter of weeks but not by skipping steps and mistaking tolerance for acceptance. Minis are awesome and it sounds like Raffa will be a great driving horse, but I want the two of you to be safe and happy driving partners for many years. That means he needs to really understand each step and be comfortable with it so that when things go haywire on the trail (as they eventually will) he has the practiced skills and trust in you to deal with it.


There are a lot of people out there that think that just because their mini isn't flipping out that he is "trained". There isn't anything further from the truth. If you keep going without really giving the horse time to process, the next time you work with your horse, he may show you that he really isn't as far along as you thought. We just hope that you aren't put to the cart when that happens or you will have a complete wreck on your hands and that horse may NEVER drive after that.





I have known some really great horses that were completely ruined for driving by pushing them too fast and having a wreck in the meantime. When I was quite young, my family's first "driving" horse was a result of that. He was a Quarter Horse and was really lazy _at home_. After getting help from some old codger to teach him to drive, my mom entered him in a parade (he had never been in a parade even ridden), but that morning she didn't think he was ready. The other people with her thought that she was just having nerves, so they told her he would be fine. (She was less experienced than they were so she "believed" them.) Well, he wasn't fine and reared up in the shafts before the parade started, breaking the antique wooden shafts. The next day, they tried to put him in a little metal training cart and he basically wouldn't have anything to do with it and at one point had the cart on his back. He blamed that vehicle for his unpleasant experience. He never drove again. He was pushed too fast and completely ruined for driving.

I also made that mistake with a mini horse a few years ago when I didn't know any better, assuming that he was_ getting it_ when in actuality he was just tolerating it like a lot of minis. When he bolted on us out of fear we almost had a wreck on our hands, but I somehow got him stopped before we hit the wire fence. Back to the drawing board.....

Now there are SOME mini horses we have had that had LOTS of groundwork, i.e. Halter and Showmanship work, and have come along very quickly. Knowing the difference between _getting it_ and_ tolerating it_ comes with years of driving experience and working with a number of different driving horses.

Myrna


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## Helicopter (Feb 15, 2011)

Of course I'm kidding. Didn't you see the cheeky waving man



? Actually I had a month in mind but.................we'll see.

I may be an idiot but I'm not a *complete *idiot. :doh:Really. Truly. Honestly.

Thank you both for the information (and the warnings).

Good point about not confusing tolerance for acceptance. I am inclined to rush things so your cautionary tales are undoubtedly very timely.

Leia thanks for the direction. Raffa will do a bit of lunging today. He'll like that.


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## RhineStone (Feb 15, 2011)

Phew! I feel better now!








A really good resource is "Breaking a Horse to Harness" by Sallie Walrond. I just reviewed that book, and it does a good job explaining how to teach a horse to drive.

Myrna


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## CZP1 (Feb 15, 2011)

When I first read the post I was like What!



Then read farther down and saw your response. As Leia and Myrna said take your time and don't rush. There is plenty of time to "drive" Have to get the basics down. I love this forum as there are people that really care what others do and have the experience to avoid getting hurt or wrecking a horse.

Keep us posted on your progress.


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## rabbitsfizz (Feb 16, 2011)

I did once go from standing looking at the cart to pulling it round the field in an hour........





But that was a gelding who was already well saddle trained and who I had bred.

Also, of course, it was a further six weeks before I would allow him to go home as "green" and another year before we considered him "finished"

What you put in _now_ will affect the horse for the rest of his life, so you do want to get it right.


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## Shortpig (Feb 16, 2011)

Time and patience and he will be a wonderful driving horse and companion.

I'm etching for pictures of Raffia in harness. @


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## Marsha Cassada (Feb 16, 2011)

Confidence is good!

We all have a "feeling" about our horses. Rhinestone mentioned her mom, and Hobbyhorse mentioned instances when they had a "feeling" things weren't right in a driving situation.

If we know our horses we can usually tell when they are ready for something or not. The problem is someone else who DOESN'T know our horse, usually someone who's experience we respect, talking us into things. (This has happened to me.)

I have a "feeling" that my Dusty needs to go slowly with training. Some experienced horse folk have tried to talk me into moving faster with him, but I know in my heart he is not ready. I've had a horse that was ready to work in a short time. It was almost as though he was "born old", like George Bailey.

After working with a hrose, grooming, leading, teaching--we get to know how ready he is to learn something new.

I look forward to hearing more about Raphael Nadarling's progress. Sounds as though he will be lots of fun to work with!


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## RhineStone (Feb 16, 2011)

rabbitsfizz said:


> I did once go from standing looking at the cart to pulling it round the field in an hour........
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Yes, many times horses that are already broke to ride are quite easy to get in the cart IF (I'll repeat....IF) they are OK with the idea of that thing following them. Some horses will never drive. Heck, I had one that wouldn't even line drive!



She would freak out at the idea of the longlines flapping behind her!

The hardest parts about training a driving horse are first bitting, steering, and control, and then the cart itself. Riding horses already have the control part down. Spider was pretty easy to break to drive, as was my old Arab. And they really enjoyed being drove more than being rode.

Myrna


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## hobbyhorse23 (Feb 16, 2011)

Marsha Cassada said:


> We all have a "feeling" about our horses. Rhinestone mentioned her mom, and Hobbyhorse mentioned instances when they had a "feeling" things weren't right in a driving situation.


Absolutely. I know most people would have had Turbo in harness last year and some thought I was being way too emotive when I said he wasn't ready because to all appearances, he was totally accepting. You could throw an entire harness on him, buckle it all up, and he'd never so much as clamp his tail. I threw costume wings on him and let him gallop around with them on, did rope work with his legs, all sorts of stuff and he never spooked at any of it. But I KNEW, deep down where unquestioned truth lives, that he was accepting of it all because he felt we were playing dress-up. It was a game which he enjoyed because it was pure fun, no stress, nothing he had to understand. If I had pushed him and left that stuff on, asked him to start working with the tack on, he would have felt first confused then frightened and stressed and all the fun would have drained out of it immediately.

What a crime that would have been! He would have gone from welcoming training as a fun game and looking forward to our sessions to dreading them and I would have lost a potentially wonderful partner. I never saw an outward sign of it but I got the strong feeling that if I ever pushed him too far he'd lock up mentally, have a melt-down, and that he'd never, ever forget it. He's got just enough Arenosa in him to be a little reactive that way, a little combative and rigid under stress, even though he's a laidback boy in general.

With nine more months under his belt he's grown up a lot and is now eager to work and mature enough to concentrate on learning new skills in bigger chunks without feeling stressed. That little warning voice in my head has gone away so now I'm content to begin his formal training and get him in the cart after his third birthday. It is SO important to listen to your instincts about your horse when they're warning you of something! The trainer may in fact be the expert in their discipline and you should definitely listen to them, but also trust that YOU are the expert when it comes to your horse and you need to trust your own knowledge as thoroughly as the trainer trusts theirs. You must be your horse's advocate, always. They cannot speak for themselves.

Far better to go too slow and bore the horse than go too fast and ruin them. Best of all of course is to go as fast as the horse is comfortable with!





Leia


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## RhineStone (Feb 16, 2011)

hobbyhorse23 said:


> I never saw an outward sign of it but I got the strong feeling that if I ever pushed him too far he'd lock up mentally, have a melt-down, and that he'd never, ever forget it. That little warning voice in my head has gone away so now I'm content to begin his formal training and get him in the cart after his third birthday. It is SO important to listen to your instincts about your horse when they're warning you of something!


And that, my friends, is the difference between a hobbiest and a horseman!





As an instructor, it is REALLY hard to teach someone "instincts". Some people have it, some don't. Some people can acquire some instincts with experience. But there are A LOT of people out there with so little experience, they have no idea that they don't have any instincts, either! (Where's the little "I wish I had a V-8" smiley face that pops himself in the forehead?)

Myrna


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## Reignmaker Miniatures (Feb 16, 2011)

Its interesting to me that you should post this Leia. I have been taking a lot of flack for the past 2 years because I have a colt who I refused to start (never mind I'm not big on hitching a 2yr old anyway). He just had IMO no maturity yet and could not maintain his focus long enough to really settle into learning. One moment he'd be paying attention , the next he'd take a mental 'holiday'. I've been told repeatedly that he was ready by others, physically he _is_ mature and in fact will be 4 next month but mentally...well I would rather let him get his mind as mature as his body. I have done lots of ground work with him, but I let him set the pace. He can wear a harness, ground drives well over a variety of surfaces and is pretty accepting of just about anything I show him. He's smart, inquisitive and bold but he's also distractable and reactive when his mind becomes unfocused. Perhaps this coming year he will be able to 'pay attention in class' lol and I will finally hitch him. I feel confidant that he'll show me when he's ready if in fact he can ever over come his ADD.


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## RhineStone (Feb 16, 2011)

Reignmaker Miniatures said:


> I have been taking a lot of flack for the past 2 years because I have a colt who I refused to start (never mind I'm not big on hitching a 2yr old anyway).


Sometimes you just have to consider the source of the flack....


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## Reignmaker Miniatures (Feb 16, 2011)

LOL, thats the truth of course. I have had no difficulty responding with a smile and a nod while continuing on my chosen path. We shall see if my boy will ever be a good driving horse and rushing him for sure won't get him there.


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## Helicopter (Feb 16, 2011)

I love this forum.





So much knowledge, experience and wisdom.



:yeah

Pity I didn't stumble across it years ago.








:BananaHappy


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## hobbyhorse23 (Feb 16, 2011)

RhineStone said:


> And that, my friends, is the difference between a hobbiest and a horseman!


Aw, gawrsh!






Thanks Myrna, I take that as a very high compliment!



Reignmaker Miniatures said:


> Its interesting to me that you should post this Leia. I have been taking a lot of flack for the past 2 years because I have a colt who I refused to start (never mind I'm not big on hitching a 2yr old anyway). He just had IMO no maturity yet and could not maintain his focus long enough to really settle into learning. One moment he'd be paying attention , the next he'd take a mental 'holiday'. I've been told repeatedly that he was ready by others, physically he _is_ mature and in fact will be 4 next month but mentally...well I would rather let him get his mind as mature as his body. I have done lots of ground work with him, but I let him set the pace. He can wear a harness, ground drives well over a variety of surfaces and is pretty accepting of just about anything I show him. He's smart, inquisitive and bold but he's also distractable and reactive when his mind becomes unfocused. Perhaps this coming year he will be able to 'pay attention in class' lol and I will finally hitch him. I feel confidant that he'll show me when he's ready if in fact he can ever over come his ADD.


Frankly I don't consider any horse below the age of five to be mature anyway so your boy isn't so much a "late bloomer" as not an early one.



There is NOTHING wrong with waiting until you're sure they are ready. You'll end up in the same place at the end but have a lot less drama getting there.

Leia


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## RhineStone (Feb 16, 2011)

hobbyhorse23 said:


> Aw, gawrsh!
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Good! That is the way it was meant!


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## Reignmaker Miniatures (Feb 16, 2011)

hobbyhorse23 said:


> Frankly I don't consider any horse below the age of five to be mature anyway so your boy isn't so much a "late bloomer" as not an early one.
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I actually agree that a horse isn't fully mature until 5. However I do consider them mature enough to begin so when they are truly finished growing physically they are ready for some real work and beyond the kindergarten level. Still, as a mother of a developmentally delayed daughter I am quite accustomed to being lead by the learner rather than my own expectations. I'm not sure if she made me a better trainer or the animals have made me a better parent lol but the approach is pretty much the same.

OH yes and Cruiser says he's been 'all grown up' since he was a yearling



That was when he decided mares were VERY VERY pretty lol

(he makes me think of a teenage boy, can't concentrate on his homework but just watch the complete focus when a pretty girl goes by)

Aw well, he has come a long way and I don't expect him to ever be a dead quiet horse, he'll require his handler to pay attention always I think.


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## hobbyhorse23 (Feb 16, 2011)

Reignmaker Miniatures said:


> However I do consider them mature enough to begin so when they are truly finished growing physically they are ready for some real work and beyond the kindergarten level.


Agreed.



That's what I'm going to be doing with Turbo as a 3 year old- foundations, foundations, foundations. I'm happier not starting them in the cart until they're four but since he's mentally ready we'll do light easy stuff this year and he'll make his formal competitive debut as a four-year old. Physically he's mature enough to hitch without guilt at this point but I worry about his fine little legs and don't want him doing too much until his joints have closed.



Reignmaker Miniatures said:


> Still, as a mother of a developmentally delayed daughter I am quite accustomed to being lead by the learner rather than my own expectations. I'm not sure if she made me a better trainer or the animals have made me a better parent lol but the approach is pretty much the same.


Aren't they though?



I've said for years that between Kody and Turbo and my crazy cat, I am SO ready for parenthood!

I like the phrase "led by the learner," btw. That's a good summation of how I prefer to train.



Reignmaker Miniatures said:


> OH yes and Cruiser says he's been 'all grown up' since he was a yearling
> 
> 
> 
> That was when he decided mares were VERY VERY pretty lol(he makes me think of a teenage boy, can't concentrate on his homework but just watch the complete focus when a pretty girl goes by)


And how do you motivate a teenage boy? Make the fastest way to what they want, be what you want!





Leia


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## Reignmaker Miniatures (Feb 16, 2011)

hobbyhorse23 said:


> And how do you motivate a teenage boy? Make the fastest way to what they want, be what you want!
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Yes but what he wants I am not prepared to let him have at this point



So... we just have to work using his secondary 'wants' as incentive (fortunately he is motivated by mental stimulation and a release from the boredom of his own pen and by human interaction) I love this guy and he knows it so he loves to spend time playing my games with me.


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