# The Thunder Rolls!



## Kelly (Aug 6, 2021)

Thunder and I have been having a blast the last couple of weeks roller skating in the neighborhood.


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## Kelly (Aug 6, 2021)

Here I am “riding” Thunder! He is such a good little sport!



I need to get some sort of harness so I am not holding onto his mane. Thunder is tiny, Do you think a dog harness would work? I am open for suggestions!!!


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## Willow Flats (Aug 6, 2021)

Kelly, You crack me up! Does your husband just shake his head and say what next?!!!! He seems like such a good sport. Good on you for the helmet too. 

A dog harness would probably work.


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## Kelly (Aug 6, 2021)

Yeah, my poor husband ♥♥

….and my poor ponies


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## Silver City Heritage Farmstead (Aug 7, 2021)

You could try something like a training neck collar like they use for bridless training. (Though I was a bit taken aback when I looked at some online....and saw the sneaky metal spikelets inside them. Never entered my mind they'd be anything more than smooth leather.)

Chimacum Tack carries a trick harness set, and a support harness that has a handle, you might try them. Otherwise, it's some type of extra large dog harness.


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## Abby P (Aug 7, 2021)

Patty's Pony Place has a harness designed for skijoring that might work too, if you can't find a dog harness to fit. Definitely need something that goes low enough to be below his windpipe!

I love that you're doing this and I eagerly await more videos!!


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## Kelly (Aug 8, 2021)

Thanks Silver City! I can’t find the trick harness at Chimacum Tack, but did see the support harness and they are out of stock.

I LOVE the skijoring harness at Patty’s Pony Palace. Thanks Abby!!  That is so cool and I think it would work perfectly for what I am trying to do. I have sent her an email and am waiting for her reply…. Hopefully she can make one small enough to fit little Thunder.


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## Kelly (Aug 25, 2021)

Patty, from Patty’s Pony Palace, and I have been emailing back and forth. It looks like she will be able to make Thunder a tiny little harness, Woohoo!!

This is what she had to say about his measurements: “Those are for sure, the smallest measurements I have seen to date!!“

♥♥♥

She is designing and re-configuring the harness now, I’ll keep y’all updated


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## Dragon Hill (Aug 25, 2021)

How cool! Looking forward to seeing it, especially in use!


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## Kelly (Sep 20, 2021)

Thunder got mail today… his new harness!! It fits him really good. Here are some pics of him sporting his new harness….. guess you know what we will be doing this week


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## MaryFlora (Sep 20, 2021)

Awesome, Kelly! It looks like a perfect fit and adorable and you will have so much fun! 

Watch out Ft. Worth!


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## Dragon Hill (Sep 22, 2021)

I love the picture where it looks like he's smiling


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## Abby P (Sep 27, 2021)

Kelly, can you update when you have a chance on how it's working out? I'd love to see a pic in use to see how you're hooked up when you're rolling along. I'm getting the bug to get a pair of cross-country rollerblades and thinking about harnesses for it!


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## Kelly (Sep 28, 2021)

YES!!! Omg! Abby! It is so much fun!! Hubby promises to take a video of me tomorrow  (but he got a new toy himself so we’ll see ) The harness works perfectly for us. I hold on when I want and I can let go when I want or if he spokes. He spoked at something the other day and I let go, he stopped and I went flying by and he was like… oh I guess whatever wasn’t so scary after all and caught back up to me. I just have him on a halter because he is so small and easy to handle. I don’t think I am going to bridle him. When we were in the driveway headed for home the other day he started to canter and OMG that was so fun! Except I couldn’t get him to stop  I had to go in the grass to get him to stop and slow down….he just needs more training LOL LOL

I think I will probably start Breezy, my baby, this way!! It gets them use to pulling a little something, but not to heavy or for very long since I can skate on my own whenever I want.

We are having a blast!! I am not “riding“ him as much, but he is pulling me ever so beautifully!!! He only weighs 120 pounds!! Sometimes he pulls me from his left side, other times he pulls me from his right side.

Videos coming soon…. I hope 

Would you “ride” Rowen? Or just have him pull you?

The harness that Patty made fits him perfectly!! I sent her his measurements and the harness turned out great!!


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## Kelly (Sep 28, 2021)

Thunder took me roller skating in the hood today. I took this short video so you can see how we do it.


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## Abby P (Sep 28, 2021)

Thanks, Kelly, this is awesome! It does look like it fits him really well and it also looks like he's having fun. 

I think Rowan is a little too big for me to "ride"! He's 37" and I'm not very tall, he's just big enough that I would pretty much have to sit ON him. I also think I need to have him bridled and will need both hands for that so I was going to hitch myself to him skijoring-style, with a belt and a quick-release snap. I'm thinking to use a singletree to attach to the belt, and then use my driving harness and hook the traces to the singletree. Not sure though if the rollerblades might make me tall enough that some sort of dorsal attachment with a single line would work OK, or a setup like yours with the two lines just coming up over top of his rump. I don't think he's going to be doing a lot of heavy pulling with this, more just to help me along, and the rollerblades will let me keep up with him more easily and for longer than on my own feet. The ones I'm looking at have their own brakes so I won't need shafts to keep me from running up on his heels. I don't have any safe paved roads to go on near where I keep him so we'd be all on ATV tracks and fields. I'm going to ponder for a little longer and then maybe talk to Patty's Pony Place about harness options.

I may even just get the rollerblades and first try ground-driving him with me rollerblading behind him instead of walking and see how that works. I might not need to hitch myself to him at all. All depends on how much exercise I want to get, I suppose.


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## Kelly (Sep 28, 2021)

Whether you are hitched or not, you will be getting exercise, trust me  When Thunder pulls me, one would think that I am getting NO exercise, but let me tell you that I am! My legs muscles were shaking even more so than when I was actually skating next to him. I think my muscle will build up over time, but don’t think you are just gonna hang on for the ride especially since you will be off roading  The skijoring-style harness with the quick release sounds like fun! I practiced roller skating NEXT to Thunder before I had him pull me, so you could try that. Then I wonder if you could use the harness that you already have for your cart and somehow tie together the traces so you could hold onto them. Reins in one hand, traces in the other…. I don’t know if I’d be that coordinated though but will probably try that one of these days with Shadow or Stormy. Shadow is 35 inches tall and I would have to bridle him if I decided to do this with him, he would be too big and too powerful for me to just use his halter.

Whatever you decide you’ll have to keep us updated and post pics


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## Abby P (Sep 28, 2021)

Yeah, after watching a bunch of videos of people off-roading with the "skikes", I definitely think I will be wanting his help getting up hills! Plus his little butt could use more of a workout too.  And probably starting just around my neighborhood paved streets by myself, to get in shape for it a bit and figure out what the heck I am doing. I have cross-country skied, ice skated, and rollerbladed, but all in the rather distant past so I'll definitely need some practice! If it ever happens for real then I will most certainly post about it!


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## ServiceMini (Sep 29, 2021)

This all looks like so much fun!! What age do you start with them? I'm wondering if someday I could try with Sodapop in a wheelchair?  I know assistance-pulls in wheelchairs are a thing with a harness similar to this in dogs. Custom wheelchairs are much easier to push than typical 'hospital' style wheelchairs too.


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## Kelly (Sep 30, 2021)

It’s a blast!! Everyone has a different opinion on what age to start cart training mini horses. I usually start ground driving when they are about 2 years old, then hook the cart at 2 and a half. I only do light short easy lessons until they are over 3 years old. Some people wait till they are 4 years old. This whole roller skating thing just happened on a whim thanks to Abby for posting a video a will back…





__





Fun video


Complete with shadbelly. I love it.




www.miniaturehorsetalk.com





Thunder doesn’t have any ground driving training and is only 2. He does love roller skating though! He caught on to it very quick and being so tiny is a plus! I don’t have him pull me for very long or for very far at this point… i weigh less than him and he isn’t pulling a heavy cart. Depending on how much weight the wheelchair and yourself would be, would depend on when I would start her. But yes, I would eventually try having her pull a wheelchair, I mean why not!? I think that would be pretty awesome! Skys the limit!!


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## Kelly (Sep 30, 2021)

*STORMY!*

Stormy had that look in his eye today that said, “_Me! me! Pick me! I wanna go! Pick me, pick me!!” _

Thunder’s new harness fit him so away we went. He did amazing for his very first time roller skating


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## Kelly (Oct 1, 2021)

*Shadow!*

OMG! I am having such a blast roller skating!! 

I came roller skating out of my garage today and Shadow almost pooped his pants!  Such a big ole chicken! I shouldn’t be surprised since he doesn’t like things that roll, such as bikes  

For him I had to create a harness.



Here is what I used:
Breast collar: I used a girth
Neck strap: I used a leg strap
Strap to hold on: I used a cross tie
I might see about using my surcingle tomorrow, we’ll see. Do you have any different ideas on how to create a harness for my purpose?

Here is his harness in use:


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## HersheyMint (Oct 1, 2021)

Kelly said:


> *Shadow!*
> 
> OMG! I am having such a blast roller skating!!
> 
> ...



What a day you all had ! Looks like so much fun


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## Silver City Heritage Farmstead (Oct 4, 2021)

ServiceMini, have you seen the easy-entry type cart for wheelchairs? It has a drop ramp on the back and you just roll the wheelchair on then put the ramp up.

Kelly, that work around you have seems safe and effective. If you don't see any dry spots when you take it off, it should do until/if you decide you need a harness for him.

What are you using to capture your videos?


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## Kelly (Oct 4, 2021)

I just use my phone for videos…. which is kinda difficult trying to skate, hold my phone with one hand while videoing, and holding onto pony & lead rope in the other


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## Silver City Heritage Farmstead (Oct 4, 2021)

Darn. I guess I need to keep practicing juggling then.

If I figure out a way to velcro my phone to myself I'll let you know. Fortunately, my cell does take nice pictures  and video  when I remember to keep the lense clean.


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## ServiceMini (Oct 4, 2021)

Silver City Heritage Farmstead said:


> ServiceMini, have you seen the easy-entry type cart for wheelchairs? It has a drop ramp on the back and you just roll the wheelchair on then put the ramp up.



I haven't! I am looking them up now; they seem so interesting and helpful! I will keep looking into them.  I have honestly procrastinated in getting a wheelchair- largely because I can walk, just not well or safely for long periods of time or during summer/rainy/snowy days. Typing it out makes it seem obvious that one would be helpful, but getting over that mental hurdle is hard. 

@Kelly Have you considered a large dog harness for him? Or is he too big? Do you now how wide his girth is? If you can sew, it's easy to put together a simple harness, but what you have seems like it should work  Also, a little off subject- do you remember thunders girth? He is about 28 inches tall, right? I am trying to get an idea of how big Sodapop's girth will get for the harness I'm getting her.


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## Silver City Heritage Farmstead (Oct 4, 2021)

@ServiceI completely empathize on the mental hurdle part of it. I struggle with that too. I want to focus on what I CAN do, not what I can't.

Thanks to school, I have access to editing resources that I didn't before. I'm using the tutorials to learn how to do videos. Keep looking for me to post in the next couple weeks. We have a mid-term break next week and I hope to get some things done then.


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## Kelly (Oct 4, 2021)

ServiceMini said:


> @Kelly Have you considered a large dog harness for him? Or is he too big? Do you now how wide his girth is? If you can sew, it's easy to put together a simple harness, but what you have seems like it should work  Also, a little off subject- do you remember thunders girth? He is about 28 inches tall, right? I am trying to get an idea of how big Sodapop's girth will get for the harness I'm getting her.




Shadow is waaaay too big for an X-Large dog harness, he is 35 inches tall. Shadow is my widest mini, but I’m not sure how big his girth is, I haven’t measured. I only sew for horses, so I am actually thinking of “trying” to put something together for him. I’m not very good at sewing, I just don’t have the patience. I like quick and easy fixes with the sewing machine, so an entire harness would be a HUGE accomplishment for me. So we’ll see. 


Yep, Thunder is about 28 inches short and his is 36 inches around his girth. Thunder’s harness also fits Stormy who is 32 inches tall. I don’t know Stormy’s girth, I haven’t measured. Stormy is more on the petite side, where Thunder has a tendency to be a chunk if I let him.


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## Kelly (Oct 4, 2021)

Silver City Heritage Farmstead said:


> Darn. I guess I need to keep practicing juggling then.
> 
> If I figure out a way to velcro my phone to myself I'll let you know. Fortunately, my cell does take nice pictures  and video  when I remember to keep the lense clean.



I NEED to get one of those Go Pros.


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## Kelly (Oct 4, 2021)

Silver City Heritage Farmstead said:


> ServiceMini, have you seen the easy-entry type cart for wheelchairs? It has a drop ramp on the back and you just roll the wheelchair on then put the ramp up.


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## Willow Flats (Oct 5, 2021)

That is really cool! Seems like it would be a lot of weight for a mini though.


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## Kelly (Oct 5, 2021)

Haha! Yeah, that does look kinda big for a mini LOL


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## ServiceMini (Oct 6, 2021)

Wow!! That cart is amazing! I've been looking them up, and there are so many cool options, even a few that a team of minis could pull! Maybe I need to get Sodapop a friend!  But how has the skating been? Have you put any more thought into making a harness for Shadow?


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## Kelly (Oct 7, 2021)

ServiceMini said:


> But how has the skating been? Have you put any more thought into making a harness for Shadow?



The skating is sooooo much fun!! I am having a ball!! I have thought about Shadows harness a little. I’m think I could make a removable chest strap then attach it to the surcingle I have. Thanks for asking 

And YES! You NEED another mini….someone said they are just like potato chips, you can NEVER have just one


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## Abby P (Dec 4, 2021)

I just wanted to bump up this thread to say I received my Nordic off-road rollerblades and they are AWESOME.  Haven't gone behind the pony yet because I'm still getting in shape with them (it's a workout!) but I am sure I can make it work, to the point where I've decided to sell my Hyperbike! I will post video as soon as I have it.

My plan is to get a split dog leash (for walking two dogs), clip that to where the traces buckle in on the breastcollar, then initially probably just hold onto the leash end and skate behind him but ultimately I can attach that to a belt (it's more like a butt sling) so he can pull me more. Because you have to go side to side so much with the rollerblades, I feel like this setup will be safer and easier than using the traces and a singletree or a shaft set like for skijoring. The rollerblades have brakes so there is no danger of me running up on his heels, and having just one line up over his back will make it much less likely for anything to get around either of our legs.


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## Kelly (Dec 4, 2021)

Omg!!! ABBY!! That is so AWESOME!! I can’t wait to see your set up!!! Yes, please post pics and videos  Definitely can’t wait to see the whole butt sling in action too. You are gonna love it, sooooo exciting!!  and sooooo happy for you! I agree, the whole shaft set up for skijoring makes me nervous because I’m such a klutz


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## Kelly (Jun 9, 2022)

This looks like fun!


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## Kelly (Jun 9, 2022)

OMG! WIPE OUT!! LOL

This one reminds me of @BSharpRanch !…well NOT the wipe out of course ♥


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## Kelly (Jun 9, 2022)

@Abby P meant to tag you on this video since you have the cool skates!!


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## Abby P (Jun 9, 2022)

I saw it! It makes me want to try them out for real now that the ground has dried up. I just haven't even had time to get him out for any purpose the last several weeks, so busy with work! But hopefully in July things will calm down a bit.

I love the way that pony bucks every time the human goes over the jump.


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## BSharpRanch (Jun 10, 2022)

What interesting footing!


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