Another Driving update

[Dontworrybeappy]

These are from the June AMHR show... I just love the way he's moving (pulling around 65 lbs less of me may help!) - I know he's not "on the vertical" face-wise in an of these photos, but it was 115 degrees and I figured that he was doing me a favor just moving forward, so I didn't ask him for a lot of head set!

I've always been told that if you have the forward motion and fitness that collection will come - and once you have collection (and more fitness), then you get your head set! Because Appy has been working more on breeding mares between shows than on driving, he hasn't been doing too much to get fit (and I've been working myself in that direction!) So we will aim at Nationals next year, and in the mean time, we're about halfway to his 2nd HOF!

 

[ThreeCFarm]

Appy looks great!!

 

[BannerBrat]

[SIZE=12pt]Oh My Appy is looking gorgeous!

[/SIZE]

You look great as well,

what a great team you guys are.

Ash

 

[hobbyhorse23]

Karen, you look AMAZING. Congratulations!!

I've always been told that if you have the forward motion and fitness that collection will come - and once you have collection (and more fitness), then you get your head set!

This really seems to be true. I did NOTHING to work Kody towards a vertical headset but all of a sudden he's developed one now that we've got his hindquarters engaged and him reaching properly down and forward for the bit. All it took was building the muscles of his topline so that he could hold a frame and he automatically rounded up all on his own. Focus on teaching the horse to channel his energy and the outline will follow.

Leia

 

[rabbitsfizz]

Karen I really must applaud you...he is looking really good!!!

You do need still to take up more contact with his mouth, though (this has been a niggle of mine all the way through, I know!!) and I think the bit could come up another hole- this may be why you are reluctant to take up contact...is he resisting a little when you do?? This could be because he has the bit a trifle low....the mouth at the side should have two "wrinkles" in it on a snaffle,,was what I was always taught, riding or driving...obviously you do take notice of what the horse says!!!

He really is a gorgeous boy..one of the few horses that makes me wish I lived nearer!!!

I also love that you are still working and using him as a stallion at the same time, so few do!!

Wonderful to see him progressing like this...when is your first CDE?????

 

[Sterling]

You guys look WONDERFUL!!! What a happy horse!

 

[hairicane]

U both are looking great!!!

 

[Dontworrybeappy]

Karen I really must applaud you...he is looking really good!!!

You do need still to take up more contact with his mouth, though (this has been a niggle of mine all the way through, I know!!) and I think the bit could come up another hole- this may be why you are reluctant to take up contact...is he resisting a little when you do?? This could be because he has the bit a trifle low....the mouth at the side should have two "wrinkles" in it on a snaffle,,was what I was always taught, riding or driving...obviously you do take notice of what the horse says!!!

He really is a gorgeous boy..one of the few horses that makes me wish I lived nearer!!!

I also love that you are still working and using him as a stallion at the same time, so few do!!

Wonderful to see him progressing like this...when is your first CDE?????

I'll try that - I'll have to trim some leather off the bridle to do it, though - the extras at each end don't want to go through the cheek holders as it is!

I know I'm too light on the reins - this has been a "niggle" of all my instructors since I was a child - it's not helped now by the condition of my hands, the left with the bar in my wrist (and no bend) and the dog bite on my right hand.... so neither of my hands work as well as they used to!

On the other hand, I do produce horses who are VERY light-mouthed and responsive!

 

[Sillylil'filly]

you know what i thing of our lil apper-dapper!

And you know i think you both look awesome!!!

 

[susanne]

Karen, You and Appy both look fantastic!

 

[Sanny]

I think you both look great and I always like to see a horse that looks like he is enjoying himself and is relaxed.

I know I'm too light on the reins - this has been a "niggle" of all my instructors since I was a child - it's not helped now by the condition of my hands, the left with the bar in my wrist (and no bend) and the dog bite on my right hand.... so neither of my hands work as well as they used to!

I thought I'd suggest something to you. My husband gets numbness and tingling in his hands because of herniated disks and we have reins that have the hand holds sewn into them, not the slide on loops that are real obvious, these basically are a double layer of rein sewn together that looks like one rein but with several sections that are not sewn that you can slide your hand through or two fingers through to drive and you can easily adjust your hands up and down the rein to a different spot if you need to. We have lutke harnesses for most of our driving horses and Dale Lutke did custom reins for us on his harnesses and for our other leather harnesses we went to a local leather maker and he duplicated what Dale did. My husband and kids always use them, I switch back and forth between those and regular reins, it doesn't matter to me what I use so I just use whatever is already on the harness but I know it makes a huge difference for my husband with his issues, when he uses these reins he doesn't get the numbness and tingling and for our kids it makes a difference for their confidence and control over the horse. If I remember correctly, I actually think Larry Parnell drives with the same reins and I bet there are others that do to. .

 

[ClickMini]

You and Appy both look marvelous! I love the last pic, he is really engaging that rear end! He is going to do very well in combined driving, I feel sure of that.

You must feel FANTASTIC, you have really applied some discipline toward your weight loss goal!!! You are really an inspiration to me, Karen. And your big smile says it all.

I also must miss Nationals this year, but hope to get there next year with Esprit. We'll see how it goes!

 

[midnight star stables]

Looking Great

 

[SweetOpal]

OMG Karen you are SKINNY!!!!! Wow, you look amazing, ok so does Appy, great job! Keep up the good work!!!!!

 

[rabbitsfizz]

I was just about to suggest the hand holds!!!

You could even use loops for training....I understand what you are saying about light hands but this is not light hands, this is lack of contact, which is a different thing altogether...you can have full contact, and a horse going up into the bit and using his head neck and back correctly because of it, and still maintain the lightest contacts.

If you let him get into the habit of hanging behind the bit, as he is at the moment, it will be very difficult to get him up into it at a later date, and then when you try for a full collect he will give that awful hollow back, ewe necked thing that you often see, I'm afraid.

Anyway, it is a small niggle and I still think you are both doing really well.

 

[HGFarm]

You are both looking great, and some great advice here too! We enjoy the pics, keep us posted!!

 

[keely2682]

i love the extension pic

he has so much reach