Beavercreek CDE report (long)

[Sheri Hill]

Hi Leia,

Loved reading this!! Sounds like you did great! It also sounds like you worked hard and know what you are doing. Great job! :aktion033:

I live on Beavercreek Rd. in Mulino, Oregon. I am at one end of it away from Oregon City. So I probably would have went and watched some. I have trained a couple of my minis to drive (always had/have big horses and trained a few to ride, and knew nothing about driving, but I got a driving book about 7 years ago and went for it, and they learned so fast it blew me away.) Anyway, I drive for pleasure. I have 2 wooden easy entry carts and some cheap leather harness's. (Also, a friend Carole McLeod from Carmac Creations, made me a bitless bridle, like Dr. Cooks and I love it, I then had her make me riding ones for my full size appy mare and my Hackney pony I am training to ride) I have mostly just carted around town (little Molalla) the bike lanes, the school track and fields, neighborhoods, the logging road, also did our big parades on the 4th of July and the Kiddies parades (got 2 2nds one year and 2 firsts the next) I am a bit more out of town now and not close enough to go on the bike lanes in town etc. without trailering. (we had acreage and the lil town grew up around us, we are about 5 miles out now) I did just get 2 hyper bikes and I LOVE them. So far just used them in my pastures which have some hills and are not all level. I am wanting to go on some trails and was looking for some good ones for driving and not too much uphill. (especially until he gets into better shape.) and that are decent enough for driving on. There are some riding trails up the Molalla River that I want to go ride (been a while since I rode them) and see how they would work for driving the hyper bike. I certainly wouldn't be ready for showing (not sure I would want to show, the trail part sure sounds fun though) and I don't have all the fancy equipment etc. (or all the specific know how) but would love to do more trail driving. I would love to follow you in some practice trails just to learn what all is required etc. what fun that would be. My lil Fat Spunky is out of shape and a fatso but I have had him in much better driving shape and he goes anywhere I ask and not much bothers him at all. I am also hoping to getting around to train my stallion Illusion to drive. (he is more slender, longer leg and taller and has a nice trot) (Spunky, is stout and doesn't have any problem pulling me though, he is about 28 1/2", I also trained my lil mare Dawnie she is only about 30 1/4" but she has a foal right now) Anway, I would love to know more about this place that is so close to me, and maybe next year I can go watch and meet you. Does this place have a website? Can folks go up there and drive? Also do you have any websites that tell me more about CDE's and what is required and all in entails etc. Maybe what each class is and what kind of cart is used and what you do etc. Do you have special harness and clothes etc. for the trail courses? Are bits required on the trail course/class? (not sure what the actual class names are) I would think most definitely for the dressage and other show classes. (I have 2 Mylar bits that I was using)

Sorry to hear about other drivers of the big horses making comments to make feel bad. Like our horses aren't real! I know a gal who made some comments about my lil horses and came out to be in our big parade and guess what?? WE got 1st place

: I love big horses too, I love them all. Oh, she also couldn't believe how my foals sold and went for more than her quarterhorse foal that didn't sell as fast. Just showed her that my lil horses are real horses and are valuable and nice too! :bgrin

I am glad you showed them that you/minis can do it all too and the main thing is to have fun and give your best. You have a good attitude, and nobody should feel good about trying to belittle others to make themselves look or feel better.

Anyway, I hope my ramblings here make sense.

:

Thanks for any info. you can direct my way. my e-mail is [email protected]

Sheri Hill

another question... probably sounds stupid but what do the initials all stand for?

ADS

VSE's

CDE's

THANKS!

:

Sheri Hill

 

[Kim Rule]

I think I can help with that!

VSE= Very Small Equine In other words, minis!

ADS= American Driving Society This is the organization that has created the rules that are used for many driving events. They promote driving horses safely in the United states.

CDE= Combined Driving Event That's basically what Leia did...darn it, I didn't make it!!! (life happens!)

Okay Leia,

Now I'm fascinated by your quick leather cleaning trick with Murphy's Oil Soap...what is it, and how do you do it?? I have two harnesses to get ready for a little show next week...and I can use all the help I can get!

Kim R.

 

[Sheri Hill]

Thanks Kim! :saludando: I had been told before but was drawing a blank and couldn't remember.

The combined driving event is multiple classes? like the trail and then the dressage...? Or one class with multiple obstacle or area courses, like just the trail class but with hills, water, sharp turn etc.????

Thanks!

Sheri

I think I can help with that!

VSE= Very Small Equine In other words, minis!

ADS= American Driving Society This is the organization that has created the rules that are used for many driving events. They promote driving horses safely in the United states.

CDE= Combined Driving Event That's basically what Leia did...darn it, I didn't make it!!! (life happens!)

Okay Leia,

Now I'm fascinated by your quick leather cleaning trick with Murphy's Oil Soap...what is it, and how do you do it?? I have two harnesses to get ready for a little show next week...and I can use all the help I can get!

Kim R.

 

[Kim Rule]

Oops...I suppose I should have elaborated!!!

CDE is an event that has three sections...Driven dressage, Cones, and Marathon. Think 3 day eventing with a cart!

Driven Dressage: You drive a perscribed pattern, according to the level of ability that you are at. The judge looks at your presentation (how you look) how your horse performs, and how accurately you drive that pattern. Boy, are they picky! The lower your score, the better you have done!

Cones: Cones is a course that is set up to drive your horse through. The cones are set JUST wide enough for your cart to fit through. There are tennis balls on top of the cones. You are timed, and recieve faults for any tennis balls that are knocked down.

Marathon: You go on a course that is a couple of kilometers long In that course there are some hazards to drive through. Those hazards will probably include things to go through, over, under...ya never know! (of course, you get to walk through the course before you actually drive through it!) Anyway, you are timed on the hazards...and are judged on how clean your run is, and the condition of your horse. The object is to finish in a perscribed amount of time...

You do all three sections, and the person with the best score at the end of the day wins!

Hope that answers your questions!!!

Kim R.

 

[hobbyhorse23]

Sheri, I'll send you an email. The best place to find answers to all your questions is at www.minihorsecde.com and then you can get more information at my own website www.cde4vse.com. I'm sorry to have missed a chance to meet you, perhaps next year you can stop by. Beavercreek does have a website at www.beavercreek.org. The event is held on the Lazy S Lumbar Mill and I wouldn't recommend driving there as it is full of ground-squirrel holes!

Oh, and bits are absolutely required at all ADS events. I personally (as someone who rides in a halter regularly) don't have much problem with trying bitless, but most drivers have a fit over the idea.

:

Okay Leia,
Now I'm fascinated by your quick leather cleaning trick with Murphy's Oil Soap...what is it, and how do you do it?? I have two harnesses to get ready for a little show next week...and I can use all the help I can get!

Kim R.

Well, they told me it would work for leather too but this is meant for washing synthetic harness. Take a large horse bucket, big enough to dunk your harness saddle in, and fill it with a water/MOS mixture. (No, I don't know how much. Forgot to ask that when they told me how to do it! I just used the directions and guessed.) Disassemble your harness into submergeable-sized pieces and dunk it, using a rag to scrub off any grungies. Shake off the harness, wipe dry, and voila! Sparkly-clean, shiny, non-greasy, no residue synthetic harness! And since it's liquid it gets into all the cracks to wash away brass polish and dust for a truly clean harness with much less elbow grease. I swear this is the best tip anyone's ever given me.

:

The combined driving event is multiple classes? like the trail and then the dressage...? Or one class with multiple obstacle or area courses, like just the trail class but with hills, water, sharp turn etc.????
Thanks!

Sheri

One event, multiple phases with scores (given in penalty points) for each phase. Lowest combined total wins! Dressage is always first with cones following immediately after if it's a two day event, then marathon is on the next day. A three day event will have cones on a third day all by itself. There are other events called "Pleasure Driving Shows" which do have many separate classes like Obstacle (similar to trail) and a cones course that is judged by itself, but those are different from a CDE. You only get one ribbon for the whole CDE although of course everyone compares their scores from each phase. :bgrin

Cones: Cones is a course that is set up to drive your horse through. The cones are set JUST wide enough for your cart to fit through. There are tennis balls on top of the cones. You are timed, and recieve faults for any tennis balls that are knocked down.
Marathon: You go on a course that is a couple of kilometers long In that course there are some hazards to drive through. Those hazards will probably include things to go through, over, under...ya never know! (of course, you get to walk through the course before you actually drive through it!) Anyway, you are timed on the hazards...and are judged on how clean your run is, and the condition of your horse. The object is to finish in a perscribed amount of time...

Just a clarification: there is a specified clearance from your wheels in cones so they will be set differently for each cart (you are measured at the start of the competition) and the clearances are reduced as you move up the levels. You are timed, but only to make sure you are within the maximum time. You get penalties if you are too slow but there's no official prize for being fastest.

Marathon doesn't have any judging at all, it's just you against the clock. On course you have a set pace you want to match, not too fast and not too slow. There are penalties for both. In the hazards at Prelim level and up you are penalized for every second you are "in the hazard zone" so you want to get in and out as fast as possible! The hazards aren't spook obstacles or trail-type obstacles, more like things to weave around in order to get through markers labeled A, B, and C in order. Your horse needs to be in condition to do what you're asking of him and there are vet checks to make sure he's fit to go on, but you are not scored on his condition.

Gee, do I still need to email you after writing all that? LOL. Seriously, check out www.minihorsecde.com. That site is meant for beginners and has good answers to all the basic questions.

Leia

 

[MiniHGal]

Hey Leia, Kody looks VERY nice!! Congrats on the nice walk score...that is a difficult movement to master--and Kody tried hard from what you said. Too bad about the hazard but it happens! At least now you won't do it again, or at least not so blithely (tired hazard walking is a no, LOL). Love the sequence of altered pictures concluding in the big E. hehe

It is too bad you guys don't have a harness/tack vendor at your shows (well, Marjean was at Happs, wasn't she)...Celine is a godsend for us, as we are forever forgetting something or other.

Aw, Kendra, its not so hard, especially when its not crammed in one day like that. When its on its own day, you walk hazards the day before and get to sleep on them. Then you go and do them. You can walk the hazards as much as you want. Besides, at Training level, the hazards are not based on how fast you go, only that you go through ABC in the correct order in under 5 minutes. Over 5 minutes and you are eliminated, but in most hazards, you will not be over 5 min. even walking the whole thing, and stopping at points too. That means you can go nice and slow to make sure you are going through the right gates.

Mr. Kody is all grown up. :bgrin

Oh and Karen....when you're ready, I'd LOVE to see you out there! Come watch sometime!!

 

[Carriage]

Hello all,

The big horse folk have been making comments and have had a mini attitude for years. Going back at least ten years, Coleen Edwards got them all the time. Course she cleaned up at the events too and when we went up for the awards ceremony she walked away with the bulk of them to the point that we needed the hotel lugage cart for the trophies and still had a rather heavy garmet bag filled with rossetts, placks, bowls and the like. She was a big girl with a 130lb cart and a small A mini and still made them look silly......

So don't worry about the comments and attitude, just excell and "drive on".

Also Murphy's (original formula) oil soap is suitable for bathing (animals) as well. When we were showing dogs, on the very rare occasion that we did bathe we used it as shampoo. Mix one part Murphy's to 10 parts water. There is an 800 number, on the bottle, to call to verify what I'm saying. A number of top breeders and show folk have been using it for years. And it is very cheap to boot!

Best wishes to all,

Bb

 

[MiLo Minis]

Congratulations on a great show Leia!!! Sounds like you had a wonderful time. In regards to respect from the full size people :bgrin I sent my entry in for the CDE in a couple of weeks and all I got back was an email saying "I hope you have something other than bicycle tires for the marathon"

 

[Devon]

Congratulations on a great show Leia!!! Sounds like you had a wonderful time. In regards to respect from the full size people :bgrin I sent my entry in for the CDE in a couple of weeks and all I got back was an email saying "I hope you have something other than bicycle tires for the marathon"

I cant belive they said that.

 

[hobbyhorse23]

Congratulations on a great show Leia!!! Sounds like you had a wonderful time. In regards to respect from the full size people I sent my entry in for the CDE in a couple of weeks and all I got back was an email saying "I hope you have something other than bicycle tires for the marathon"

Niiiiice. Speaking of "Just go out there and show 'em"....

: Go kick some tail! (And then remember to come here and tell us about it.

: )

Leia

 

[MiLo Minis]

There isn't a VSE division due to lack of entries so I am showing in single pony and there is no training division either. We have been working on our preliminary dressage test and I think we can deal fairly easily with that but apparently there are quite the hills on the marathon and, because there is no VSE division, I HAVE to have a navigator so I am a little concerned about the hills BUT if any Mini can do it I am certain that Willie is up to the challenge. There is only an E section and it is only 5 kms. My little friend, Mackenzie (my neighbours son) who is 12 and 70 pounds soaking wet has volunteered for the job. I checked and the navigator must be 12 or older :bgrin so we are all set. The cones should be a breeze as long as I stay on course! Wouldn't be worried about that either, as Willie LOVES cones and usually blisters them, except I did go off course once on him (where was my head???) Liz, who is a mostly silent member here on the forum, is coming along as groom, moral support and mentor.

Someone mentioned that "our money is as green" and that was basically the answer when I called to ask if I could compete in the single pony division as there wasn't going to be a VSE. They said "we need all the entries we can get, so sure, why not".

We are going to go, have fun, try our very best and have a great time!!!

 

[Sheri Hill]

Thanks Kim, that does help!!! :saludando:

Sheri

Oops...I suppose I should have elaborated!!!

CDE is an event that has three sections...Driven dressage, Cones, and Marathon. Think 3 day eventing with a cart!

Driven Dressage: You drive a perscribed pattern, according to the level of ability that you are at. The judge looks at your presentation (how you look) how your horse performs, and how accurately you drive that pattern. Boy, are they picky! The lower your score, the better you have done!

Cones: Cones is a course that is set up to drive your horse through. The cones are set JUST wide enough for your cart to fit through. There are tennis balls on top of the cones. You are timed, and recieve faults for any tennis balls that are knocked down.

Marathon: You go on a course that is a couple of kilometers long In that course there are some hazards to drive through. Those hazards will probably include things to go through, over, under...ya never know! (of course, you get to walk through the course before you actually drive through it!) Anyway, you are timed on the hazards...and are judged on how clean your run is, and the condition of your horse. The object is to finish in a perscribed amount of time...

You do all three sections, and the person with the best score at the end of the day wins!

Hope that answers your questions!!!

Kim R.

Thanks Leia!! I will have to check out both these sites!! Thanks so much!! That helped me to understand it a lil better. Yes, I would have loved to come watch and meet you.

:saludando:

Sheri

Sheri, I'll send you an email. The best place to find answers to all your questions is at www.minihorsecde.com and then you can get more information at my own website www.cde4vse.com. I'm sorry to have missed a chance to meet you, perhaps next year you can stop by. Beavercreek does have a website at www.beavercreek.org. The event is held on the Lazy S Lumbar Mill and I wouldn't recommend driving there as it is full of ground-squirrel holes!

Oh, and bits are absolutely required at all ADS events. I personally (as someone who rides in a halter regularly) don't have much problem with trying bitless, but most drivers have a fit over the idea.

:

Okay Leia,
Now I'm fascinated by your quick leather cleaning trick with Murphy's Oil Soap...what is it, and how do you do it?? I have two harnesses to get ready for a little show next week...and I can use all the help I can get!

Kim R.

Well, they told me it would work for leather too but this is meant for washing synthetic harness. Take a large horse bucket, big enough to dunk your harness saddle in, and fill it with a water/MOS mixture. (No, I don't know how much. Forgot to ask that when they told me how to do it! I just used the directions and guessed.) Disassemble your harness into submergeable-sized pieces and dunk it, using a rag to scrub off any grungies. Shake off the harness, wipe dry, and voila! Sparkly-clean, shiny, non-greasy, no residue synthetic harness! And since it's liquid it gets into all the cracks to wash away brass polish and dust for a truly clean harness with much less elbow grease. I swear this is the best tip anyone's ever given me.

:

The combined driving event is multiple classes? like the trail and then the dressage...? Or one class with multiple obstacle or area courses, like just the trail class but with hills, water, sharp turn etc.????
Thanks!

Sheri

One event, multiple phases with scores (given in penalty points) for each phase. Lowest combined total wins! Dressage is always first with cones following immediately after if it's a two day event, then marathon is on the next day. A three day event will have cones on a third day all by itself. There are other events called "Pleasure Driving Shows" which do have many separate classes like Obstacle (similar to trail) and a cones course that is judged by itself, but those are different from a CDE. You only get one ribbon for the whole CDE although of course everyone compares their scores from each phase. :bgrin

Cones: Cones is a course that is set up to drive your horse through. The cones are set JUST wide enough for your cart to fit through. There are tennis balls on top of the cones. You are timed, and recieve faults for any tennis balls that are knocked down.
Marathon: You go on a course that is a couple of kilometers long In that course there are some hazards to drive through. Those hazards will probably include things to go through, over, under...ya never know! (of course, you get to walk through the course before you actually drive through it!) Anyway, you are timed on the hazards...and are judged on how clean your run is, and the condition of your horse. The object is to finish in a perscribed amount of time...

Just a clarification: there is a specified clearance from your wheels in cones so they will be set differently for each cart (you are measured at the start of the competition) and the clearances are reduced as you move up the levels. You are timed, but only to make sure you are within the maximum time. You get penalties if you are too slow but there's no official prize for being fastest.

Marathon doesn't have any judging at all, it's just you against the clock. On course you have a set pace you want to match, not too fast and not too slow. There are penalties for both. In the hazards at Prelim level and up you are penalized for every second you are "in the hazard zone" so you want to get in and out as fast as possible! The hazards aren't spook obstacles or trail-type obstacles, more like things to weave around in order to get through markers labeled A, B, and C in order. Your horse needs to be in condition to do what you're asking of him and there are vet checks to make sure he's fit to go on, but you are not scored on his condition.

Gee, do I still need to email you after writing all that? LOL. Seriously, check out www.minihorsecde.com. That site is meant for beginners and has good answers to all the basic questions.

Leia