Do you drive?

[KTS@Sawmill River]

Great thread, Sheryl!!!! I love reading about and seeing pictures of driving horses!!!

I drive, and ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!!!! It is my favorite thing to do!!! I wish I could devote all of my time to working and developing driving horses, but I just can't let go of the halter horses. Its something fun and different for the horses and myself. I love show driving, but It is also a stress reliever to take a driving horse and just drive around the farm. Its peaceful and relaxing.

I drove my first mini when I was 8 and I haven't looked back. Every day, I learn something new about driving horses.... It is an ongoing education!! Its a challenge and I think that is what I love most about it. I have learned so much by sitting on the rail at Nationals and Worlds and watching, but I know I still have so much more to learn.

Here are some of my "kids" and I:

This is Groshill EK Creations Duke of Earl(NFC Egyptian Kings Creation X NFCs Duchess Silhouette). He is an AMHR Reserve National Champion in Country Pleasure, as well as many Top Tens. He is also a World Top Ten in CPD and Roadster, Liberty and Versatility, and World and Res. World Champ in Youth Liberty.

This is SRF Silhouette(SRF Revelation X Leprechaun Acres Missy). She is a Multiple AMHR National Top Ten in Single Pleasure Driving, and AMHA World Top Ten Country Pleasure horse. She drove in Roadster this year and took home 3 World Top Tens in Youth, Open, and Gentlemens. She was also the AMHA Eastern Regional Reserve Grand Roadster horse

SRF Jubilation(SRF Nobility X Vermilyea Farms Exotic Exposure) Just started training a month ago and she is doing great!

This is SRF Heiress(Smithdeal Rowdys Buccaneer X NFC Dandys Shady Lady). I broke her to drive in March and she had a great show year.... Just a natural driving horse. Together, we pinned 3rd in Youth Country at Worlds and 10th in the Open CPD.... She surpassed all of my expectations for the year!

and this is from Worlds this year. I have to say that out of all the driving classes, Fine Harness is my favorite. This is SRF Revelette(SRF Revelation X Leprechaun Acres Missy). She is one of my farm favorites and the first horse that I broke to drive on my own. She has so much talent, I just have to figure out how to rig her right... I think we are getting there. She is still green in so many aspects.

And this is our most recent venture.... Modern Shetland Ponies!!! I have not driven one yet, but I am planning on changing that very soon!

This is AGs Hi-Lee Extreme and my brother.

(I am trying to find a mini that moves like that, but I know that is next to impossible.... If anyone has one, let me know! lol)

I guess I am slightly addicted to driving horses!!!!

Thanks for allowing me to share!!! This is such a great thread!

 

[Shari]

Love to ride my Icelandic when I can but I also love to drive Maggie. Just at home.. on the trails and rare times on the road. Some day... I will get to meet up with the NW mini driving group and have some fun with them too.

Everyone has such sleek show pictures... so how about some winter fuzz!!!

 

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

All of these great pictures are making me wish it was spring already and I could start driving again. Between torrential downpours that have created seas of mud and the snow (more to be expected than rain at this time of year, here) that keeps melting to add to the water logged effect it may be next August before the ground dries out enough to even consider hitching anyone. (whaaaaa, I wanna go for a drive

....hey maybe I can find a sleigh and go out for a Christmas sleigh ride)

 

[Field-of-Dreams]

We LOVE to drive! We train (I don't like the word "break") all our own horses. So far we've trained seven horses. Five have gone on to perform at Nationals/World, with all placing and one winning a Res Grand WCP. One was trained as a child's pony. The other we just haven't shown much, although he did win his CPD class last year at the FTW Stock Show. He's just so small he doesn't stand a chance against the bigger guys, especially pulling MY lard-butt around! We also have an older gelding we bought trained, but he's retired now.

We also have several younglings that will hopefully be started this winter. My coming 3YO ASPC/AMHR gelding, a cremello filly, and two pinto mares.

Sunny, Dunny and Buck also do parades in harness. They also do funday CDEs. Pinkie and Elvis are only three and not ready for the parades and challenges of a CDE, but their time will come.

Not only do we "collect" driving horses, we collect carts and harness, too! Not counting the three training harnesses, we have two Lutke show harnesses, two Mini Express show harnesses, one biothane CDE harness, and one collared draft type harness. Two bitting rigs. Add to that one Jerald showcart, one Superior showcart (two if you count our friend's that "lives" here), two wooden Meadowbrook/road carts and one Easy Entry. Sold the Houghton at Nationals.

So yeah, we drive.....

Lucy

 

[dreaminmini]

I just started driving this summer. I LOVE IT, LOVE IT, LOVE IT!!!! We bought our first mini this year, a 3 year old silver pinto gelding. Lori Rafter (Milo Minis) on our forum, trained our Peek-A-Boo wonderfully and has spent countless hours teaching us to drive and answering my millions of questions. We are hoping to show next season, I love practising the obstacles/cones. What a blast!!!

 

[Irish Hills Farm]

Great responses!

And to those who posted pics of their driving horses

very, very nice horses!!

Saw some beautiful carts too!

I tried to read every post and it seems that the cost of equipment really doesn't bother the majority of the people, which is fabulous.

Let's see some more driving horses and hear more about them!

 

[Leeana]

Well, im hanging onto this guy as a driving horse for the future...i think western or country pleasure...he has a great mind on him.

Then, possibly may send this girl off for the 3 year old driving futurity with the trainer, i have one or two in mind..i want her shown RIGHT so only someone special is going to get this girlie...will depend on if she is there mentally or not when that time comes around...deff classic pleasure or roadster...

I think i could see Twister driving too ....

 

[StarRidgeAcres]

Neat thread!

I've been in a cart twice - once for about 10 minutes in the warm-up arena at Nationals and then IN THE RING at NATIONALS in (I think) Ladies Country Pleasure. I know, I know! It was one of the most stupid things I've ever done to go in the ring at a show (especially with SO MANY horses like in a Nationals class), but I did it. Now, having confessed to my utter stupidity, it was a BLAST!!! I got to drive a gelding that literally would change gates when he heard the announcer! I'm an NOT kidding. I mean I did give him some instruction based on the few minutes of instruction I got, but that horse didn't even need anyone in the cart to complete the class. I've since seen the video and we looked pretty darn good!

We didn't place, but we also didn't screw up!

So, that experience sort of gave me the "bug" and now that I have, um, a little stallion that may just, um... be a good driving prospect, I may go for it in 2010! Here's my prospect:

He's going to make me some babies in 2009 and maybe spend some time with a trainer, but I don't plan on driving him myself until 2010. I need to buy all the "stuff" like work harness, training cart, show harness, show cart, covers, etc.

Where in the heck is that money going to come from???

 

[Irish Hills Farm]

Parmela, my gelding Jackpot was like the gelding you drove. As soon as Jackpot heard the announcer begin to ask for a gait change he was already there. Drove me nuts. lol I'd always ask him, who's driving who here mister! He was a blast though, in all honesty.

He loved driving. It got to the point at the shows I didn't/couldn't hook him to the cart until the class before the one we were going in. He would only tolerate warming up for so long and he absolutley hated standing around while in harness waiting. He wanted in that ring to do what he loved doing.

 

[carlenehorse]

I DO but it is just for fun I don't compete but I would love to someday. It is so much fun. I taught my 15 year old son to drive and he loves it.

Carlene

 

[funnybunny]

Driving is a blast. I've gotten hurt too many times riding big horses. Old bodies don't heal very fast.

Minis are great driving. I love the wind in my hair and the sand in my teeth.

 

[StarRidgeAcres]

This is SRF Heiress

Holy Cow! She's stunning!

 

[LC Farm]

I can't wait to try my hand at driving my own mare. My mare Menagerie's Sure Enough Supreme is at the trainers now learning to drive. The only time i have drove is my friends mini and our percherons. What a hugh difference there is in having 2,000 lbs. or 4,000(if driving double) in front of you compared to 300 lbs. Both are a big thrill for me. I have to beg (lol) the daughter and son in-law to let me have a turn with the big guys as they are theirs and they both love to drive them. My stallion has also been accepted at the trainers this year so i can't wait for show season to start. He is coming back out as a 3 year old he showed as a yearling. My daughter and i are going to show my 2 year old colt. His sire won the color class at nationals and was in the top ten in driving. He has a great trot just like mom and dad so have high hopes for him also. Can't wait for the fun to begain.

 

[Filipowicz Farm]

I just drive sometimes around the farm. Have shown in some driving classes in the past. I drove Sheryl's Jackpot here at our farm and he really was a blast to drive. He could move. Sheryl did a great job teaching him. Miss the old boy.

 

[Kathy2m]

I got the bug about 20 years ago. It started with a school pony I had. She was an exceptional lesson pony and knew lots of disciplines. So a friend of mine said lets see if she drives and she did perfectly. I only drove her around the holidays as a fun lesson for her students/riders. Got a mini to keep a QH weaning company, taught him to drive thats was fun but my first love was still riding. 7 years, 3 more minis and no more bigs later, I'm totally hooked on the CDE's, ADT's HDT's and trail driving. Kathy

Abby and my 1st HDT

My new driving horse Trouble...

 

[JMS Miniatures]

Yes I drive

I trained a National Champion and multiple Top Ten winner (1st driving horse I trained I would like to add lol).

I trained a multiple Reserve National Champion for roman chariot (that was just for fun), and showed a National Top 5 horse in obstacle driving.

I am training maybe 3-4 driving horses for next year. My life is going to get busy. Maybe showing next year in western, country pleasure, roadster, and a BIG maybe roman chariot and obstacle driving.

My next adventure I want to go into draft harness. I got the harnesses, I got the horses, I just need the wagon. I would also love to try CDE but noone has any around here, and I would love to do harness racing. I will try anything.

Any horse can set up and look pretty in a halter class, but it takes talent to drive.

 

[lilfolks]

I drive my gelding Copper around the farm and neighborhood but I do not drive in shows.

Joyce

 

[macy--red carpet minis]

I started driving in the summer of 2007 and just absolutely LOVE it!!! It is so much fun and is so exciting. I still love to show the other classes but driving is my favorite... along with Versatility which combines Halter, Hunter, and Driving

Here is my driving horse NBS' Magical Streak

He took the honors of 2008 Versatility National Champion

2008 Country Pleasure Reserve National Champion

2008 National Roadster Top 3

I have driven many horses at the National level but "Streak" is the only one that I own... and LOVE

Everyone has beautiful horses, Thank you for letting me share!!

 

[sedeh]

I have been sporadically driving for a couple of years. I bought a gelding that was trained to drive to learn on and showed him a few times in Pinto shows. I had so many young horses that I was trying to get points/champions on before I put them in my breeding program that I just couldn't handle much more! Well......next year that's all changed! My breeding herd is complete and now poor Bubba's life is going to change!!

At our last show in October I was planning on putting him in just a few driving classes. Because our mini numbers were down I ended up throwing him in a bunch of other classes to make the points better.....so he haltered, colored, jumped, hunted and did in-hand trail....plus some extra amatuer driving classes so my friend could show his pony. Had a blast, he did great......ended up Hi-pt for the show!

So, next year he get's to be my all-around horse and lots of driving! My goal is to someday replace him with a colt/gelding that was bred on my farm. I want the gelding that everyone says "why did you geld him!!?"

 

[Taylor Jo]

http://s428.photobucket.com/albums/qq3/war...th_MVC-511F.jpg

I decided to post pictures of my Oreo even though my avatar is of me at Nationals. He's such a good boy and I'm so proud of him. It's the first time I actually enjoyed driving and got to really do it long enough to like it. Usually at home I practice and stuff but you don't have other horses to do it with. At Nationals it was great cause they had this HUGE practice arena and I went in there for a couple of hours and we tooled around before his actual class to get him comfortable and I'm so glad I did. He's been used to smaller classes and was bit over whelmed at first and then got down to business. Even though we didn't win and got the gate he did perfect. That's what counts he didn't miss a beat and that's not bad for 1:00 a.m. in the morning. TJ I don't know why my photo's aren't coming out I follow the directions,,,,ERRR!!!!!!

http://s428.photobucket.com/albums/qq3/war...th_DSC00977.jpg