Hi Julia! Welcome to the driving forum.
There have been some great threads recently on good starter books, go take a peek and see which ones you like the sound of.
Tremor said:
What makes a driving horse?
What makes a good driving horse, a good competition driving horse and a successful breed show horse can be three very different things. A good driving horse is made by applying good training to a horse with a good mind and the willingness to do it. Period.
A good competitive driving horse must possess good form-to-function conformation which produces pleasing movement and allows the horse to stay sound, and may require different forms of talent as Myrna explained. Heart, stamina, courage, brilliance, determination, submission, willingness, all of those may be needed depending on what you want to do. A successful breed show driving horse must be of the appropriate type, built to hold the outline they are looking for and with the sort of eye-catching movement the judges are currently rewarding. Driving classes at breed shows are more about showing off the horse in harness, not the horse's driving training. This isn't necessarily a bad thing but does need to be understood or you may be disappointed in your placings!
Tremor said:
And when do you judge a horse for whether or not it has the ability or conformation to drive?
From the minute I first meet it. If it's a baby I look at how it reacts to new things, how spooky it is, how willing it is to learn and what kind of action it shows me in the field. What kind of horses are its parents and siblings? How do they move? How are they built?
If it's an adult I look at the same sort of things but will judge the horse's own conformation and movement more strongly than any family members I might see. Foals may not trot out a lot, preferring to run. I expect an adult horse will show me what he has. I personally like to see a horse stretch his neck out and down and engage his rump when he "turns it on," not lock his head in place and simply move faster. I want to see some scope and length to that stride! They should have a whole 'nother gear they hit when they get excited. Then again, I'm looking for a competition driving horse so movement matters to me.
In evaluating whether the horse is suited to driving in general I want to see a trusting animal who listens when he's scared, trusts his handler and preferably is curious about new things. I have to know I can work with that horse and that his brain isn't going to go out the window the minute he gets a little nervous about something. A driving horse should think his way through things!
Tremor said:
Do you think Buddy would be a good driving horse?
I agree with MiLo's assessment of his hip being a little high and short but he's got great muscling and a nice overall look. Hopefully with a reduction in calories, gelding and some sweating we can get his neck thinned down a bit but he still appears to be a very nice candidate.
Tremor said:
I want to get him started this winter so when we geld him in the spring I'll have something to do with him to reduce the swelling. And it may even help him get in shape for halter shows!
Just an FYI, but in my opinion it is not fair to ask a horse who has just been gelded to drive. Especially a green horse! You don't want him having to push with those hindquarters when it hurts so much and it sort of spoils the "look, driving is fun!" attitude you're trying to cultivate.
Turn him out and lunge him as the vet recommends until the swelling goes down in a few days then when he's moving normally again you can think about hitching him.
It definitely will help trim him up for the halter classes though, and if done correctly can really enhance his topline and chest.
Leia
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