Drove my gelding for the second time

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

Just thought I'd share;

I started Cruiser back in 2012, hitched him once and drove and then life got in my way and other horses took my time so he has not been hitched since. Yesterday I pulled him out of the corral and ground drove him, fastened the pvc drag poles to him and ground drove a bit more then put the shafts of the cart thro the tug loops and ground drove him for a few minutes while my husband kept the cart in place. I didn't fasten the shafts down nor did I attach the traces in case the horse got spooked by the rattle of the cart. When I started him, Cruiser was like driving a coiled spring, he responded well to cues and had a great whoa even under trying conditions but he felt tense/fiery to me the whole time. Today I pulled him out harnessed him, ground drove for about 5 minutes and then hitched him to the cart. I ground drove again for about 10 minutes and then mounted the cart. He did so well you'd have thought he had been driving every day since the first hitch. He was calm, steady and willing. He needs a little work with turns in the cart but not for lack of trying, he just has forgotten how to step into it and bend. Yesterday, I did need to work for a bit to get him to give to the bit and tip his nose in when asked to turn, in the beginning he wanted to root his nose out and gape his mouth but after a little practice he was soft and giving again. Today he never resisted the rein cues even once. I drove for about 1/2 hour then we practised his liberty moves (a little dance routine we are working on) and his stand at liberty then I put him away. I'm hopeful I will get enough miles on him this year that I can consider him harness trained rather than merely started. Of course it will be many many years before he is finished but my best driving horse is getting older and I have always planned for him to be her replacement when she must retire. He is more upheaded than her and has a more natural self carriage. She tends even now after years of driving (any many wins in the ring) to fall apart if her driver doesn't know how to ask for collection and keep her forward (my husband loves to drive her- by which I mean he sits in the cart and she takes him for a ride lol, she's quite agreeable about it but sure wouldn't win any shows as she sluffs along with her nose out and her head about whither height all strung out ) He on the other hand collects himself without much input from his driver even when he is not sure how to do what is being asked. Sorry I have no pictures, yesterday was rather unplanned and I never thought of it and today I was alone so couldn't get pictures. I will attach a couple of pictures of him from his very first drive in 2012. I am aware he was behind the bit in the one picture and altho his head placement isn't too bad in the second he is a bit strung out but It was his very first time to handle the weight of a driver in the cart. He is improving

 

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

Drove him again today. We did lots of jog trotting and it is nice to see him relaxing into his work. He has the best whoa of any green horse I've ever had and stops dead immediately when asked. No wandering into a halt for him. His turns are already smoother than yesterday and he is reaching under himself better at the walk. I could see when he was starting to get tired when his walk lost its forward momentum. That is the point where I asked for a prolonged whoa and stand before dismounting the cart and unhitching. We played some on the ground doing his free work (he was not into it today and was pretty sloppy about his stand. I kept at it until he stood for me as I walked a circle around him in both directions then put him away.

After I was done with him I pulled out another gelding that I was told was harness trained when I got him, I also heard thro the grape vine that he may have had a wreck at one point. He was newly gelded then (about a week between gelding and coming here) and I have given him some time - nearly 2 years now - to settle in to being a gelding and get used to my way of handling etc. Today I harnessed him and ground drove him. He did okay, sure not ready to be hitched, not happy with the bit and tried to spin to face me alot. Still, he has clearly had some training since I was able to easily have him untwist himself and face forward when he turned to me. He was quite tense when asked to trot initially and would only offer an extended and very stiff trot. By the end of our session he was walking and jogging on the straight and in large circles, on either rein. He is a pretty little silver dapple who's personality I find very endearing and altho he isn't the trickster Cruiser is, I believe he will become with time and patience a really nice reliable harness horse. I may have to have him as back up for my back up since my husband is eyeing up Cruiser already

and I know I will eventually break down and let him drive my boy occasionally. Darn man, why can't he just stick to his own geldings lol, he has 2 what could he possibly need with one of my 4

 

[Marsha Cassada]

How very exciting to have so much driving potential!

And so nice that you enjoy that challenge together.

 

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

The real issue with having 4 horses all trained to drive is I am only one person with only so much time and am often torn over which to take out. This year its geldings, last year and the year before it was my 2 mares. I am trying to help my husband get his boys working as a pair as well. They have both been driven single but he wants a team and bought them to be driven together. They are full brothers and very closely matched for colour size and stride, plus they are always together and have no personality issues with one another so they are coming along nicely. Now if we could just get the details worked out on harness and wagon we'd be set. lol. We were planning to hitch them and drive them as a pair for the first time this past weekend when we discovered our newly renovated wagon had a pole that was too long and put them beyond the reins length (or the reins were too short lol) We might , if things go well, get that corrected this coming weekend.