BiologyBrain
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- Joined
- Aug 10, 2011
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- 121
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I've been working with my neighbors minis a lot lately. I finally got the nerve to put two of them to the cart (individually, not as a team). I started with Cody. He's older, but still quite spirited. He was purchased as a driving pony (sort of), but was never really used. He's very set in his ways & cantankerous when he doesn't get his way. In fact, he occasionally kicks when prodded to do something he doesn't like. I know this is a very dangerous vice that needs to be addressed. I have plans to incorporate a kicking strap as a stop gap measure in the hopes that when/if he tries to kick again, he'll have difficulty doing so and learn to not kick. For what it's worth, he kicks when he doesn't want to do what I tell him. I've made every effort to check the fit of the harness & cart. He balks every time we go past the barn door & I have very little options of driving locations at this time. I've tried engaging his rear prior to the balk location, but that basically results in him charging toward the barn with me in tow with his neck bent against the shaft as I increase the cue to turn. A tap of the whip just brings the kick on sooner (as soon as the whip touches him). I've only driven him once, but that was enough to show me his tendency. I had also witnessed (and been the target) of him kicking on the ground when something isn't to his liking. I thought I had worked that out of him on the ground, but obviously not.
On the other hand, my driving experience with Sundance is actually better than ground driving him. He's still quite out of shape (as is Cody), so he has slowed down considerably with my weight in the cart. At this point, I'm keeping our driving time very short (maximum 30 minutes) because he is very out of shape. I am very happy to say that he responds beautifully to my cues, even when he reaches the same 'balk' point of passing by the barn door. We even had a harness-cart malfunction when the traces slid off the single tree on a short bit of driving on a slope. He jumped forward, but responded to whoa and stood while I performed another tweak.
I'm still tweaking the harness that I've kind of cobbled together. My biggest problem right now is the breaching. I have it positioned on him where I want it, but attaching it to the cart is giving me fits. I think I have it right, but then notice that it is exerting pressure/weight across the hip strap. I know that's a big no-no, so then I re-adjust. Then it's not engaging soon enough. I've moved him forward and back in the traces to try to help this issue. I'm still not completely satisfied with the position on the cart in motion (which is really difficult to judge when you're the only one experienced). The footman's loops seem to be rather far back on this cart. The shafts are wooden and rather dry. I'm going to have my husband look into drilling new holes for the screw-in footman's loops further forward (but away from where the tugs are).
I've even ground driven the 2 minis as a team using one of the methods described by someone here. I halter end both of them & safety tied the lead rope to the neck or barrel of the other mini while I used single driving lines (not the ones that Y-off for team driving) on the outside of each pony's halter. They did really well this way. So I but the harness on them (even bridled them) and tried basically the same thing only I put the rein on the outside of the bridle of each pony & used the halter to safely tie them together in the middle. They were terrible, bumping into each other like pinballs, dashed and weaves back and forth like crazy. I'll work them singly for a while longer & perhaps ground drive in halters more. I may even try to drive them open instead of blinkered when they're a team. I don't like the blinkers on their bridles anyway.
I'm so excited & happy to be driving again. It's been almost 4 years since I last hitched my Haflinger mare. That last time was when I was selling her. :-( Since then I've been horseless, except by proxy. This is the longest I've ever been horseless in my whole life. I'm angling to drive the minis' Belgian too!!
On the other hand, my driving experience with Sundance is actually better than ground driving him. He's still quite out of shape (as is Cody), so he has slowed down considerably with my weight in the cart. At this point, I'm keeping our driving time very short (maximum 30 minutes) because he is very out of shape. I am very happy to say that he responds beautifully to my cues, even when he reaches the same 'balk' point of passing by the barn door. We even had a harness-cart malfunction when the traces slid off the single tree on a short bit of driving on a slope. He jumped forward, but responded to whoa and stood while I performed another tweak.
I'm still tweaking the harness that I've kind of cobbled together. My biggest problem right now is the breaching. I have it positioned on him where I want it, but attaching it to the cart is giving me fits. I think I have it right, but then notice that it is exerting pressure/weight across the hip strap. I know that's a big no-no, so then I re-adjust. Then it's not engaging soon enough. I've moved him forward and back in the traces to try to help this issue. I'm still not completely satisfied with the position on the cart in motion (which is really difficult to judge when you're the only one experienced). The footman's loops seem to be rather far back on this cart. The shafts are wooden and rather dry. I'm going to have my husband look into drilling new holes for the screw-in footman's loops further forward (but away from where the tugs are).
I've even ground driven the 2 minis as a team using one of the methods described by someone here. I halter end both of them & safety tied the lead rope to the neck or barrel of the other mini while I used single driving lines (not the ones that Y-off for team driving) on the outside of each pony's halter. They did really well this way. So I but the harness on them (even bridled them) and tried basically the same thing only I put the rein on the outside of the bridle of each pony & used the halter to safely tie them together in the middle. They were terrible, bumping into each other like pinballs, dashed and weaves back and forth like crazy. I'll work them singly for a while longer & perhaps ground drive in halters more. I may even try to drive them open instead of blinkered when they're a team. I don't like the blinkers on their bridles anyway.
I'm so excited & happy to be driving again. It's been almost 4 years since I last hitched my Haflinger mare. That last time was when I was selling her. :-( Since then I've been horseless, except by proxy. This is the longest I've ever been horseless in my whole life. I'm angling to drive the minis' Belgian too!!
