Get Hitched! 2025 Driving hours

[MajorClementine]

Happy New Year fellow drivers. In an effort to help me keep track of everyone's time please put the horse driven and time driven at the top of your post. That way I can easily find your times.

Then feel free to tell us all about your driving day, or just your day in general. Rather than have two threads let's just keep our discussion here with the hours. We all like to chat here so it'll be easier to have it all in one place. BONUS POINTS for pictures!

Also, I assume most of us use Strava or other tracking apps for driving? Do we want to keep track of miles this year as well? Let me know. Happy hitching!

 

[Standards Equine]

45 minutes in the cold with Falcor yesterday!
I got my first drive of 2025 in! I think I beat last year by more than a week. It had warmed up recently to a balmy -15 C (5 F) so we went out. Falcor felt just a bit jumpy and reactive while harnessing so I went ahead and lunged him a bit, as much as he decided he needed. He decided he didn't need much. We hitched and he waited on his own for me to get seated before getting the cue to move off. He felt just a bit spicy when we walked out to the field but he settled in just fine and was happy to walk the entire loop. I got cold, but that's ok. I had the thought "what's better than a pony who can canter out in the field? One who will happily just walk the entire field!"
I've also registered and paid deposit for the annual High Country Driving Bonanza held annually at the historic Millarville Racetrack, Alberta. It's going to be about 5 hours for us to drive down there, but it's a 3-day clinic with international instructors. It will run Monday through Wednesday in July. Following that, there's a 3-day HDT running an hour closer to home. I'm going to take Falcor (and maybe Phillippe the donkey for fun) and see what we can learn. Time to get ready for adventures in 2025!!

 

[1roadtoad]

Standards Equine that all sounds great. I'm still struggling with getting my boys harnesses on properly! Just a bit of ground driving so far. I hope to get up my nerve at some point to actually get a cart and drive them.

 

[Standards Equine]

@1roadtoad I'm really glad you're being safe. When you're not familiar with the process, better err on the side of caution. Do you have a driving group local to you? Or somewhere that you can go audit or take a green driving clinic? Having the support of a community really makes the world of difference - speaking from experience.

 

[1roadtoad]

@1roadtoad I'm really glad you're being safe. When you're not familiar with the process, better err on the side of caution. Do you have a driving group local to you? Or somewhere that you can go audit or take a green driving clinic? Having the support of a community really makes the world of difference - speaking from experience.

I have taken a few lessons, but they have been in a controlled environment (riding ring), with a trainer and with a very well mannered Morgan horse to lead the way. The trainer has suggested that I send my 2 boys to her facility for a month or two for training. (I really only need for one of them to be trained as the other one had been driving a cart for a few years before I bought him). I resist the suggestion because I don't want them to go somewhere else and the training would happen in the riding ring and not be in the type of areas that I want to drive in. Lastly and most importantly, I'm more than a bit nervous about taking my driving past the "ground driving" stage. I really want to drive a cart, but I am truly super nervous about actually doing it with one of my own horses. I don't want me or the boys to get hurt.

 

[Dreams of Ashes]

I have taken a few lessons, but they have been in a controlled environment (riding ring), with a trainer and with a very well mannered Morgan horse to lead the way. The trainer has suggested that I send my 2 boys to her facility for a month or two for training. (I really only need for one of them to be trained as the other one had been driving a cart for a few years before I bought him). I resist the suggestion because I don't want them to go somewhere else and the training would happen in the riding ring and not be in the type of areas that I want to drive in. Lastly and most importantly, I'm more than a bit nervous about taking my driving past the "ground driving" stage. I really want to drive a cart, but I am truly super nervous about actually doing it with one of my own horses. I don't want me or the boys to get hurt.

if you don't want to send them for training, maybe see if you can have a lesson or two with your boys in the arena. That's not necessarily bad. If something doesn't go quite right, they can't just dump or run away with you and there's nothing to stop them. An arena would give you the chance to just focus on them without having to deal with all the things that happen outside of the arena. I don't think few arena lessons would be bad. It could boost your confidence and theirs especially since you are nervous about driving them. While my timeline is utterly blown, I've taken a lesson and would like take a few more. I find the arena offers a bit of added safety so I can focus on making sure I'm doing things correctly before having to face everything that comes with driving outside. And my lesson horse is a morgan as well, I think they're wonderful horses for the few I've met.

 

[Standards Equine]

@1roadtoad and @Dreams of Ashes we start all our driving littles in an arena. Walls keep things safer until we have confidence that good choices will be made and there's no silly reactions to be concerned with. Fortunately, we have winter and snow which makes first hitches even better because making poor decisions is a lot of work in the deep snow! The only way to overcome fear is by doing, and doing with support is smartest. If you are honestly comfortable in your limitations, then maybe progressing into actual hitched driving is not for you. And that's ok too! Training and driving should be evolving. Please feel free to go back and read about Falcor and what I went through with him to feel confident, or let me tell you about my darling Phillippe dragging me all over the arena because he figured out he could bully me. It's been progress, lots and lots of it, with a skilled and experienced community around supporting my journey. The community is what has made things so successful.

 

[MajorClementine]

@Standards Equine I wish I had driving events near me. Our state did establish our first ever driving society last year and they are slowly trying to get a few things going. There are some horse shows that there is a mini driving category in this January but my minis are all down south for the winter. I'm hoping they will do more this spring. With my "baby" now 5 I can get back to driving a little more as he's able to ride with me and even drive a little.

@1roadtoad Taking your boys to a trainer for 30-90 days is an great idea. The majority of driving horses are started out in a controlled environment like a riding arena. Too much input while learning a new thing doesn't work for a lot of horses. So if we control the area they are in while teaching them to be confident in a new skill they are more likely to remain confident and calm on the trail. They are already comfortable with their job of driving so when something new comes up on the trail they can focus their attention on dealing with that. Yes they may still spook, jump, or scatter a little depending on the horse but I have horses I've driven for 10 years that will not be paying attention and something will spook them. Usually a little "drop" or "jump" (like you react if a friend jumps out and scares you) but they quickly settle and move on.

Also, you will gain much confidence going to the arena and taking lessons with them once a week. I bet after 60 days training for them and 6-8 lessons for you with them you will feel ready to hit the trails.