Ground Driving CLASS?

[jbrat]

Hello,

I did up the show bills for our local fun shows at the fair, I added ground driving and lunge line(longe line, however it supposed to be spelled?)

I added both knowing they would fuss and not want to except them so I put in both so we'd compromise and they'd atleast approve 1 of them and I was going to fight for Ground driving, because with 4-H kids I want them and the horses to get use to the rail work with a bunch of others in the ring too, before putting them into the ring with a cart( a safety hangup, I have)

(not that I don't trust my kids or horses but there's strangers in the ring too)

Anyway, when the first negative comment started I gave my explaintion of why I thought a Ground driving class would be a good saftey thing. (complicated meeting everyone had already been there dissagreeing for 2 1/2 hours, glad my show bill was on the bottom of the agenda,because everybody was ready to go by then.) Well, they accepted my show bill as it was presented. OH! I'm glad

, I really expected a big dispute because they haven't been very welcoming to the Mini's. (this is an open class too not just for the mini's)

So now I need to learn as much as I can about how the classes usually run to pass it along to my 4-H kids. I've read the rules in the 4-H show rules. But I'd like to get some input from some of you and/or links and video's of an actual Ground driving class. I found a few lunge line classes on you tube. But not a Ground driving class. I'm assuming it is all rail work, but wondered how the judge might expect them to do a reverse and/or if they need to back.

I of course know how to lunge and Ground drive but I've never seen a lunge line or ground driving class, except for years ago and I didn't pay much attention,

.

Thank you

 

[Pwest2u2]

The Washington State 4-H driving hand book has a ground driving course in it. We use it at our fair and it is great. If you can't find it let me know I might be able to forward it too you. We only let horses in that class that are not in driving classes yet.

Patty

 

[End Level Farms]

I have done a fe ground driving classes as we used them to promote young horse activities rather than getting on and riding them as young horses.

There are about three different ways to do a ground driving class....

One where the person stands in the middle and does a lunging type situation with the horse being driven two lines attached to a bit ect.

Second is to go around the rail and act like you are literally driving the class as if there was no difference (No cart)

And third is to give the person basically 1.5 or 2 minutes each much like a lunge line class to show off exactly what it is you can have your horse do. This opens it up for the most amount of people because there are a lot of physically challenged people who would be unable to do number 2.

Ill see if I can find some pictures or videos.

 

[jbrat]

Thank you,

Your descriptions were very helpful!

I knew these classes are usually for young horse, that is how they are explained in the 4-H rules as production classes, BUT there's a sentence that says horses 3 and over should have a seperate class, which is what I was prepared to fall back on but didn't have too

. (and 3&under will be seperate but noone in this county ever takes production projects)

Do they have any classes like this at the mini shows?

They will be judge along with big horses (we don't discriminate

) so I don't know what to expect.

I'm hoping when they come into the ring in harness they will be judging them as harness horse and driver, not as a young soon to be horse and rider.

Assuming can get me in trouble, and with the kids looking to me for guidence, I want to prepare them for all the basic ways the class maybe ran.

The Kids will be so glad to have more than 2 classes this year.

 

[Charlotte]

I was introduced to ground driving the minis by someone in the UK with a Star Skipper son. They were very formal about it........attire and all. I would love to see ground driving and longue line classes added to our shows for the young horse.

I will be following this thread to see if I can learn more.

Charlotte

 

[MiLo Minis]

I have done formal ground driving courses where the gaits were called and it was done on the rail just as a normal driving class except, of course, no cart. The best ones I have been in, for fun anyway, are the ground driving obstacle courses. You set up an obstacle course similiar to that of a halter obstacle course and then you ground drive through it. Lots of fun! You can use rails to back through, mailboxes - halt and retrieve the mail, cones to wind through, teeter totters to walk on, bridges, boxes to do a 360 in, whatever you want that works for driving.

 

[jbrat]

I love the obstacle course idea, but that was questioned and they don't want to have to get any equipment out for the class. Was told that right away then someone else spoke up and said its more like rail work usually, so they let it pass. So until we get to seperate the mini's from the riding horses obstacle ground driving & obstacle driving is out. I pushed in hand trail last year to go right behind riding trail since the equipment was already out, they agreed to do it every other show.

I forsee the mini's having thier own little 4-H show soon, the biggy people don't like a mini horses competeing with them and coming out on top. I will say I'm very proud of the kids and their mini's they give the big guys a run for their $. I was surprized last year how many of the big horses entered the inhand trail class.

Thanks for all the replies and if anyone has anymore info., links or videos please let me know.

 

[Kendra]

We ran a Ground Driving class at our Miniature Horse 4H show a few years ago. I wanted the kids and horses who weren't ready for a driving class to have another class to go in. They had to work both ways on the rail at a walk as a group, then individually work a figure eight, back and show a brief trot.

 

[Heart L Ranch]

I have judged and also designed course for ground driving classes offered at a local small horse show. We run the horses individually and do up a simple course. They have to walk and trot thru cones which show the suppleness and response to the bit, They also have to walk thru poles, stop, stand for the count of 5 then back out. We also use a tarp that they have to walk over. Figure eight at a trot.

Since these are usually green horses or younger ones we do not do a lot of complicated manuvers or a bunch of obstacles and we also do not want to take a lot of time with set up. Remember that all the people ground driving are not marathon runners so working classes on a rail could take a toll on those handling....

Fun Class with lots of entries for this club's show and they wanted it added for this year as well.