I hitched Chanel!

[JaniceZ]

I was hoping to wait until Chanel is perfectly comfortable in the cart before I shared pictures. But Im to excited to be finished exams (On Wednesday

), And back to coming home on weekends when I can visit my girls

.

These pictures were taken at the end of November, Chanels 4th time being hitched

(please excuse my lack of fashion, I was home for the weekend and it was warm in waterloo, so I was caught without my own winter clothes

)

Ground Driving beforehand

And Hitched

We loose the headset in this one, but I hope she will eventually trot like this and keep her head set

Thanks to Devon for the pictures!

Also, Do you think the shafts are at to much of an angle? I noticed that the next time i hitched her, and set them down a notch, but then they seemed to low.

 

[Minxiesmom]

She looks very nice. Great headset for a green horse. Good job! The shafts do look a little high.

 

[ThreeCFarm]

She looks great!! I would drop the shafts a hole.

 

[RhineStone]

She looks like she has a lot of promise! I wouldn't worry about the head set too much. Green horses have to learn to pull with their hind ends instead of their chests. Once that happens, the head set follows.

I would agree about dropping the tugs a notch, too. That will also make you feel a little more comfortable, as you will be more balanced.

Myrna

 

[Ashley]

I would be careful with her, isnt she just 2?

 

[jleonard]

She looks wonderful!

They grow up so fast, seems like she was just born. Great job with her and keep us updated on her progress!

 

[JaniceZ]

Thanks everyone! I just love this mare

.

Myrna, How would I go about teaching her to pull with her hind end, or is that something that comes with time?

Ashley, Thank you for your concern. There should be more people willing to gently tell people when they are doing something potentially dangerous with thier animals. That being said, rest assured that Chanel is well taken care of, and not under any more stress then a mare 2.5 months short of being three should be. She is never hitched any longer then 15 minutes, since at this point I am just concentrating on desensitizing. She always has plenty of energy to play after she is done

. Believe me there is nothing in the world more important to me then the well being of my horses.

 

[RhineStone]

Yes, they need time to figure that out. Don't "ask" for any headset as of yet. True headset comes from the back to the front. Anything else is false collection and creates a hollow horse. It is not uncommon for a good driving horse to take a year to learn to work off their hind (considering that we don't work our green horses everyday. A horse in "training" might come along faster). Eventually, transition work will also help them understand to use their butt. It's almost like a lightbulb when they figure it out because is a lot less work for them, but they have to develop the muscling as well.

Myrna

 

[MiLo Minis]

She is looking good Janice! And I agree, you need to drop the shafts down a hole. If a full hole is too much you can punch one in between. You might find you can pick her breast collar up a hole as well. It is always hard to tell when they are fluffy but I find that when I have it set properly for a clipped horse it always looks like it is too high on that same horse when it's fluffy, although it is actually fine. Yours looks okay so I am thinking it might be a bit too low.

 

[wendyluvsminis]

Wow! She is really beautiful and what a lovely mover! Great new driver!

 

[hobbyhorse23]

Holy heck, how is it possible that Chanel is in the cart?!? Eeeeeeee!!

She really does look lovely, you've done a wonderful job with her and you know I don't say that lightly.

She's tense and a little hollow in the ground-driving photo and the first driving one but is doing better in the second and third photos and that last one is awesome! That's how she should move, and at this stage her nose is almost certainly going to be in front of the vertical as she concentrates on rounding her back and striding under herself like that. Let her! Don't throw away the reins and allow her to string out but know that the headset will come as she learns how to use her body. As Myrna said, having the head on the vertical is a side effect of proper movement not an silhouette to be strived for all on its own. Trying to squish the front of the horse into an outline with a tightly strapped-in check and martingale and ignoring the back sabotages the horse's natural power.

Thank you for sharing the photos and I'm so pleased to see her doing well!

Leia

 

[dreaminmini]

She looks beautiful. Looking forward to seeing her at the shows this year.

 

[drivin*me*buggy]

SHe is a very pretty filly

SHe looks like she will be a delightful driving horse. You both are off to a great start. Let her develop and build the strength she needs to work correctly. She is a gem

Angie

 

[Taylor Richelle]

Congrats! Looks like your going to have some fun with her. She's beautiful!

 

[JaniceZ]

Thanks everyone!Im so happy and excited that she is doing so well!