Just starting my 5 yr old mare

[HYmoonMinis]

Hi I just started driving my very tiny mare; she has been extremely patient and actually seems to enjoy the whole operation. We started by line driving her in an open bridle with a side walker; then took two PVC pipes and hooked them up like shafts; all this was such a non event we hooked her to the cart which was also a non event. I have never seen a horse take to something so quickly. I have owned her since birth so I know she has never been driven before. Today we made 3 trips around the pond ( her third time on the cart and I swear no melt downs she really seems to like this. Is this normal? Hoping to put her in the Lebanon Christmas carriage parade this year.

 

[ironbessflint]

Oops, double.

 

[ironbessflint]

For some laid back horses yes this would be a normal reaction. But it in no way means she's really trained to drive. She might accept these things, but that doesn't mean she understands what's being asked of her, and I'd worry that at some point in the future she may blow up out of confusion. While every horse is different, once a horse is already well versed in ground driving, I generally spend AT LEAST a couple of more months (and sometimes much longer) introducing each piece of harness, ground driving with it, adding pressure on the traces to introduce the concept of moving into pressure, and then dragging a tire. By the time I hook it usually is a non event and away we go, but I spend a lot of time getting to that point to make sure.

 

[HYmoonMinis]

Yes I agree that is the best way to train. She has had a exposure to many things like fairs, picnics, etc and some parelli games. I always have a side walker because I do believe that she will have a meltdown eventually and I understand that this is not an excepted practice - in fact if I heard this from someone else I would probably said the same thing " green on green means black and blue" however I know this mare well and I swear she really like this! Again I may be guilty of Anthropomorphism.

Thank you for your reply and I was wondering if you could steer me in the direction of an illustrated guide on teaching driving.

 

[RhineStone]

This reminds me of my first time golfing in May. I only lost one ball and that was because I got cocky. The second time I golfed, I lost six. The third time I golfed, I lost four. Needless to say, I haven't golfed as well as my first time. I guess I wasn't as good as I thought I was. Beginner's Luck?

I have had minis that are very easy to train, BUT I also had trained other horses to know what to look for. Six lessons is the minimum that I have went from harness to hitch. Minis tolerate A LOT. It sure wouldn't hurt to go back and do all the steps to make sure she's got it. If you have a wreck with a green horse that all of a sudden panics because they can't take it anymore, that horse may NEVER drive again. Yes, you can ruin them that fast.

The video, Teach Your Horse to Drive by Mary Ruth Marks goes over all the steps in an easy-to-understand format.

Myrna

 

[targetsmom]

It reminds ME of the time I was training my rock solid trail (riding) horse with a plastic bag full of tin cans. I showed them to him on the ground, shook them in his face and he was fine. Led him around, shaking the cans and he was fine. So I decided to mount him with the bag of cans. That was fine, we walked around no problem. Til all of a sudden he decided those cans were NOT fine, and he bucked me off. Only time he EVER did that in 17 years.

Our best driving horse (Princess) was NOT easy to train and when we thought she was ready to hook, she let us know she wasn't (safely though - she is pretty smart). I went back and ground drove her for another 3 months and now (4 years later) I have a very steady driving mini. The tin can episode is never far from my mind when training the minis!

 

[hobbyhorse23]

Anthropomorphism is assigning human emotions and thought processes to animals. While they may not think the same way people do, I hardly think it's out of line to say they do think and can indeed like having a job!

I'm glad your girl is enjoying her new role and appreciate that you're taking the safety precaution of having a header with you. Why not go back and give her some of the lessons she's skipped to prevent problems rather than just waiting for her to blow and having a person there to help contain the damage? Having been out and about for five years is a good start. She needs to be comfortable with crazy noises following closely behind her both visible (open bridle) and invisible (behind blinkers.) She should be able to ground-drive over tarps, tires, poles, painted lines and other scary things without a header. Can she stop and stand without fidgeting for as long as you ask her to, no matter what? Can she sidestep, back up, whoa, walk, trot, and trot-on off bridle cues without the cart? Will she keep working when dogs race up barking, horses run up along side her or kids wave balloons or open umbrellas suddenly? Can she pull a tire over gravel and pavement without flinching at the noise or the weight? Will she sit on the breeching and turn into the shafts with confidence? If so, good job.

Parades are a big deal with lots of things to see and snort at so be sure your girl is really desensitized, good at standing and confident before you enter her. And take a header/poop scooper anyway! I would, and I've been driving my boy for seven years. It just pays to be safe.

As far as books and videos, I'd recommend Heike Bean's "Carriage Driving: A Logical Approach Through Dressage Training" and Clay Maier's video "Training Your Driving Horse."

Leia

 

[HYmoonMinis]

Thanks to all who responded.

Pam

 

[My2Minis]

I also had a mini going great and at 7 months of work in the cart (and a lot of ground work previously). She had been started slowly and correctly. One day she blew up and decided she'd had enough. It's good to always be aware that green minis can be stoic and appear accepting but may have other things going on in their little minds.

 

[susanne]

HYmoonMinis, Please don't feel like people are doubting you or your horse. Taking your time going through all the steps, even with a smart, accepting horse, is not only wise, but also a matter of respecting your horse and giving them every chance to enjoy driving as much as you do.

My gelding was very much a "born" driving horse, but I wanted him to not only tolerate driving, but to love it. In addition to the expected benefits, it built our partnership (which already was tremendous) to such an incredible level that I could never regret the extra time spent.

You are lucky to have a wonderful, smart horse, and she is lucky to have a caring, patient person. Here's to many years of great driving! (And please stick around with updates on her progress.)

 

[RhineStone]

I also had a mini going great and at 7 months of work in the cart (and a lot of ground work previously). She had been started slowly and correctly. One day she blew up and decided she'd had enough. It's good to always be aware that green minis can be stoic and appear accepting but may have other things going on in their little minds.

Been there, done that!

Had a gelding that completely took to it like a duck to water and then ran away with me the first time I drove him outside (I started him in the indoor arena).

I never even got a photo of him driving because I knew he was going to take so much time to go back. I then moved on to other horses. That was my first real "awakening" of stoicism. All the other minis I'd trained were SOOO easy. He seemed easy as well. Now, I'd much rather work with a horse that "shows" me where we missed steps, ones that snort and blow with big eyes.

At least then you know when they've got it....most of the time.

Myrna

 

[Sandee]

Just to throw in my two cents worth. I'd like to point out that many horses "read" their drivers. I mean that they know who is behind them and what they can "get away" with. I trained my mare from little on even for driving. Granted she doesn't have the headset that I'd like yet but she's never given me ANY trouble. So as a 5 yr old last year at Nationals I let my daughter (she's in her 40s) drive her in a class. The mare "ran away" with her and she got DQ'd. Just outside the gate I took the reins and horse immediately calmed down.

This same mare has been driven this year by my 10 yr old grandson with me in the cart. However as I came out of a roadster class where she'd bewen really strong in the bit, he stepped up and asked to driver her back to the barn. Well, there's no room for 2 in a roadster so he hopped in and I unhooked the overcheck . The minute he took the reins she lowered her head and walked to the barn. She's really special to me but lots of horses know who's back there and what they can "try". So just because a horse is great for you don't always expect it to be good for everyone else.