I am still not sure if I can despook this little mare enough to drive. She is smart, sensitive, eager to please and sweet but every morning I come in the fence to clean her paddock and jumps straight up in the air as if she's never seen me before, trots off then comes back to eat. She will follow me around like a dog, does tricks, but when I pop in I become a big scary thing. Even after I say her name as I pop in.
Have you had her eyesight checked? Of course, even if there is something wrong there, it's an expensive fix and a lifelong production with eyedrops, from what my vet said.
I've sacked her out with tarps, a feedbag, plastic bags, ropes. She will go forward and back over a tarp. She is good when I'm working with her, then sees something new or some shadow and spooks. This is fine on the ground but I don't want to deal with it in the cart.
She is good ground driving- I suspect someone did drive her many years ago (because she knows so much), then she was a broodmare and a pet for the past ten years at least. She has so much training- ground ties, lunges, bows, backs ups, follows you without a lead rope, etc.
So it is a dilemma. I have another driving horse. After seeing his personality, I realize that he is the kind of driving horse that suits me-- he has a big heart and a lot of go but has a steady personality and knows his job with no drama. He is uncomplicated to drive- no games. I don't know that I want to drive a spooky horse and be on alert all the time. I drive to relieve stress not get more!
So I don't know if I should continue to work towards hitching her, give up and keep her as an expensive pet (the kids love to work with her) or find her a new home and get a different horse.
This is up to you. It depends on your goals and expendable income. I had a gelding that was probably going to drive, but he would colic at the drop of a hat. It got cold, he'd colic, it would be hot, he'd colic. I figured if he can't even handle a change in the weather, I wasn't going to try to stress him out at a show! I gave him to a nice lady that didn't have any show plans. This way, I could concentrate more on my horses that were going to be successful and competitive.
How long have you had the mare? If it is less than a year, I would consider continuing to work with her. Some horses need that long to establish trust in their handlers. If it is more than that, you might need a second opinion. Do you have a professional in your area that might be able to tell whether your mare will come around? Some never will. We had a Saddlebred that couldn't even handle being line-driven. She would bolt from the flapping lines. We gave up with her. If I knew then what I know now, I would have went back and worked on establishing who was the boss. She was always a bit pushy and self-centered. She would do what you wanted, but only under her terms. (Is it mares? Do we need to have a thread on working with mares? I would be interested in hearing others secrets in establishing heirarchy with mares...
)
My husband told me early in my current gelding's training, "That horse will never drive...". That was like nails on a chalkboard for me! And HUGE motivation. I didn't bring this horse in my barn for nothing! I don't think that he was a solid driving horse until last year, and he has been driving for four yrs. He was flaky and spooky. Heck, yesterday he even looked at the salt block I put in the paddock like it was going to eat him! But he is to the point that what Mom says, he does, because Mom says. He might still look at something funny, but a low "Quit" and he knocks it off. Granted, I have been working with "English" type horses and rode Saddle Seat since I was ten, so I am used to that style of animal. I would rather deal with a flaky animal than horses that are stoic, stubborn, argumentative, self-centered, or mean.
What are your long-term plans? Do you need another driving horse, or are these your only two horses? Do you intend on showing, or are they just for fun? Do you want to have horses for both you and your kids to drive? These questions might help you figure out what step to take next.
Myrna
