ran away with everybody

[jeanniecogan]

I bought a mini horse that was already trained to drive. but hadn;t been driven in almost a year. also he is 6 years old. i have had him (Rosco) for about 6 months now. everyone tried to drive him. he bolted with them all. except my son Matt (43 yrs old) really laid back and the only thing he had a problem with was NO whoa. just a little problem (hehe).

All this time i was working with him at home, mostly in the barn . i brushed and harnessed and led him doing whoa and walk. trying to gain his trust. i took him camping a couple weeks ago and had the young girl (17) drive him first. she said he bolted, but stopped ok.

So being really brave, I am 72. i got in the cart and while i was waiting for my friend to get in her cart, Rosco turned his head around and looked at me. really looked. i could almost feel him relax. we drove away and he was "awesome" for the whole drive. drove him 3 days in a row, and one day twice. what a guy. I think he loves me and trusts me. what i am getting at is how important ground work is. im so glad i kept on trying.

these are the people who trained him in the first place

 

[horsefeather]

I'm so glad you are now enjoying driving. I agree, groundwork means everything!!

Pam

 

[Marsha Cassada]

So glad he is working out for you!

 

[diamond c]

Sounds like you have really gained his trust. Also hi is a very good looking fellow. I'm sorry that I havn't been able to catch up with you and ride, mabe next spring.

 

[hylights]

Good for you! Yes groundwork is important, so is trust and communication.

 

[Max's Mom]

It is great that he trusts you and you feel confident together! I'm a worrier, and reading this raised some concerns in my mind, ones that I share not to be a "downer" but just as a word of caution.

I would be concerned that he bolts and doesn't have a solid whoa when everyone else drives him, because this seems to me to be an indication that he is not yet a safe driving horse and may need more work before being safe. Yes, he trusts you, and you have a great relationship, which certainly showed when you drove him safely! But the fact that (apparently in the same time period of you driving him) he was not safe with others shows that he still needs more work. A bolting horse is a very dangerous situation, as is one that will not respond to whoa. If he drives safely some of the time but not at other times, he could bolt with you and you could find a time when you have to stop but he won't.

Just my two cents. Good luck! It sounds like you have worked to develop a trusting relationship with your horse, I just think you might need more training before putting it to the test.

 

[lucky seven]

Sounds like you are bonding and he trusts you.

 

[jeanniecogan]

To Max's Mom, i agree with you 100%. and do not take his behavior with me lightly. i feel good that he trusts me. i neglected to say that i had a couple horse people with me and also another driving mini that my friend was driving with me. but more work is on the horizon.

Diamond C , hope to meet you in the spring. i may have a team by then.

thanks to the rest of you for your kind comments.