Weight matter?

[Carriage]

Boys, we just have to get out there and continue to prove that Miniatures ARE capable by beating the "door keepers" at their own game. Be better than they expect us to be in every facet. Education really makes a difference! Even a full size horse can be overfaced by an uneducated horseman but, until we are seen and accepted as horsemen at all, we tend to take a lot of scrutiny - let's be sure we stand up to it.

Well said Milo. With events in CDE both approaching and exceeding 40% in the west, it does become imperative that we ARE, both individually and collectively, better. On the whole I do see this being achieved. Again encouragement to greater and greater engagement with the horse and and training in general will disarm the naysayers and leave them mumbling to themselves as there will be fewer and fewer folk to mumble to. Success is already ours IF we pursue greatness through optimum training and we are "All in".

Train early, train always and train IN all ways.

Thank You Milo,

Bb

 

[RhineStone]

I usually bring my cart to the middle of our alley way in the barn and I ground drive my horse to the cart, back him in to the shafts, hook him up, then ground drive him out. I dont walk behind the cart but off to the side about where I would be getting in. Then I get in the cart once we are outside. I was another, as someone else mentioned, that was always told not to ride a horse in the barn so I have always just brought him outside first. Is this inappropriate? If I do ever get out of the cart for a reason (I take my gelding to ALOT of events and like to give him a rest) I always stand to the side never at his head.

We don't back our horse to the shafts. There is too great a possibility that the horse will step on and break the shafts. We pull the cart up to the horse, lifting the shafts up over their back before dropping them down before going through the tugs. If you bring the shafts up to the horses body level, you risk poking them in the butt if they happen to move. This is standard putting to procedure in the carriage industry.

 

It really doesn't matter where you put your horse to, but once it is put to the cart you need to be in the cart with reins in hand. Never lead or head your horse once it is put to (i.e. get in the cart as soon as possible after putting to). You can put your horse to the cart in the barn in a wide aisle, in the indoor arena, or outside.

 

The more green the horse, the larger the space should be.

(I walked away from the computer, thought about this some more, and decided I better clarify the above line. The space you put a green horse to a cart in should be enclosed, but not so tight that the horse has to push the cart around hard to turn it around or can't turn around at all. No 20 acre fields or 8 ft. aisles. We put our horses to the cart in our 60' x 80' indoor arena. It is like a glorified round pen. Then the horse can make a big circle to reverse. They don't feel "trapped". It is also the space we do the majority of our early training in.)

 

I think the reason for the "don't ride your horse in the barn" rule was that many barns tend to be too short to ride in. This isn't a problem with mini carts. We don't put our big horse to the cart in the aisle either. The space isn't big enough.

 

If your cart is well-balanced, you don't need to get out of the cart to give your horse a rest. There really shouldn't be a lot of weight in the tugs. You can adjust most cart's weight by just leaning forward and back. Stay in the cart unless you are putting to or taking your horse out of the cart, or adjusting something. That is pretty much the only acceptable time to be on the ground instead of on the box seat.

 

Good Questions!!

 

Myrna

 

 

[RhineStone]

So I'm wanting to build my Ally way in my barn big enough to drive the mini cart in and out of.. our walkways were only going to be 10 feet, is that going to be big enough? my husband will murder me if I change the barn plans yet again

That is large enough for a mini, but not a big horse. And like I said above, I would put a green horse to in a larger space.

 

Myrna

 

[RhineStone]

Boys, we just have to get out there and continue to prove that Miniatures ARE capable by beating the "door keepers" at their own game. Be better than they expect us to be in every facet. Education really makes a difference! Even a full size horse can be overfaced by an uneducated horseman but, until we are seen and accepted as horsemen at all, we tend to take a lot of scrutiny - let's be sure we stand up to it.

Well said Milo. With events in CDE both approaching and exceeding 40% in the west, it does become imperative that we ARE, both individually and collectively, better. On the whole I do see this being achieved. Again encouragement to greater and greater engagement with the horse and and training in general will disarm the naysayers and leave them mumbling to themselves as there will be fewer and fewer folk to mumble to. Success is already ours IF we pursue greatness through optimum training and we are "All in".

Train early, train always and train IN all ways.

Thank You Milo,

Bb

Lori and Bob are spot on!

:yeah

 

 

[hobbyhorse23]

Boys, we just have to get out there and continue to prove that Miniatures ARE capable by beating the "door keepers" at their own game. Be better than they expect us to be in every facet. Education really makes a difference! Even a full size horse can be overfaced by an uneducated horseman but, until we are seen and accepted as horsemen at all, we tend to take a lot of scrutiny - let's be sure we stand up to it.

Every day, every way.

Leia

 

[tifflunn]

Great thread- I learned a lot, and need to make some changes- Thank You for all the information

Tiffany