What is the ideal height for driving miniatures?

[Genile]

I have a 2 year old filly that is 30 inches at this time. I'm wondering if she is to small to drive successfully. Thoughts on this please?

 

[disneyhorse]

It really depends on the horse. Horses under about 31" at maturity may require smaller carts and/or wheels to be balanced and proportionate, and the size/weight of the driver must also be taken into consideration.

If you are asking about competitiveness in the breed show ring, that really depends on the individual's athletic ability. Generally, you do want the tallest horse in the class, not because taller horses always move better, but because they GENERALLY have a better leg-to-body ratio. Longer legs mean more stride and action for the most part (but not always, depending on angulation and conformation!)

Andrea

 

[Genile]

Thanks disneyhorse! While her breeding looks make me want to show her, I think she will be trained to pull the grandkids with a thought of breeding her later on. I don't have the patience to show anylonger. And the politics of it all just makes me scream. I love the shows, and will go to any show I can just to be near the actvity. But, think I'm not going to show this one.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I had a 28 3/4" horse that looked good in the standard ez cart and had no trouble at all pulling it with me and another medium adult, or me and a couple of small children. He was 5 years old when I got him to train, though. A full load would not be a good idea for a younger horse, imo. Here he is at a parade with a Jerald Runabout easy entry cart:

My 14 year old main driving horse is 32". He happily pulls the cart with a couple of adults, but I did offer to let a very large man drive him one time and my horse had to work a little too hard. Maybe because the weight was all in the middle, and not distributed as it is with two medium adults? (I don't offer him to very large folk anymore.)

Your 30" should have no trouble pulling a cart with an medium-sized adult and a couple of children on board when she is mature. There have been topics about how much weight a miniature horse can pull; maybe you can search the forum and find them.

A taller horse gives a smoother ride, but the smaller horses do the job very well. You will probably get lots more opinions, but that is my own experience.

 

[Genile]

I had a 28 3/4" horse that looked good in the standard ez cart and had no trouble at all pulling it with me and another medium adult, or me and a couple of small children. He was 5 years old when I got him to train, though. A full load would not be a good idea for a younger horse, imo. Here he is at a parade with a Jerald Runabout easy entry cart:

My 14 year old main driving horse is 32". He happily pulls the cart with a couple of adults, but I did offer to let a very large man drive him one time and my horse had to work a little too hard. Maybe because the weight was all in the middle, and not distributed as it is with two medium adults? (I don't offer him to very large folk anymore.)

Your 30" should have no trouble pulling a cart with an medium-sized adult and a couple of children on board when she is mature. There have been topics about how much weight a miniature horse can pull; maybe you can search the forum and find them.

A taller horse gives a smoother ride, but the smaller horses do the job very well. You will probably get lots more opinions, but that is my own experience.

 

[Genile]

Thanks Marsha! I have a feeling this little girl will be a great little cart horse for the kids. She's really laid back, willing and kind. Nothing spooks her and she is good around other horses. I forsee parades and just fun in general with her! Wish I had the money and patience to show her. I think she'd do well.

 

[hobbyhorse23]

Your 30" should have no trouble pulling a cart with an medium-sized adult and a couple of children on board when she is mature.

You're so lucky! My 33.5" horse can't pull one small adult and one child without having to work at it quite hard- the results of poor hind end conformation.

Leia

 

[Marsha Cassada]

My 32" horse is the one in the avatar. He even has to carry a little extra of his own weight plus the cart.

Leia, would you mind telling us again about Kody's history?

 

[hobbyhorse23]

Leia, would you mind telling us again about Kody's history?

Not much to tell as far as that goes. He had severe locking stifles when I got him and they continued to be an issue for many years until I finally had the surgery done. The real problem for him is that his hindquarters are too small in proportion to the rest of his body, his femur too short, and this means he can't really fold his joints tightly to create a lot of power from the rear. He tries really hard and I trained him carefully but he's just not built to stay sound and he didn't. At this time he is just returning to work almost a year and a half after a conformation-related back injury and I don't expect he'll ever be completely sound again. If he were a different horse and I had grass paddocks at my disposal he'd be retired at this point but his own work ethic won't let him quit at only 10 years old so back into light work he goes. My silly love!

Leia

 

[targetsmom]

Last year I asked the clinician at a driving clinic what was the most important thing to look for in a driving mini. His answer -not size, not movement, not even conformation, but TEMPERAMENT. So it sounds like your little guy may have what it takes!!! Conformation IS important though, as Leia pointed out. The driving mini in my avatar is about 32" and I am quite pleased with her. The judges at her last show told me they thought she was the ideal "AMHA Classic Pleasure" horse - meaning one that moves with a fairly level topline and lower headset than many driving horses. She also gives cart rides and demonstrations.

 

[RhineStone]

I think she will be trained to pull the grandkids with a thought of breeding her later on.

If she is a two year old now, I would be cautious about putting the grandkids in the cart by themselves for a few years, at least until you know she is OK with driving. (Maybe that is your plan already.) Some minis can act like they are great with being put to the cart and then just blow up when they have had too much. (The term is "stoic".) It's just like any other horse, I wouldn't put my kid on a 2-3-4 year old QH (or insert any other breed) either. They need to have some experience, both the horse and the kids. An adult and the kid, yes. Kids by themselves, no.

We have a 31" mare that our semi-experienced 8 yr. old son drives by himself, but the mare is 14 right now, and I trained and showed her a number of years ago, so she is experienced. We also know that when (not "if") she spooks, she only goes so far and decides that it is "too much work"!

I had another gelding that I thought was "laid back" and "nothing spooked him" until he ran away with me one day! Those are the ones that "scare" me the most because you never know when it is coming. I like horses that will "look" at stuff and then decide not to react, or trust the driver enough to not react.

I know, I am always the bearer of overly cautious news

, but I have seen too many wrecks in my days, and minis always seem to be pushed too fast because they are "easy". They're still horses.

Myrna

 

[RhineStone]

My 14 year old main driving horse is 32". He happily pulls the cart with a couple of adults, but I did offer to let a very large man drive him one time and my horse had to work a little too hard. Maybe because the weight was all in the middle, and not distributed as it is with two medium adults? (I don't offer him to very large folk anymore.)

My guess is this had less to do with the man being in the middle and more to do with either the sheer number of pounds or the way the man was holding the reins and affecting the horse.

Myrna