Wheee! Driving hours 2023

[HersheyMint]

Phillippe and Jasmine were out for a half hour today.

There was a big storm last night, although you wouldn't know it to have looked outside this morning.
Jasmine was out for a site visit yesterday at long-term care and that was awesome. After we got home, the weather turned and there was rain and then ice. I thought we were going to have to cancel today's adventures altogether but, this morning, we looked outside and there was frost, but the road, deck and vehicles showed no sign of the freezing rain last night. So I went and picked up the littles and brought them to town. The roads all looked good while I was driving. It took way longer to get them harnessed and ready to go then I'd expected, but that's fine. The sun was shining; Ali put a Christmas playlist together and turned on her speaker. Mom jumped in with Ali and Jasmine and we went down the road. Once we got off the gravel of our neighbourhood and turned onto the main paved road, we found that there was a very thin layer of ice all over the paved surface and it was not safe for the littles to drive down it. So we turned around and did a couple laps around our block before admitting defeat.
Some of our neighbours were out and did get to see our shenanigans and enjoyed it thoroughly!

So unfortunately, a lot of planning and preparation for not much fun. However, our littles did really well! Jasmine was game despite the second passenger and Phillippe was just as brave as his little donkey self could be.
View attachment 50955

What a wonderful site to see, two littles pulling a cart, all decorated. I love it.

 

[Standards Equine]

45 minutes for Billy yesterday.
He was a handful at first. We had to ground drive a little. Once we got going he was good, but I let him do a pretty fast trot at first so he could unwind a little. Then we practiced transitions, and Stand . Some cars passed us and he was fine with them. My dog leaping out of the tall dry grass behind him was rather scary, but Billy is getting used to that now and does not react as strongly. He keeps me on the alert and focused! Keeping the correct tension on the bit makes me pay attention. He is an "only" and I've decided he is just spoiled.
We went about 2.3 miles. (My odometer on the sulky needed a new battery.)

A good driving friend of mine has a little who is the same. Especially if he hasn't been driven in a while, the first steps (and several subsequent ones) will be big and fast. If you're not prepared and aren't a confident driver, you might feel a run away, but I drove him and didn't feel that I couldn't direct the energy in a safe manner. It's interesting that some of them just seem to need to power out for a little bit right off the hop but then settle into a nice drive. Glad you guys had a good time, even if it wasn't very relaxing.

 

[MajorClementine]

I'm here I swear! We just passed our final inspection and can finally move into the new house (in the dead of winter). I will update hours and have totals for everyone for the end of the year! You are all so inspiring and I've loved hearing about your adventures. Merry Christmas my driving family!

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I'm here I swear! We just passed our final inspection and can finally move into the new house (in the dead of winter). I will update hours and have totals for everyone for the end of the year! You are all so inspiring and I've loved hearing about your adventures. Merry Christmas my driving family!

How exciting! Just in time for Christmas.

 

[HersheyMint]

I'm here I swear! We just passed our final inspection and can finally move into the new house (in the dead of winter). I will update hours and have totals for everyone for the end of the year! You are all so inspiring and I've loved hearing about your adventures. Merry Christmas my driving family!

Yay. I'm very happyfor you. Merry Christmas

 

[Standards Equine]

Congratulations @MajorClementine!! That's a beautiful gift, your home!!! Thank you for all the time you take to track this. It's been so much fun for me to look back at what all we've accomplished and experienced this last year. It's been a huge growth for me. I've been invited to go for a boxing day drive with a friend and I'm sure I'll get a few more driving hours in before the end of the year on my days off. I just took Ali to the airport to spend Christmas with her dad and their family. Peace for me! And Christmas blessings to you, and to all, a wonderful 2024!

 

[Standards Equine]

December 23, Phillippe 1 hour
December 24, Phillippe 30 minutes with my mom, Jasmine 30 minutes with me
December 26, Phillippe 90 minutes!

El Nino is so odd. Despite the concerning lack of snow on the ground, the weather has been absolutely spectacular! I got to spend loads of time driving. Unfortunately, the days are very short, less than 8 hours of daylight currently, but I made the most of it. Ali's away in Ontario with her dad and family for the rest of the week so I've had a lot more time just to myself. Phillippe and I had a good tour all by ourselves on the 23rd, although he was not interested in being caught. That looks like him just walking away from me, not meeting me at the gate when I come in. I guess driving around the neighborhood really insulted him the previous week when we decked out his and Jazzy's carts... Oh well.
Christmas eve I asked my mom if she wanted to come drive with me. She questioned which animal she would drive as her hands are not strong and Jasmine is very forward and pulls. So I drove the pony and she took my trusty donk - and she was thrilled with how good he was, responding to voice commands and light rein pressure. Made me very proud!

Christmas we didn't do anything outside of family stuff but I got an invite to a friend in the area to come out for a boxing-day drive with her and another member of our club. Phillippe needs the exercise the most so he packed into the trailer and away we went! My friend drove her young halflinger and our other friend borrowed her mini gelding and away we went! Halflinger is a bigger boy and naturally has a good pace. The mini is a worker! Goodness, he's got a job to do and places to go! Even more so than Jazzy! But Phillippe put on his very best brave pants and kept up! We went down the road, along a hay field and then through a path to another barley field with big hills! It was fantastic for him to work and he seemed very merry to do it. It was a great day!
I hope everyone had a merry Christmas, if you celebrate, or whatever the event is for you and your family. We really didn't celebrate it. My mom's family is Ukranian heritage and, since we didn't have kids, we've decided to have Christmas in two weeks for Ukranian Christmas.

 

[HersheyMint]

Sounds so nice to get out and drive. That Halflinger is a big boy but he has nothing on Phillippe!

 

[Standards Equine]

Sounds so nice to get out and drive. That Halflinger is a big boy but he has nothing on Phillippe!

He's a lovely boy too! My friend breeds Haffies up here. I think one would be my retirement animal. Be able to ride and drive the pony. And they're quite sporty little horses too. That one is fairly tall, well above 15 hh. And yes, Phillippe is dwarfed at his whopping 35.5" lol!

 

[Standards Equine]

Last night Jasmine and Phillippe both went out for 30 minutes of driving.

I've had the pleasure of meeting a lovely family from the area. The daughter, who is just a lovely young lady of 12, I believe, is unable to ride for a while because of a growth-plate issue. Currently, she has a mini she is working on training to drive. My daughter Ali was the same age when she got Jasmine and started training her. This young lady already has her mini ground driving without any formal instruction on how to do it! Her mom reached out looking for a starter harness. Well, since we've upgraded Jasmine's to that nice teal set, I had the nylon one ready to let go. So I made them a deal and invited the family out to learn how to put it on an animal and have a quick driving lesson. Since the days are so darn short, we did as much as we could as fast as we could! I pulled both the animals out, quickly harnessed up Phillippe and put him to his bike, and then went over the nylon harness on Jasmine while mom took loads of pictures and videos - clever idea! I had them sit in different vehicles so they could get a feel of the "mini easy entry" carts and why they're not ideal. I sent dad and kiddo out with Jasmine and the mom took the lines on Phillippe. She told me she wasn't a rider but I wasn't concerned. Phillippe isn't going to put anyone in a dangerous situation. Truly he was a good boy and everyone got a taste of driving all of the animals. Even the dad finished the ride out with Phillippe! Kiddo took the opportunity to canter each of the animals on the flat driveway and there was a huge grin on her face at the end. Ah, that was just great! The family was very appreciative and the harness has a new home with a kiddo and a pony motivated to get driving. I anticipate they'll be joining our driving club in the new year as well.
I just love sharing my animals with new people. It's a great feeling introducing new people to sports and activities that I just adore.

 

[HersheyMint]

Last night Jasmine and Phillippe both went out for 30 minutes of driving.

I've had the pleasure of meeting a lovely family from the area. The daughter, who is just a lovely young lady of 12, I believe, is unable to ride for a while because of a growth-plate issue. Currently, she has a mini she is working on training to drive. My daughter Ali was the same age when she got Jasmine and started training her. This young lady already has her mini ground driving without any formal instruction on how to do it! Her mom reached out looking for a starter harness. Well, since we've upgraded Jasmine's to that nice teal set, I had the nylon one ready to let go. So I made them a deal and invited the family out to learn how to put it on an animal and have a quick driving lesson. Since the days are so darn short, we did as much as we could as fast as we could! I pulled both the animals out, quickly harnessed up Phillippe and put him to his bike, and then went over the nylon harness on Jasmine while mom took loads of pictures and videos - clever idea! I had them sit in different vehicles so they could get a feel of the "mini easy entry" carts and why they're not ideal. I sent dad and kiddo out with Jasmine and the mom took the lines on Phillippe. She told me she wasn't a rider but I wasn't concerned. Phillippe isn't going to put anyone in a dangerous situation. Truly he was a good boy and everyone got a taste of driving all of the animals. Even the dad finished the ride out with Phillippe! Kiddo took the opportunity to canter each of the animals on the flat driveway and there was a huge grin on her face at the end. Ah, that was just great! The family was very appreciative and the harness has a new home with a kiddo and a pony motivated to get driving. I anticipate they'll be joining our driving club in the new year as well.
I just love sharing my animals with new people. It's a great feeling introducing new people to sports and activities that I just adore.

What a wonderful experience for your new friends. I can still see you smiling

 

[Marsha Cassada]

loved reading your driving journal!

 

[Cayuse]

Since it's almost New Years I thought I should let everyone know that I have ordered the ribbons for the top 10 participants in the activities (walking/driving) threads. They won't be here until mid Jan or so as they are coming from Wales and the woman who makes them says the postal system over there gets dicey until after New Years. I'll keep everyone posted and let you all know when they arrive .
Hope you all have a Happy New Year !

 

[MartysMom]

He's a lovely boy too! My friend breeds Haffies up here. I think one would be my retirement animal. Be able to ride and drive the pony. And they're quite sporty little horses too. That one is fairly tall, well above 15 hh. And yes, Phillippe is dwarfed at his whopping 35.5" lol!

I learned to ride as a kid at a farm that bred Haflingers. I just love them. The older I get the less interested I am in riding tall horses, and the ones we rode as kids were quite fun to ride - used to jump them all around the hunt field there.

 

[Standards Equine]

Since it's almost New Years I thought I should let everyone know that I have ordered the ribbons for the top 10 participants in the activities (walking/driving) threads. They won't be here until mid Jan or so as they are coming from Wales and the woman who makes them says the postal system over there gets dicey until after New Years. I'll keep everyone posted and let you all know when they arrive .
Hope you all have a Happy New Year !

Should I be fortunate enough to qualify, would you kindly let me know the cost of shipping, etc involved? I'd be glad to pay for it. The fact that you tally all the hours is amazing! Thank you again for all you do!

 

[whitney]

OMG! This was me and Stormy‘s first time sledding and I couldn’t stop squealing like a 10 year old school girl!




I did finally figure out I could sit all the way back in my sled for a much more comfy drive.
View attachment 49242
I didn’t get Stormy use to the sled or anything. I just jumped right in and away we went! He handled it like a champ

Loved your video! I'm going to buy a sled like yours and was hoping you could tell me how wide and long it is?

 

[Kelly]

I got it from Amazon:​

Shappell JSR Jet Sled Jr Upsable, 21 x 43 x 8-Inch​

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002RWBPRQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


hopefully the link will work!

 

[Standards Equine]

December 31, I finished my year with an hour driving Phillippe and half hour driving Jasmine.
What an awesome way to send out the new year! Happy New year to all!

 

[whitney]

I got it from Amazon:​

Shappell JSR Jet Sled Jr Upsable, 21 x 43 x 8-Inch​

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002RWBPRQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


hopefully the link will work!

Thank you for the info!

 

[MajorClementine]

All finished up for the year. We had less drivers participating so less total hours BUT I think our driving community has become really close this year. It's been so fun to follow everyone's experiences and growth this year. My goal in 2024 is to drive all of my horses at least 5 hours each. I know that is a tiny goal to those of you who drive regularly but it'll be the most hours I've had for years and years. Here's to a great 2024!
Thank you to everyone who keeps participating with us year after year. And to you new drivers who have made our group even better.