Yippee Yahoo....

[drivin*me*buggy]

Hi all,

I just came in from getting to drive BOTH my horses. This was Buck's third drive of the season. I think I finally have his harness fitted how I want it. I drove him in the 'Bike. Towards the end of our work we went around some trees which I think I will dub my marathon trees in the future.

Wish waited by the gate, once again taking to electric fence handle down, asking for attention. LOL I promised her today would be her day. I had the Frontier out for her. I fitted the harness and hitched her. She was a bit 'up' at first...I encouraged her to settle and did some walk/whoa transitions...after about 3 minutes she was like Oh yeah...I know what this is about...She was only driven lightly last year due to time constraints. She was delightful and I really enjoyed working with her. Not once did she make an attempt for grass, which can be Buck's naughty trick. She has a nice forward walk and she seemed to really enjoy figuring this partnership out. She naturally steps nicely under herself and bends much more easily than Buck. That allows me to focus a bit more on my reinsmanship instead of trying to work on us both.

Driving Buck in the Hyperbike is fun, but today with Wish more 'traditional' was a blast too...it's a different feel. They are only about a half an inch different in height but she definitely feels like your driving a bigger pony. Fun fun fun!

And so I got to add another 45 minutes to my 100 hour challenge total

Hope you all got a chance to drive today too...showers tomorrow here.

Angie

 

[hobbyhorse23]

No driving here, sadly.

Turbo got put on hold for the last couple of weeks while I worked Kody every spare dry minute (which amounted to twice) in preparation for the TREC, and now that the TREC is over Kody's on hold while I spend every non-existent spare moment body-clipping Turbo for the show next weekend.

Maybe someday I'll have time to do actual driving work??

I do plan to formally ground-drive Turbo for the first time at the show. We have no classes at all on Saturday and only Liberty on Friday so we should have plenty of downtime and I know he'd enjoy it. And there should be people there to take pictures of us!

(I'm not as misguided as it sounds, he's had all the prep work and one put-it-all-together session at home and he's used to the show atmosphere. It doesn't make him crazy or upset and will give us one more way to get him out of his stall and exercised.)

Leia

 

[shorthorsemom]

wow... Sounds like fun... I got a new cart and since then it has rained and rained and rained. 9 out of the last 10 days... rain and still raining today. ugh. I can't wait for better weather so I can have fun like you! Today it is cold and rainy and I am looking out the window at my muddy fur ball shedding bored boys and my tarp covered carts and dreaming of a nicer day.

 

[targetsmom]

I hear your excitement at being finally able to drive! I think the weather has been bad in lots of places but I KNOW it has been bad in New England. Forget waiting for "nice" weather, or no wind, we are learning to drive in much less than ideal condition. I, too, got to drive yesterday and actually got to take my winter jacket and gloves off for a shirt time! Yahoo!!!

 

[Kendra]

Yay! I got to drive yesterday too! Enough of the snow melted by yesterday afternoon that I had a space to drive - and it was sunny and nice, so Hawk didn't have to wear his driving blanket or anything. Now if I could just figure out why his harness seems so big on him ... I keep shortening things, very strange. We have a clinic/demos at the Mane Event next weekend, so I've been trying to get him worked regularly, but have been limited to long lining in the round pen because of the weather, so we were both pretty excited to get out and really drive!

 

[drivin*me*buggy]

Glad to hear that a few of my online driving friends got some driving in. Those of you who haven't been able to, I bet will soon....Gloomy and rainy here again today. It makes yesterday's driving seem like a memory already. This weather has to improve, right?

I can't wait to see pix of everyone working this year. This forum has really grown. We have a pretty sizable group of whips now

Angie

 

[susanne]

.

SIGH........

After an incredibly wet, undrivable spring, we've finally had a dry spell, includimg two gloriously warm, sunny days...

...and here I am, unable to drive due to my broken arm...

However -- our corral/"arena" has finally dried out, so we can at least longe and who knows...maybe even practice some modified one-handed driving.

Another note on the bright side: Keith has learned to harness, so the only thing keeping us from the trails is a forecast of more rain.

 

[bannerminis]

My driving training is on hold as Sunny had some muscle issues in his right butt cheek (which also affected other parts of him). I had a lady work on him (equine touch) and he is already improving but I will be taking him slowly and get him to full fitness before putting the cart on.

Its so frustrating as he was supposed to have his first show today week and I thought we would have been further ahead in our training. I still havent put the shafts on the cart yet as I know I dont need it right now

.

 

[Kendra]

I really feel for you both Susanne and Karina! It's terrible when injuries (human or equine) aren't accommodating enough to occur outside of driving season!

 

[drivin*me*buggy]

Aww Susanne, that broken arm thing is the pits....can your hubby drive and you ride along at least?

Karina...I hope your guy feels better soon...I can't wait to see him hitched to that classy cart you got.

Leia...How was the TREC? Any pix?

I almost drove today...it was my last vacation day and I had a bunch of chores to get done though...plus it kept sprinkling on and off. I did lunge both ponies over caveletti though.

Angie

 

[dreamlandnh]

We were able to hook both Roger and Missy yesterday and drive together in the ring. My mother was over and she too took a turn at driving Missy (Missy is hers

) Than it started back up to spitting rain when we were done.

 

[Mominis]

No driving here, sadly.

Turbo got put on hold for the last couple of weeks while I worked Kody every spare dry minute (which amounted to twice) in preparation for the TREC, and now that the TREC is over Kody's on hold while I spend every non-existent spare moment body-clipping Turbo for the show next weekend.

Maybe someday I'll have time to do actual driving work??

I do plan to formally ground-drive Turbo for the first time at the show. We have no classes at all on Saturday and only Liberty on Friday so we should have plenty of downtime and I know he'd enjoy it. And there should be people there to take pictures of us!

(I'm not as misguided as it sounds, he's had all the prep work and one put-it-all-together session at home and he's used to the show atmosphere. It doesn't make him crazy or upset and will give us one more way to get him out of his stall and exercised.)

Leia

You are a brave soul, Leia. I'm really excited to hear how this goes for you!

 

[hobbyhorse23]

Leia...How was the TREC? Any pix?

I do need to write that up. I was so excited to then everything went crazy as soon as I got home and now I've almost forgotten what we did.

It was a lot for Kody and he was terribly sore when we got home, like back to limping again for a few days, but typical Kody...he was so excited to be there he won the whole darn thing.

2nd place in the "Tenderfoot" division (they had a slower speed and shorter course so the organizer let me enter him there although we'd normally have been in the experienced "Adventurer" level) against all sizes of horse and we tied for high point in the Skills Section against everyone of both levels with 94/100 possible points. That little guy just never quits!!

(For those who are wondering, he's better now but it required the help of his bodyworker and Reiki person to get him loosened up again. Poor guy!)

I have a few pictures but as I went by myself and all my friends were out driving at the same time they're just tied-to-the-trailer shots and I think one standing shot I had someone's husband take on my camera. Hopefully I'll get a few more at the March CDE Schooling Weekend as my parents are threatening to come with the RV since I'm bringing both horses.

You are a brave soul, Leia. I'm really excited to hear how this goes for you!

Goodness, I didn't think it was that bad! I never ask him to learn something at a show that he's going to need at the same event.

We learned lunging at a halter clinic last year, he'll get some ground-driving practice at his halter shows this year, then next year he'll actually drive at the shows after he's been doing it at home and on trails for 6 months.

Shows for us are a time to relax and bond together once all that @#&$% clipping is done. It's the one time I'm with them 24 hours a day for a whole weekend and they love it! Teeka and I made lots of progress at the shows last year, that's one of the reasons he loves going. He already loves to range out ahead of me when we're going new places, all I'm going to do is attach a second leadline to his other side and encourage him to learn to make turns off the pressure on his halter or bridle. He knows about giving to pressure and all his voice commands and whip responses, I honestly don't think it's going to take him more than a few minutes to get it. At least at a show I'll have help- at home I'm all on my own until Mom's broken foot finally heals.

Leia

 

[Mominis]

I think it's awesome that you are going for it like that, Leia! I wish you all the best! Hope your mom heals soon!