Your Drive Day

[Cayuse]

I'd do what Marsha said, just go ahead and drive him with an over check and let him self correct. Maybe ground drive him with it a couple of times before you hitch him so you both can get a feel of it.
I can't drive one of mine without a check. Other people can, but they really have to be on him all the time to work and be on the bit and I'd just rather enjoy the ride.

 

[Willow Flats]

I have a friend that rides but also has a small pony that has just been standing around and she is considering getting him trained to drive. She came over today to find out more about driving since she has never tried it and she loved it! Hoping she goes for it.

 

[Willow Flats]

It has been raining for the last two days here so Rocko had been standing around and was very fresh today as we set out to drive. I got a little buck and some breaking gait going from trot to canter. He was feeling good and wanted to play instead of work so I did keep the standing and backing to a minimum today and we had a lot of fun!

 

[Margo_C-T]

I would highly recommend a side check rather than an overcheck to help prevent 'diving' for grass. It is a kinder method of checking. It's all I ever used( and that only because a check is 'required' in the miniature horse driving ring--and I also in my years of training and showing my own horse, had PLENTY of wins/high placings, including at the World AMHA show, as evidenced by the bunches of ribbons in my house and barn....

 

[Willow Flats]

I try to keep a steady speed so she is trotting briskly. The first time I sat in the back while my husband drove so I could monitor how they did. but they know the drill now. Also, he got me a rear view mirror for the cart and I can adjust it to keep an eye on them. If they look as though they are moving up beside, I speed up because obviously the speed is too slow for their pace.
Yesterday, a noisy vehicle came up behind and I could see she was agitated. I did stop the cart until the vehicle went by. If DD had been with us she wouldn't have noticed, but she was in a miff because she was out alone.
They are used to being ponied behind the cart when I go driving, so they figure it out.

Marsha,
Thanks for the advice! I sat in the back of my golf cart and had my friend drive while I ponied Rocko and it worked out really well for our first time. I just used the lead rope to teach him where to be, so I was able to keep him from going around to the side of the cart. Was handy to get him to work on his more forward walk too!

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Drove Dapper Dan and ponied Midnight. She wore the crocheted hat I made for her. It was pretty chilly for me but perfect temperature for them.

 

[Cayuse]

Oh Boy, do they look good Marsha! The hat is a perfect fit, I can never find Santa hats small enough, I should learn how to crochet.

We had Cappy out three times this week earning his living. We had snow so he is toting manure tubs to the pile. We had a blast driving him and it was nice to get out and enjoy him. He had fun, too. I fell out of the sled and so didn't Dan but the snow was deep so no harm.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

That is a lot of snow!! What fun!
I bought a plastic saucer and planned to run some clothes line through holes in it to attach to Dapper Dan's traces. I never remember to buy the line until it snows! The snow only lasts a day, so I keep missing my opportunity.

 

[Cayuse]

We got about 14 inches, Dan snow-blowed a path so Cappy could have easy going and not bog down. I bet Dapper Dan would think it was great fun to go sledding!

 

[Willow Flats]

Marsha, the scarf on Midnight is awesome!
Cayuse, looks like a winter wonderland!
How much fun you all are having!

 

[Willow Flats]

BTW my husband drove Annie today and she was fine. No lameness.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

BTW my husband drove Annie today and she was fine. No lameness.

Makes you wonder even more what was going on. Maybe she was having "female trouble"?

 

[charlottein]

Wow looks like a lot of fun happening here this lately! Managed to take Chaos out in the good weather today since the ice melted, before it gets cold tomorrow. He had the worst slip he has had on the dang road while he was getting spooky about a Great Dane barking at him and a neighbor throwing big trash bags over his fence. He recovered right away and is fine, but man I hope his Cavallo boots arrive soon so we can do more. As it is I am having my husband come along next to him and just doing very short drives to keep him in practice/exercise.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Drove Midnight this afternoon. It was getting rather late and cool so I had her trot almost all the 2 miles. She is so smooth the sulky just floats along. The only thing I feel is the bumps in the road. The faster she trots the smoother it gets. I am getting so comfortable with her, I didn't even feel my toes curl once.

 

[MajorClementine]

Loving all the winter fun!!! I'm down south and it is supposed to rain tomorrow but after that I'm getting some driving in! I've decided to focus back on Clementine.

Anyone want a few extra driving horses? I still need to find homes for 2-3.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I spent some time looking back through the pages of Drive Day. Wow, we have all had adventures and some of us have come a long way through the years. I do miss the driving folks who used to post and seem to have disappeared.

 

[Willow Flats]

We had Rocko's lesson today. Worked on maintaining impulsion at the walk and trot. Then we worked on pivoting. After the pivoting we backed through the curved cones and he did really well because if we got too close to the cones, I just asked him to step over and a little pivot just straightened us out. ☺

I'm really grateful to have found this trainer. Normally they want you to leave your horse with them for training which I did with Annie, but this way I am driving my horse for all his training and not only is he learning, but I am learning a lot too so we are developing trust and teamwork now, not when he gets done at the trainers. It is a lot more work on my part because we practice between lessons and if I was working outside our home I wouldn't be able to do it. I only do the books for my husband's business. If all goes well I should have a pretty solid driving horse by this time next year!

 

[Willow Flats]

It was such a beautiful day today after all this rain we have had! I got out Rocko's harness and cart and then put him in the round pen to do a little jog at liberty for a warm up and he was lame! Had I walked him out to hitch I wouldn't have noticed as he was fine at the walk.

I have two paddocks that are separated by a gate and Annie is kept on one side and the two geldings on the other because she bullies everyone and eats their food. Last night I could hear Annie squealing so went out to see what was going on. It was dark, but when I got there I could see I had accidently left the connecting gate open. I guess she must have been kicking the snot out of poor Rocko! I am thinking maybe he is just badly bruised and hoping it is nothing worse. I did a little ground work with him yesterday and jogged with him on the lead and he was fine so something happened.

So since I couldn't drive him today I thought about driving her, but I was just so irritated by her I thought I better not transfer my anger. She bullies even when food is not involved too. I've done some timing, and she can eat 2 lbs of hay in 1 hour out of a nibble net. They are still eating theirs 3 hours later. The lady that gave her to me had let her founder before and said she had had her on a diet and she was big when I got her, but the woman kept her with full size horses so she may have had to eat her food in a hurry and developed this habit. I don't know. She is definitely not starving and gets fed 3 x a day and turn out too. She cruises around and pins her ears at the other horses and I don't let everyone together unless I am home but am thinking I might not let her mix with them anymore except through the rails or in the pasture when she is too busy eating to bother.

It is supposed to rain for the next two days so who knows when I can drive again. Annie is fun to drive and seems to like it, but the bully factor makes her a little hard to love sometimes. I can't say I really like her personality.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

We haven't been out in a month, so I didn't know what to expect. But Midnight did great. We went almost 2.5 miles. We walked a lot, but her gait is so fast that we covered a lot of ground in a short time. I didn't have the cones set up, as this was just a quick outing. Weather was gorgeous.
Didn't you say that your husband enjoys driving Annie, Willow Flats? I wonder what makes some of them so bossy and ornery? Dapper Dan is bossy, but Midnight is docile so they do not get into it. The last 3 horses I've tried were also strong-willed and I broke up several squealing/kicking encounters.

 

[Willow Flats]

Yes my husband drives Annie on the weekends and my little buddy has been driving her once a week while I drive Rocko. She likes Rocko more but I'm not letting anyone drive him until he has more training and miles.

My other gelding will fight back and its not pretty when that happens. Rocko is docile like midnight.