Your Drive Day

[Edelweiss]

Just so we are all on the same page! It's not "rocket science" as they say.

https://www.amha.org/how-to-measure

Oh you'd be surprised!! Lol There are so many factors from clipping to head height to leg placement.

 

[Kelly]

Yeah and depending on the trainer they can get a horse shorter or taller so that the horse can be entered into the class they want

 

[Dragon Hill]

I always thought it was a bit ridiculous the way they measure miniature horses. But if you read the history behind it, it was a compromise, and a good one. One group wanted them measured at the whithers, the other group wanted to measure at the lowest point of the back. So I'm happy our minis aren't all sway backed.

 

[Edelweiss]

Yeah and depending on the trainer they can get a horse shorter or taller so that the horse can be entered into the class they want

You got that right! Mostly shorter! I think you could say they have it down to a science because I don't even know all that they do. Or want to lol.

I always thought it was a bit ridiculous the way they measure miniature horses. But if you read the history behind it, it was a compromise, and a good one. One group wanted them measured at the whithers, the other group wanted to measure at the lowest point of the back. So I'm happy our minis aren't all sway backed.

Oh wow! I can't even imagine lowest point of the back! Yes! I'll take last hair of the mane! It is a bit ridiculous at first look. It's been around for awhile now and I think it's become the accepted standard. They just look for ways to make it more accurate. I have some horses whose withers would add a good 2-3", so Idk.

 

[Willow Flats]

Just one of the many reason a lot of full size horse people think we are ridiculous.

The man down the street that drives percherons laughed in my face when I showed him a harness. He thought they looked like Barbie clothes.

Kelly if you want Breezy to measure taller, better do it before he gets his feet trimmed.

 

[Abby P]

Yeah, but we don't need seven people to help us hitch up our tiny horses.

 

[Cayuse]

Speaking of 7 people to hitch. The Budweiser Clydesdales are going to be in my town next Sat. They are staging about 1/4 mile from my house and are going to drive right by. I'm going to try and sneak up there and watch them hitch if I can.

 

[Cayuse]

Ground drove peanut 1.5 hours this week. Cappy 45 minutes. Set up a dressage arena and practiced tests.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Billy's bit arrived today so I'm hoping to begin ground driving him tomorrow. I ordered a butterfly arch from Iowa Carriage. I really liked it for Midnight, so I'm hoping Billy likes it also. Have to get an early start, with this hot weather! Trimmer coming next week, then I will be able to order him some boots. I might get ambitious and set up some cones.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I was told Billy had been a driving horse. He acted as though he had never had a bit in his mouth before, champing and slobbering. Thank goodness I didn't try to just hitch up and go! We spent the first 10 minutes of him turning sideways and backwards. He did seem to know "whoa" and once he settled down, he did seem to understand rein pressure. He was going pretty well at the end of 20 minutes so we quit. I thought he was a big puppy dog, but there may be some Jack Russel in there...

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Today went much better. He was more comfortable with a bit and was aware of his job. There are a lot of large boulders in the pasture area, which are great for maneuvering, rather like cones. Yesterday he resisted, but today he did much better. Yay!

 

[Abby P]

Drove today in the ring for about 20 minutes. We walked, we trotted, we breathed, we walked and trotted some more and did a bunch of changes of direction, breathed some more, and unhitched. So, hopefully the trajectory is an upward one now!

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Ground drove peanut 1.5 hours this week. Cappy 45 minutes. Set up a dressage arena and practiced tests.

That is ambitious!

 

[Cayuse]

That is ambitious!

It's been fun. Been doing the "intro" tests. Last month we entered a dressage class in an online show and I'm going to try it again this month. It gives me a goal. I need goals sometimes to stay motivated and keep me moving.

 

[Cayuse]

Drove today in the ring for about 20 minutes. We walked, we trotted, we breathed, we walked and trotted some more and did a bunch of changes of direction, breathed some more, and unhitched. So, hopefully the trajectory is an upward one now!

It's amazing how much breathing helps to ground us!

 

[MajorClementine]

@Cayuse dressage intimidates me. I have no sense of the difference in gaits. Walk vs. extended walk, working trot vs. trot

Perry did awesome today. He was just trained last summer and over the winter was only ground driven about once a week and driven just a few times. I haven't worked with him at all since the move. So basically I've let him go totally native out on pasture since April.

I put his harness on and he put his head down and got to work at a calm easy walk. Through the neighborhood, over a long bridge we've never been over before (he's never been on a bridge), over manhole covers. You'd think he was an old pro. Hitching the cart next week.

 

[Cayuse]

@Cayuse dressage intimidates me. I have no sense of the difference in gaits. Walk vs. extended walk, working trot vs. trot

Perry did awesome today. He was just trained last summer and over the winter was only ground driven about once a week and driven just a few times. I haven't worked with him at all since the move. So basically I've let him go totally native out on pasture since April.

I put his harness on and he put his head down and got to work at a calm easy walk. Through the neighborhood, over a long bridge we've never been over before (he's never been on a bridge), over manhole covers. You'd think he was an old pro. Hitching the cart next week.

The difference in gaits gets me too. The first test I did this summer I though we were marching along at a nice active "medium" walk. Not so much, lol. On the video we're just poking along at a slow shuffle .
It's so hard for me to believe Perry is all grown up!

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Ground drove Billykins after our walk. He is doing much better. Working on Stand and Whoa. Here is part of the area where we are ground driving in our pasture. Boulders for maneuvering work pretty well.

 

[Kelly]

Ok, I can explain the whole gait thingy

First there is walk slow, otherwise known as the “slo mo“ walk. Stormy is an EXPERT at the ”slo mo“ walk! No, slower than what you are thinking. Think about your horse dragging behind you and you pulling it along….think think slower….slow shuffle … barely moving

Then there is walk. Think about your horse walking next to you, WOW now that really would be a dream! We are still working on this, all I can get from Stormy is a slo mo walk!

Then walk fast. Walk faster, no, faster! Gosh dang it, what ever you do DONT trot! … STOP trotting!! Uggggg ok, this example is NOT Stormy as he barely knows how to walk. If horses could crawl then Stormy would NEVER have to walk

Ahhh, trot. Ok, this is where Stormy doesn’t know what to do. He has the “slo mo“ thing going on.… and add on top of that his blondness
Me: “Trot Stormy.”
Stormy: “What? You talking to me?”
Me: “Stormy! TROT!”
Stormy: “What does that even mean?”
Me: “STORMY!!! TROT!!!”
Stormy: “does that mean go faster?”
Me: uggg, eye roll
Stormy: “Ahhhh, the eye roll means go faster. I can do that. Watch me trot!… Annndddd I’m done.”

So we haven’t even gotten to the working trot or extended trot. As you can see we are working on how to crawl… I mean walk

 

[MajorClementine]

@Kelly based on your description we are totally doing all of the gaits correctly!!