Your Drive Day

[Cayuse]

Yes, three is a lot more work. I will admit to that! My chores were so much easier with just two, but I was not able to take Peanut anywhere because the Welsh pony would go nuts. So we ended up with Cappy. The hard part is none of them will turn out with each other! Its a long story, but they all were gelded very late and they all want to be the boss. It got pretty ugly ? once or twice so now they all get turned out alone and it's a nuisance. I cannot let them settle it themselves, someone would get hurt.

 

[MajorClementine]

Dang! It seemed like he was starting to come around for you for a bit. Such a frustrating day for you both. Hopefully you can find him someone who he will mesh better with. And after you've found him a place you'll just have to spend more time with DD so he's not lonely. Sounds like a win for both of you

 

[paintponylvr]

O, NO, Marsha! I'm so sorry. Since I had been out of the reading of this topic for a while, I was originally caught by surprise when you were describing good works with him. I figured a break through had happened and that was why you hadn't already started your search for a new driving horse (I thought you were going to sell him last year and start a search for a new horse).

I agree with the others. Something else to consider - give me a bit while I figure out the best way to word it. Looking for one that you FEEL safe with is the best idea.

I used to not understand, in 2008, a friend and then a friend of hers refused to ride if they didn't have someone to ride with. That meant that more often then not, they simply didn't ride their horses. So their horses, some literally just home from a trainer and losing valuable time (& their $$), stood around or went back to pasture simply because they didn't have a friend to ride with. I was stumped! I rode all my life MOSTLY alone, so I had no idea what that was about. I DID have accidents - I just got thru them (& hobbled home a couple of times or left a "broken" cart next to the road/on the trail while I led/ground drove the horse back home/to the trailer at the trail head). Now I'm older. A couple of "nasty" horses (not really bad, but all of a sudden sitting on what felt like a "keg of dynamite" wasn't fun) - instead of enjoying my rides - I began to stress about them. It was uncomfortable. When I did ride with someone who was a "go-get em" rider, as I had been, the stress went even higher. That stress actually turned to real fear - BOY WAS I SURPRISED - and the horses, especially the "keg" one, could feel it. That fear, for the first time, got in the way - because I was so uncomfortable I wasn't able to work thru it and it BUILT instead of dispersing. The enjoyment in the horses left completely, as my confidence in my abilities to both control/direct them easily AND to enjoy them & our rides DISAPPEARED. Then some physical problems started - my hips would lock up when I tried to sit in the saddle after mounting - VERY painful and VERY unnerving as suddenly I didn't feel like I could "get away" if anything went wrong (the "keg" was exceedingly "light" in the front end - had no problems with rearing STRAIGHT up). Indeed, just dismounting became almost impossible, once I was mounted and my hips locked. 2012 was the last year that I rode, in 2013 I sold "my" arab mare and in 2014, 'Dira's little arab mare (also one of my mounts) was euthanized. I haven't even ridden at all since - though a couple of times I've dearly wanted to. Now, my larger size combined with the fact I'm no longer in shape to ride would get in the way (eroding any of the last confidence in my abilities before even getting started). I was a good rider, certainly not the best, since I had confidence in my abilities (I LOVED training a riding horse but if they bucked, I pulled muscles staying in the saddle as a youngster and early adulthood) and could utilize that even when things "got crazy". With confidence, even in scary situations, I could work thru them calmly. To have that confidence erode & disappear - was a problem. What a quandary to deal with!!

I now have a VERY real and very different type of compassion for the older rider OR anyone who has lost their confidence. I can still work with them - both in riding and driving, but I do so with a different level of understanding what may (or may not) be needed!

SO - my feelings have changed. I DO believe you need to work with a horse you can have fun with and confidence in - especially now, as we age. One that you can FEEL safe with is important. Now, it may be more important to find that partner you don't always have to train full time, one that you can relax with enough to fully enjoy.

And I've never believed that a horse should automatically have a "forever home" IF you aren't able to work with and enjoy them w/i your own abilities. I don't believe you should feel any shame or shoulder any blame for finding him a different home, so that you can find another driving horse to become yours (& DD's) new companion.

and now my hubby is wondering what's wrong with me. first time I've fully admitted this (or put it down anywhere) and I've gotten a bit teary!!

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Paula, that is why I am hoping to find a young/youngish new owner for Rowdy. I think he would be successful with such an owner. I hate to see him go back to standing around in a pen, waiting for treats and never learning anything new.

When I first started driving 15 years ago, it never occurred to me that I could get hurt! Ignorance was bliss.

 

[jventresca]

I can sympathize with your feelings totally, Paula! I'd ridden my whole life and had horses of all types in my back yard. About 20 years ago I put riding aside and went back to driving. I've been lucky not to have had many crashes so far. I think planning for safety is very important. One of the best things we can do for our own safety is to listen to our horses. If they're saying "I'm not going to be a driving horse", let them go.

I've trained upwards of 50 minis to drive and have only hit a few that really didn't like it. I think horses need routine, rewards and to enjoy their jobs.

 

[Cayuse]

Wow Paula, your post awesome. Thank you for sharing! I don't ride anymore either because of the same reasons. You explained it better than I ever could. I used to be an adequate rider but then the arthritis came and my reaction time slowed because my balance is wonky and the fear of "what might happen" took over. Like you explained, I completely lost my confidence. I would love to ride again but the last time I tried, I froze. My body sort of overrode logic.

Sometimes this business of horses can be quite discouraging.

Marsha, I know that you find a wonderful new horse that you can enjoy for years to come. He's out there, you just haven't met him yet. Or her, if you prefer!

 

[MajorClementine]

I've been watching youtube videos from "I AM" mini horse ranch in AZ. If I finish grooming at noon tomorrow I am hoping I can go down and ground drive Clem for a bit before a dentist appt at 3:00. I would like to work with her on bending and counter bending. I need to get her to relax and not be so heavy on the bit and I've neglected my ground driving. I don't have anyone close by who drives to help me with these things but my SIL is a horse whisperer with riding horses. She has done some dressage riding and is one of those people who see and feel every change in a horse. I am hoping she can help teach me to teach Clementine to collect and carry herself better while ground driving and then I can transfer that to when we are hitched. I'm hoping she can help me next week when we both have a free day. Maybe Tues....

 

[MajorClementine]

So I had a couple of free hours today and it's a cloudy but warm day so I headed down to the barn. I was just going to work with Clem but when I got down there I decided to catch Major first and start him. I wanted to start him driving last year but neglected to actually do it so today was the day. I put the harness saddle on him (he's had a tiny riding saddle on before so I knew he'd be okay for the belly band) and the bridle. He has only had a bit once before so there was a lot of chewing and messing with the bit but he took it in his mouth without complaint.

I lead him out to the pasture then stepped behind him and asked him for a walk. I have worked him in the round pen so he knows how to go without being led but the bit was a whole new thing for him. He went forward in short choppy steps and I stayed lose on the bit. We worked for about 15 minutes and he had started to settle in and respond to gentle pressure right and left. I figured once he started to relax it was time to quit. I also figure short positive lessons are best. I've never started a driving horse completely on my own so any pointers are appreciated.

After Major had a quick turn I switched the tack over to Clementine. She was all over the place today!!! Granted I haven't had her out for several months and she's a spitfire anyway. Also my fault was I didn't have a plan in mind before we started. She played the fun spin around and around and around game so I had to unwind the reins from her when she stopped. That's when I decided we were doing rail work until she settled down and relaxed then we would be done. It took about 20 min on the rail for her to stop tossing her head and making exaggerated turns on the tiniest signals from me. In the end she did settle and walked beautifully down and back so we called it quits. Total for her was about 40 minutes but I'm thinking only 20 of that was productive. The first 20 was both of us trying to remember what we were doing.

What has this taught me? That neglecting your ground driving exercises is a terrible terrible thing

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Did not drive today, but took Dapper Dan and Rowdy in for the Headstart visit to the horse area. Two big horses available for them to "ride" and my two little ones to brush and "lead". Dapper Dan resigned himself to having his tail braided and 6 children at a time brushing him. Rowdy took it for a little while then had a tantrum. We had a little lesson away from the children, then went back to work. He did all right after that. One huge improvement for him: he didn't bat an eye when 15 small children rushed at him holding brushes.

The children loved being up high on the big horse, but I think the big hit of the day was being shut in the horse trailer. I let them in and slammed the gate noisily on them. They were thrilled. Some didn't want to come out until time for snacks.

My sister also had her two bottle calves there and the first group got to give them bottles.

One autistic boy was interesting. He spent a lot of time rubbing his face against Dapper Dan's fur. And he cried when they took him out of the trailer.

 

[Cayuse]

Poor little kid. That makes me sad. The waterworks just started so I can say no more except for that was a nice thing you did.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

So I had a couple of free hours today and it's a cloudy but warm day so I headed down to the barn. I was just going to work with Clem but when I got down there I decided to catch Major first and start him. I wanted to start him driving last year but neglected to actually do it so today was the day. I put the harness saddle on him (he's had a tiny riding saddle on before so I knew he'd be okay for the belly band) and the bridle. He has only had a bit once before so there was a lot of chewing and messing with the bit but he took it in his mouth without complaint.

I lead him out to the pasture then stepped behind him and asked him for a walk. I have worked him in the round pen so he knows how to go without being led but the bit was a whole new thing for him. He went forward in short choppy steps and I stayed lose on the bit. We worked for about 15 minutes and he had started to settle in and respond to gentle pressure right and left. I figured once he started to relax it was time to quit. I also figure short positive lessons are best. I've never started a driving horse completely on my own so any pointers are appreciated.

After Major had a quick turn I switched the tack over to Clementine. She was all over the place today!!! Granted I haven't had her out for several months and she's a spitfire anyway. Also my fault was I didn't have a plan in mind before we started. She played the fun spin around and around and around game so I had to unwind the reins from her when she stopped. That's when I decided we were doing rail work until she settled down and relaxed then we would be done. It took about 20 min on the rail for her to stop tossing her head and making exaggerated turns on the tiniest signals from me. In the end she did settle and walked beautifully down and back so we called it quits. Total for her was about 40 minutes but I'm thinking only 20 of that was productive. The first 20 was both of us trying to remember what we were doing.

What has this taught me? That neglecting your ground driving exercises is a terrible terrible thing

Yes, and it is okay to go BACK to ground driving any time one feels one needs to!

 

[jventresca]

You might want to consider running your reins through the tugs instead of the rein turrets. If you do this and keep your hands low so the reins are on either side of the horse's butt, the horse can't spin around. Also the outside rein will have a natural half halt from the horse's hind leg going forward and back. I've found this very helpful when long lining. Of course the tugs need to be buckled down so they can't swing wildly!

 

[Cayuse]

MajorClem, I don't know if this might also help with Clem when she gets spunky, but when Peanut gets unfocused and feeling "up" I set up cones in different patterns like serpentines, figure eights and clovers for us to drive around. It gives him a purpose and something for his mind to work on. He has been known to work himself into a spin once in awhile, too. Not very often, but it is in his bag of tricks.

 

[MajorClementine]

Thank you both for your suggestions. I think I will try running the reins through the tugs. After she spun a few times she would do it automatically when I asked her to turn. Like she just expected to get all tangled up. I'll let you know how it goes this weekend using your suggestion.

And I did pick up some soccer cones for my son and I think I'll take them with me next time. I'll also plan ahead of time for what I want to work on and try not to get distracted while we are working.... I may be a little easy to sidetrack sometimes

The cones with give both of us focus I think.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Cones are good! You can get some pvc pipe and set them in concrete. Either use a small bucket, or buy some larger pvc to use as a form.

 

[MajorClementine]

More ground driving for both Clem and Major today. I wrapped the bit (single jointed snaffle) with vetwrap today to use it until I get a mullen to try on Major. He was hesitant to move forward today so since he is used to being lunged in the round pen we went in there to work. The inside line I ran from the bit to my hand as was suggested on another post of mine and the outside line I had from the bit through the tug loop. This worked very well for him. I lunged him in each direction 4-5 times at a trot then a couple of times at a walk. Then I ran both lines through the tug loops and I moved behind him as we walked around and through the round pen. We did slow figure 8's to get him used to turning with the bit pressure. We worked for 20 min today and called it quits. I think the roundpen was good for him because he is familiar working in there.

With Clementine I ran the lines through the tug loops and it was WONDERFUL! We started out with walking along the fence down and back and her walking calmly and straight (she's like a drunk sometimes!!!). Then we worked on changing direction. As soon as I asked her to go in a full circle around me she threw her head up for the spin she had learned during our last session. She seemed confused that it didn't work. I asked her to go the other direction and again the head went up but the spin just wasn't happening. After a few transitions I had her trotting her circles around me with much smoother direction changes. We ended with walking a couple of feet off of the fence and me gently "tapping" the right then left rein and then releasing when she gave her head in that direction. We've had a bit of a power struggle lately and it's made her mouth pretty hard and her neck pretty stiff so we're working on softening.

Here's a couple of pics from today. The first one his mouth is wide open as he still messes with the bit a lot. The second pic is after I moved behind him to ground drive after we lunged a bit.

 

[Cayuse]

Gosh he's cute!

Sounds like progress is being made ☺

 

[paintponylvr]

Cones are good! You can get some pvc pipe and set them in concrete. Either use a small bucket, or buy some larger pvc to use as a form.

Or if you are like our family - you have lots of 2 ltr soda/lemonade bottles. Lots & Lots. You can fill them w/ water or sand for weight, you can spray paint them in different colors.

Coffee "cans" also make good pole holders. figure out what you are going to use for a pole (upright pvc?) in what size, make the "holder" pvc a bit larger and put it into the "can" and add cement. The cement both holds the pole support and keeps them from blowing over in the wind with the weight.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I sure miss my corral. I will have to move my obstacles into my little circle pasture, where I'm keeping the boys for now. I find I am not working with them as it is more trouble to get to the obstacles. Husband says he won't do the corral till he gets the pergola finished. One thing at a time... I did not realize how much I used the corral until it was gone. I have a large horse motel in the circle pasture which I can close off to keep them off the green grass half of the day. But the corral was better.

While clipping Rowdy today, I interrupted the clipping session with some lunging. He was more agreeable to continue clipping afterward. Last year he would not let me clip his ears or around his forehead. This year he was just fine with it. Too cool yet for bathing, but I'll be glad to give them both a nice Grandpa's Pine Tar Shampoo going over.

I was glad the discolored hair where the snake bit Dapper Dan clipped off.

 

[MajorClementine]

^^ Yes, I have found the round pen to be a wonderful tool. It's not something we use all of the time but when you need one there really is no substitute. I like this one because the panels are solid on the bottom 1/2 so you can't get legs and feet caught up in them. I've had young horses get to bucking and kicking when first working them and slip and fall down. I'd hate to have a leg go through the panel then have a young and excited horse trying to get up.... Yikes!

I need to get the littles clipped after this cold snap moves off. I think I've settled on a blanket clip until after Memorial day. We don't plant gardens till Memorial day around here so I figure that's a good time for bathing and full body clipping.

I'm glad Rowdy let you clip his face and ears this year. Funny how they just change their minds eh? I've never used the Pine Tar on horses. Do you have a specific reason for using it? I've used it on dogs and my husband (psoriasis).