Your Drive Day

[Cayuse]

When I was taking mine to a vet for dental work, I felt I was doing right by them. I actually hauled my horses 3 hours one way to a vet who was supposed to be good with miniatures. But when I discovered an equine dentist and she found sharp points in the back, I felt badly.

Thank you, I DID feel pretty glum about it (still do). Its nice to know I'm not alone. I will have to haul him to the vet that does dentistry. She is not actually a dentist, but it is her specialty and what she likes to do and is good at it.

I have not trailered Peanut in a year so I loaded him today just for practice. Hopped right on.

 

[Northwolf]

The "dentist" I have for my minis is a vet too. He was here last week for doing Massai and Teddys teeth and he will do the rest of my horses this week. I order him once or twice a year. When he's doing a minis teeth, he only works with mouth gate and the horse is under sedation, so he can detect sharp hooks. Teddy and Massai have both a sort of "Oligodontia", what means the number of the back teeth above does not match to the number of the teeth at the bottom (I don't now exactly how to explain this curiosity in English, but I hope you unterstand what I mean

). The last dentist who worked on Teddys teeth (at the previous owner; he's in my ownership since only 5 months) doesn't seem to work very well and he missed to check the very last back teeth. So the sharp hook on the last teeth both sides where oversized almost 1 inch!! That poor pony was not able to eat without feeling pain...

I felt really guilty to not order the dentist before, but I trusted Teddys previous owner who said that the dentist was working on his teeth last winter...

It shows me how important a good dentist with the right equipment is. I never ever would let a dentist work on any of my miniature horses without sedation and mouth gate, because it all is too tiny to detect some problems without fixing their mouths wide opened. It seems to be not the same as on big horses!

I actually drove Teddy the second time with bitless bridle to give his jaw the chance to regenerate. He's doing it great, but the team is much harder to keep straight. I think I will change to the normal bridle this week if he is accepting it.

 

[MajorClementine]

I didn't realize that you needed an "Equine Dentist" until a couple of years ago. We always had our vet check teeth and do floats. A few years ago my riding horse lost a tooth that set into motion a whole mess of problems with his front teeth. When I asked the new vet at our current vet's office (younger guy hired on pretty fresh out of school) he told me that vet school doesn't teach you much beyond the very basics of dental work. That I should find an Equine Dentist or Vet who had done Equine Dental schooling. I appreciated him being straightforward with me. I found a great gal who did wonders for my horses teeth and keeps everyone around here in good shape. I have to have her out every 6 months for the horse with the funky teeth and once a year for the others now that we've got them all situated. She was also really good to show me what was going on and then show me after she fixed it.

Today we work on de-sensitizing. Not counting towards driving or ground driving but I figure any work like this benefits driving. I ended up having less time than I'd planned today with a surprise dentist trip with my son. I took the tarp out and laid it on the ground and Clem went right over, sniffed it, and walked all over it. So I picked it up and shook it. Then I rubbed her down with it. She did try to walk away so I stopped until she stopped and we did it again. After 2-3 tries I put it on her and lead her around. I slid it off over her head then put it back on and draped it over her head for a while before sliding it off. She got used to it really quickly. That's my favorite thing about her. She learns quickly and accepts new things quickly. Next step, bridges and pool noodles

 

[Cayuse]

What a good!girl. My first thought was that she looks like she is wearing a tent and is ready to go camping. She is worth her weight in gold with a level head like that. I bet she would be awesome in obstacle classes and in hand trail.

She reminds me of Cappy. I wish we could put them together as a team and see what would happen.

 

[MajorClementine]

Sadly this little one isn't registered. Her sire was but her dam was only WCMHR registered so.... that's why we've never shown her. That and there aren't many shows in our area and I would have no idea what I was doing

The two new minis are both AMHR registered so I'm hoping (with a lot of questions and help) we'll be able to show one or both of them.

I did take her for a 20 min walk around town today and then to pick up my son from school. I figure she needed the exercise and it would be good to be around all those kids yelling and riding bikes by us. Pretty uneventful walk. She shied at an A-Frame sign for a shop and a kid on a bike who thew his arms in the air when he saw her but that was all.

If only you weren't so far away, we could hitch them together and see what came of it... There aren't a ton of people who drive minis around here (or drive horses at all) so I've never even found someone (other than my dad) to go driving with. I'm totally jealous of pics of some of you with friends or groups going out for a drive. Driving with others motivates me more. I'm a social person... maybe too social sometimes

 

[Cayuse]

I don't have anyone to!drive with either. I was thinking about that this weekend. I am in a bit of a slump because of it. I see a lot of friends when its show season, but when it is over I am pretty much alone. I really need to get a second cart for my husband so he and I can drive together.

I would love to take some driving lessons this Fall or send Cappy out for some training, he certainly could benefit from someone who has more expereience than I do, but there is no one around here that works with minis (driving). So I feel stuck.

Sorry about the !'s today! They are active.

Cappy has been hitched with another horse before, so I was told. I dunno how exciting the event was though, lol.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Interesting updates, everyone. I always enjoy introducing The Tarp.

The vet I took my horses to for tooth work did not sedate. But, then, I find he didn't get all the way in the back either. I'd rather sedate that not have a thorough exam. I'll be interested to see what Bubba's teeth look like when he comes here. I am sure he's never had dental care in his life. (My husband and sister say I can't call him Bubba, but I'm already used to it. If he knows his name, then he will stay Bubba. We passed him on the highway yesterday; I can hardly wait to get my grooming tools on him.)

 

[Cayuse]

October is almost here Marsha! You'll be currying before you know it

I put cones out for Cappy, he squirreled though those pretty well considering it had been awhile. I set them up in a serpentine. He is starting to use himself a better. We are getting straighter and his turns are less like trying to dock a bardge. I am keeping the Chiro in the back of my mind, but since he is continuing to improve, I am taking a wait and see approach. I think he has grown or thickened up a little, his bit has gotten a wee bit snug. I will have to upsize to a 4 inch bit. He should be way past the last growth spurt, I dunno why he got a fat head all of a sudden. Come to think of it, we let the bridle down too this week. Maybe it is his winter coat coming in that has snugged things up.

 

[MajorClementine]

October is almost here Marsha! You'll be currying before you know it

I put cones out for Cappy, he squirreled though those pretty well considering it had been awhile. I set them up in a serpentine. He is starting to use himself a better. We are getting straighter and his turns are less like trying to dock a bardge. I am keeping the Chiro in the back of my mind, but since he is continuing to improve, I am taking a wait and see approach. I think he has grown or thickened up a little, his bit has gotten a wee bit snug. I will have to upsize to a 4 inch bit. He should be way past the last growth spurt, I dunno why he got a fat head all of a sudden. Come to think of it, we let the bridle down too this week. Maybe it is his winter coat coming in that has snugged things up.

I can't believe how quickly Clem and Major are turning into Wooly Yaks! It's the last week of summer for crying out loud. However, someone forgot to tell summer. It never hit 50*F here today.... it just rained, and rained, and rained. Miserable driving weather.

It's Officially Halloween Season for me. Forget Pumpkin Spice, it's time to drag out skeletons, jack-o-lanterns, headstones, and the coffin. I mourn the loss of summertime with (what my husband calls an obsession over) Halloween!

 

[jeanniecogan]

Daisy has hair an inch long and very thick. i noticed it a couple weeks ago. we are aalll in different regions, i guess i better order some runners, hehehe.

Charlie on the other hand looks pretty normal ????

Daisy will definitely need clipping.

 

[Cayuse]

Funny how they can live in the same place and have two different coats.

Peanut is still pretty sleek yet Cappy is a Yak.

I set up cones in a cloverleaf pattern and Peanut and I did "barrel racing". He was all Happy Happy Happy and I was huffing and puffing.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

We went on a little trip, and now we are home and it is cooling off, and it is supposed to rain for 5 days!! No driving here for a while. When we came into the driveway with the camper, Dapper Dan came galloping across the pasture to meet us. My sister came twice a day to care for my animals, so I hope it is because he missed me and not just because he was lonesome.

My husband offered to take Dapper Dan with us, but he reminded me what horses always do when they ride in trailers!

 

[Cayuse]

He was lonesome because he missed YOU! You are his person ☺

 

[Cayuse]

My mom helped me hitch Cappy on Sunday. She is 79 and used to help me with the horses back in the day.

She has has no driving experience so she wasn't sure where exactly to hold him, I looked up from doing the

holdbacks and she had him by the over check, holding it up between his ears. It sort of looked like she had caught a fish and was posing for a picture. We had a good laugh about that. It was nice to have her out with me. It was also the first time I drove Cappy without my husband feeling him out first. He was very good considering what he had to put up with ?.

The day before he did a lot of "testing" his boundaries, he was a little bit pushy about heading toward the gate and lots of little things. We worked on a lot of halting and downward transitions while heading toward the gate and backing up

and standing patiently. He knows.just how far he can push things, the little Smarty-pants.

 

[MajorClementine]

Okay here's a pic of Candace the wonder Mini. This is the first day, first time we had her out. She was quiet and responsive right out of the gate. Even with a bridle that isn't a great fit (her's is coming but hasn't arrived yet). She did everything we asked without a moments hesitation. She let the kids love all over her, give her a bath (didn't move a muscle) and brush her till she was shiny. We've got ourselves a winner. This is one time I can say buying a horse without seeing it first worked out well for us.

Candace is a little on the chubby side but we'll get her in shape. I am hoping to drive her and Clementine as a team and, as long as they don't hate each other, I think they will work well together. Candace is about 3" shorter than Clem but that's better than the 11" shorter that Major is...

Anyway... Here she is with my son driving her in our new arena.
Cayuse, the shafts are 54" long and this is how she fits in them. She is adjusted back as far as the traces will allow and I fell like the shafts are at a good position at her shoulder. I feel like she would be more comfortable further back except then the shaft ends would be to far forward... I feel like maybe the bend is in a bad place?? I plan on heating them a bit and straightening out the bend a little. However, Candace seems fine with the setup and I'd rather have her a little forward and not have the shafts poking her in the neck or shoulder.

 

[Cayuse]

She and your son look great together. He must be one happy kiddo with two new minis! She doesn't look as chubbly as I imagined and she is very pretty.

Thanks for measuring the shafts. How big is she? 34 inches IIRC? Cappy is 32 but long in the body. Dan took some pictures of him today while I drove him, I will try and post one. He takes up a good amount of room in my Kingston cart so maybe 54 inches would work.

 

[Cayuse]

Ok, so I can see both pictures of your cart and mine now, I think Cappy might fit in 54 shafts. And I just realized I have shaft extenders that I add to my cart that makes it 55 inches. I can try that and see what happens. Thanks again for the measurement!

We did videos too today. That was is a learning experience. I thought his trot was really fast but it actually is quite slow. I think I have made him slow as I am very cautious and he tended to be forward. And he is still chewing more than I thought, but he has slowed that down some too. So all being said, I guess he is making slow progress

 

[MajorClementine]

@Cayuse : Cappy looks soooo nice! I have no idea how to get them to bend into the bit like that. How nice his neck and topline look. Any tips or secrets? Clem just runs around with her head up. I can't help but think her life would be easier and she'd be more comfortable if she dropped her head like Cappy to get to work. Not to mention how much better she would look.

I had so much fun driving in the Southern Utah desert. Now I've come home to the mountains and the weather is cold cold cold. Rainy, cloudy, some occasional snow... what happened to fall? Isn't it supposed to be between Summer and Winter???

I brought Clementines harness home (had to borrow it for Candace) and was all geared up to work with her so we can put the team together this winter. If it was just cold weather I could suffer through. But soggy weather is zero fun for myself or the horse. Maybe we'll dry out and warm up a bit and get some late fall weather. I keep telling my husband maybe the weather will make up for this in November.... but by then my horses will be down south. I'm just never satisfied am I

 

[Cayuse]

Thank you! That picture captured a flattering moment. He sure doesn't look like that all the time! He does not hold collection like that for long, but we do get a few glimpses of what the future may bring. He comes together for bit, maybe six or so strides then it all falls apart. I think it is a matter of strength with him and that he is still figuring out his balance and how to use himself in the cart but I am not sure. I also have a suspicion (a very strong one) that he may have had some training at some point and I am just still trying to figure out what buttons to push, lol. He is very wise.

I have found he likes a really firm contact, much more that I have ever been used to in my riding days and a LOT more than Peanut. I THINK what has helped is making sure I have really even contact and keeping it steady.

The other thing is he has a naturally low headset, like a western pleasure horse. I have spent time trying to bring his head UP a little and he is getting there. When I ground drive him I make sure he is really marching forward, especially at the walk, that seems to help gather him "together".

It is interesting working with him, always something to puzzle out.

 

[MajorClementine]

^^A flattering moment for sure! Clem likes stronger contact than I am used to as well. Contact like that would make my riding horse a basket case

So after complaining about the cold windy weather I went out today after all. My parents are up for a visit after being gone 18 months and dad was really wanting to get his foxtrotter out for a drive. So I put my big girl pants on and hitched up as well. We went up to the town cemetery to visit my grandparents grave. The cemetery is up a STEEP hill so for the short but intense drive up the hill I got out and walked behind the cart while my 7 yo son drove her up. She was a champ. Once we got to the cemetery dad and I stayed in the carts while mom and the boy cleaned up the grave a bit. Clementine stood like a champ. On the way back my son got in the doctors buggy with my parents (they had blankets!) and I walked behind the cart and ground drove Clementine down the hill since my little EE doesn't have breaks. It's way too steep a hill for her to be holding me and the cart back. We drove 55 min and about 4 miles.

Driving Candace last week was so fun BUT it's a totally different type of driving. She's amazing and steady and I can let my young son drive her around the arena by himself right out of the gate. She really is Candace the wonder mini. However, driving Clementine is sooooo much fun for me. She likes to go, go, go. No plodding along for her. She is so athletic and gets into such a nice trot. She needs work on her form but man is she fun.

I do think that she and Candace will end up working well as a team. When you get Candace to pick it up she moves much like Clementine. I think Candace will steady Clem a little and Clem will put a little pep in Candace. At least, that's how I'm hoping it'll work out.