Your Drive Day

[jeanniecogan]

glad cappy is doing so well, keep up the good work. also very happy that your welsh is feeling better.

 

[MajorClementine]

Glad to hear your Welsh is doing better. Arthritis in horses is a bum deal for sure.

I'm down south again so I spent the day driving Candace. I brought the sulky down with me so I had a lighter option for her than just the wagonette. I have loved my sulky ever since I got it and fixed it up but I was never super happy with the way it fit Clementine. What a difference with Candace! It fits her so well and I was able to get it balanced so that the shafts just hovered in the loops. And boy was Candace peppy without a wagonette full of people behind her. I took her out twice with the wagonette full of friends and family and once with the sulky today. She had her harness put on at noon today and didn't have it off until 5:00 this evening. I did unhitch the carts while she was tied between drives but just left her tacked up. She is such a good little horse. We took Ferb (one of the Fjord team) out as well. Phineas (the teammate) is on stall rest for 6 weeks. We were our own tiny parade. The neighborhood we drove through had the best Halloween decorations so it was so much fun driving around!

I'm not sure of the mileage since my phone died but we drove a total of 2 hours 45 minutes. Good thing I'm one of those people who still wear a watch

 

[Cayuse]

Jeannie and MC, thanks for the kind words about my pony.

MC I love the name Ferb. I hope his teammate will be OK. Candace sounds like on in a million.

Cappy and I ventured out into the bigger field today. We did a little cone work and some transition work. I halted him from a try going down the little slope and the breeching must of went into play because he stopped with his heiny tucked way under himself after their first time, which was a bit of a lurchy mess.

He decided he did not want to back up today. "Uh-uh, nope, not gonna do that lady!". He finally relented when my husband bribed him, after that he was more than happy to back up. I think our wires were crossed.

Now that I think of it, I bet he thought he was going to back into the breeching.

 

[MajorClementine]

I remember getting Clementine used to the breeching. The person who first trained her to drive didn't use a breeching since she shows. So our first little down hill was a bit of an experience for the both of us.

So how did the hubby bribe him to back up? I love that your husband works with you working with the minis. It's a real treat for me when J has the time to come help me, or better yet, when he has time to hitch the foxtrotter and drive with me.

I wish any of you were closer to me, or I to you, so we could drive together....

 

[Cayuse]

Hubby stands at his head and holds a small treat under his chin (Cappy's chin,not hubs ) and down towards his chest. When Cappy's reaches to get it and can't, he steps back and tucks his chin to try and get at it and it starts a backward motion. He is sort of chasing the treat backwards.

We coincide the treat under the chin with my cues (I use a verbal "back" and ask!with the lines) to back and it works pretty good. I start doing this in hand first so they have some idea about it. Teaching them to back up is one of the few things I routinely use a treat for. That and clipping ears. It makes my life easier.

Cappy would not back at all when we got him, trying to get him out of the straight load trailer was interesting for awhile. He backs up fairy well most of the time now, but once in awhile still pulls a blank. I do think the breeching confused him yesterday, but maybe he was just feeling muley. He's not telling!

My mom taught me the back up trick when I was a kid and I have used it a lot.

 

[MajorClementine]

I love that trick! What a great way to teach them to back up. I could have used that on a few riding horses who didn't like to back out of our straight load trailer. I'll be storing that little gem away for future use. Thank you!

It was a perfect day for driving today. 70*F, not a cloud in the sky, not a breeze to stir up dust. Took another load of friends on both wagons to view local Halloween decorations and drove for almost an hour. My son drove Candace for a bit today as well. Also took new pictures of Candace and Pistol to send in with their papers to transfer ownership. Their pictures on their papers are... well they could be improved

And since I plan on keeping them until they are no longer on this earth I figure, might as well have good pictures.

 

[Northwolf]

@Cayuse: Nice trick

My horses all were easy to back up from the beginning. I always breathe in and build up myself when giving the command to back up, sometimes it was necessary to touch them easily with whip or hand on their chest. They understood always.

@MajorClementine: How is Pistol doing?

I had Moony on the cart yesterday for the second time. But the first time I didn't put on the breeching, so this time it was new for him to have a breeching AND the cart. He didn't notice it.... I always use breeching when I introduce him to the harness a did many, many lessions with different situations where anything was touched him in the way the breeching will do it. I even pratice with him lunging in gallop with tightened harness. I think, the breeching is the most sensitive thing for horses that are new to the driving.

I wonder how cool Moony was when I hitched him to the cart and unharnessed him! He will become a great driving horse.

Yesterday, I drove my tandem again. I'm very proud of my two guys!



Today, the weather was very bad. I took Moony for a run with me and drove with the two others with the wagonette. The brakes behind were broken, so we did a short drive. Now, I have to let repair the carriage

 

[Cayuse]

Loved the video, it always makes me smile to see two sets of tails swishing in rhythm.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

They appear to understand their tandem job perfectly. You have done a wonderful job training them.

 

[jeanniecogan]

too cool, that is awesome. i wonder if charlie and daisy would do that. how do u decide who is in front?

 

[jeanniecogan]

MC i wish also that we could ride together, any of us, but we are scattered all over.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I ponied Buckly behind the cart today and he acted like a pro. The only time he got excited was when we passed the neighbor's mares. We passed cows and he looked them over, but didn't miss a beat.

 

[Cayuse]

So Buckly passed the Cow Test! This is good

 

[Northwolf]

Cool, Buckly seems to be very confidently

(My two boys both failed the cow test when they were new... but meanwhile, they don't care about cows too. It takes a little time to assure them that cows aren't evil )

@jeannie: Normally, the lighter and more spirited horse is choosen as front horse. It has to be very reliable and well educated to go in front. You have limited possibilities to interact with the front horse. So I would potentially prefer always the more experienced horse go ahead. The horse in the back can be a trainee because it will benefit from following his teammate. I have the perfect team for tandem here: Massai (in front) is the more spirited and faster one, and he's way more experienced. My back horse Teddy isn't very experienced in single driving and is very hard to keep on a straight line, but in the tandem, it's easier for him to understand the rein impulses because he can follow the front horse. I hope to improve his skills in that way.

I would practice tandem driving first on the ground with every team before hitching to a cart.

 

[Cayuse]

We have mud everywhere, anybody want some?

Too much mud to drive so Cappy was ground driven.

 

[Cayuse]

Drove Peanut today, he was enjoying himself so much that for some reason I kept almost asking him to canter. I think I reverted back to my riding days, lol, as the urge kept hitting in the same spot I used to canter my gelding years ago. I wonder what he would've done?

We did serpentines around the cones and I did not knock any over at all. That's a first, I think. Probably a last, too.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I think you should let him canter, especially in that controlled area. They need to learn how everything feels on their body at that gait. Wow on your successful cone run!

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Beautiful day for driving today. High of 58, blue sky and no wind. Stopped to chat with the neighbor and Dapper Dan wanted to wade in their doggy pool. She told me if I ever wanted to part with him, she wanted him. Not happening.

 

[Cayuse]

I don't know if Peanut WOULD canter in harness. He is not a big "canterer" at all, on the lunge line he doesn't like to canter and trotting is his preferred gait if he is playing in the paddock.

Do you canter DD?

I have never done it and the thought makes me nervous! I guess I lost my one chance at it, I should've done it when it felt natural.

My husband cantered Cappy once, he said he asked him to trot with a stronger cue than I use and Cappy just rolled into it. I was watching and thought he did it deliberately.

It was in the high 50's here today, too. One of the last beautiful Fall days. We are getting a storm Sunday and Monday. High winds will take the leaves and then it will look like winter is right around the corner.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Northwolf, do you enjoy the tandem or team driving more?

There is a movie called Darby O'Gill and the Little People. At the beginning, the Squire drives up with a tandem rig. I think it is a dog cart, or governess cart. I think that is the only time I've seen a tandem in the movies.