One funny thing. When they were in the house, the Downs girl saw a large, antique picture of George Washington hanging. She recognized him, which I thought was neat, but then asked me if I had known him!
Your Drive Day
- Thread starter MajorClementine
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MajorClementine
Well-Known Member
-Saddleseat08 : That's a beautiful horse you've got there. Can't wait to see him hitched.
-Marsha : It's great when you can use something you love to make someone else happy. Any time I can share driving with someone else it makes my day.
Clementine is such a good girl. She's been sorely neglected on her driving this summer due to about a million other things going on but when I get her out and we go... she goes. She's actually maintained a pretty athletic body this summer because she has more room to move around this year and she is always on the move. It also keeps my lazy boy, Major, from getting huge fat because he has to be with her all the time.
My parents are in Nauvoo, Illinois until fall 2017 and dad has already made good friends in the Amish community. I'm going out in November to pick up my new comfy fit harness straight from the family who makes them. I'm pretty excited about it. I'm trying to decide between the euro collar or the comfy fit deluxe breast collar. I think the breast collar is all Clem needs but I have to admit, the euro collar in that tiny size is sooooo cute! I'm afraid it will be really hot on her though. We don't drive a lot out in the mid-afternoon heat but still...
I've given up on starting Major until my son starts school in late August. I'm so slammed with my grooming business over the summer that I need to pick up an extra day all summer. But with my son starting first grade I'll have several hours a day to myself (wow, that will be new!) so I have big plans... we'll see if I can stick to them.
-Marsha : It's great when you can use something you love to make someone else happy. Any time I can share driving with someone else it makes my day.
Clementine is such a good girl. She's been sorely neglected on her driving this summer due to about a million other things going on but when I get her out and we go... she goes. She's actually maintained a pretty athletic body this summer because she has more room to move around this year and she is always on the move. It also keeps my lazy boy, Major, from getting huge fat because he has to be with her all the time.
My parents are in Nauvoo, Illinois until fall 2017 and dad has already made good friends in the Amish community. I'm going out in November to pick up my new comfy fit harness straight from the family who makes them. I'm pretty excited about it. I'm trying to decide between the euro collar or the comfy fit deluxe breast collar. I think the breast collar is all Clem needs but I have to admit, the euro collar in that tiny size is sooooo cute! I'm afraid it will be really hot on her though. We don't drive a lot out in the mid-afternoon heat but still...
I've given up on starting Major until my son starts school in late August. I'm so slammed with my grooming business over the summer that I need to pick up an extra day all summer. But with my son starting first grade I'll have several hours a day to myself (wow, that will be new!) so I have big plans... we'll see if I can stick to them.
Good luck deciding about the collar. Sometimes I think it would be nice to have one of everything, just to try it out. All the bits; all the harnesses; all the carts; all the whips!
dalvers63
Well-Known Member
I wondered about the Euro collar too when I was deciding on my harness style. I ended up with the V breast collar which is working well with Mikey.
We've had some good driving days the last week now that I have reliable transportation and I'm over my darn summer cold. The hard part is that I go to the barn after work which ends up being right around dinner time for the horses. Mikey is never very pleased if I take him away from his dinner! Lately I've been letting him finish his handful of grain and the he has to work before he gets to finish his hay ration.
Last night we did pretty well. Got him tacked up with his boots and harness and then worked on hitching while standing in the aisle in the barn. He's doing much better with standing especially since I won't give up and we will stand there until he settles. Every day is better so it is encouraging! We went out and had a nice drive around the property until I started to feel a few raindrops. I turned around then and just as we made it back to the barn the skies opened up and it was a torrential downpour. While I need to clean my harness and Mikey could use a bath I'm glad we weren't out in that mess!
Today is a day off for both of us and then tomorrow we're going to have our first lesson with Larry Brinker. He comes down to my barn once a month and I'm really looking forward to spending an hour with him. Hopefully a few lessons will go a long way for Mikey and me when it comes to driven dressage and just better driving.
Less than a month to go for our first CDE!
We've had some good driving days the last week now that I have reliable transportation and I'm over my darn summer cold. The hard part is that I go to the barn after work which ends up being right around dinner time for the horses. Mikey is never very pleased if I take him away from his dinner! Lately I've been letting him finish his handful of grain and the he has to work before he gets to finish his hay ration.
Last night we did pretty well. Got him tacked up with his boots and harness and then worked on hitching while standing in the aisle in the barn. He's doing much better with standing especially since I won't give up and we will stand there until he settles. Every day is better so it is encouraging! We went out and had a nice drive around the property until I started to feel a few raindrops. I turned around then and just as we made it back to the barn the skies opened up and it was a torrential downpour. While I need to clean my harness and Mikey could use a bath I'm glad we weren't out in that mess!
Today is a day off for both of us and then tomorrow we're going to have our first lesson with Larry Brinker. He comes down to my barn once a month and I'm really looking forward to spending an hour with him. Hopefully a few lessons will go a long way for Mikey and me when it comes to driven dressage and just better driving.
Less than a month to go for our first CDE!
Best of luck at your first CDE! Very exciting.
Just curious: what do you pay for a driving lesson? There is no one around me for lessons. I did haul my horse one time 200 miles and spent the night for two lessons. The lessons were $250+ board. Not something I could really do on a regular basis!
Just curious: what do you pay for a driving lesson? There is no one around me for lessons. I did haul my horse one time 200 miles and spent the night for two lessons. The lessons were $250+ board. Not something I could really do on a regular basis!
dalvers63
Well-Known Member
Standard price around here (from what I've seen) is around $70-$75 for an hour. Larry is $50 for 1/2 hour and $80 for an hour. I think we'll get a lot out of it and if so I plan to take at least one more before the next competition (where he happens to be a judge)
I'll let you know how it goes!
I'll let you know how it goes!
dalvers63
Well-Known Member
This last week was great for training and fun.
My lesson with Larry was very helpful. While Mikey got training I never received a lot as my trainer left for his summer job just as I started to have more time to come out and work with the pony. Spending an hour with Larry was definitely worth it and I look forward to my next lesson!
This weekend I finally hooked up my new truck with my (new to me) trailer and took Mikey off to the woods to drive. We went to the Blanchard forest Les Hilde - Harry O trailhead which is just for people and horses. No cars to worry about and miles of old logging road (and trails for those on horseback) to explore. We probably went 5 miles or more round trip, including a pretty long hill which was a workout for the little guy. It helped that my friend was with me on her horse so Mikey had motivation to find that ground covering trot. While coming back we had to go down the hill we climbed so it was great practice with the breeching and having him hold the cart back.
I'm sure we will be much more mobile now and be able to get out and about instead of just driving around the track at the barn.
My lesson with Larry was very helpful. While Mikey got training I never received a lot as my trainer left for his summer job just as I started to have more time to come out and work with the pony. Spending an hour with Larry was definitely worth it and I look forward to my next lesson!
This weekend I finally hooked up my new truck with my (new to me) trailer and took Mikey off to the woods to drive. We went to the Blanchard forest Les Hilde - Harry O trailhead which is just for people and horses. No cars to worry about and miles of old logging road (and trails for those on horseback) to explore. We probably went 5 miles or more round trip, including a pretty long hill which was a workout for the little guy. It helped that my friend was with me on her horse so Mikey had motivation to find that ground covering trot. While coming back we had to go down the hill we climbed so it was great practice with the breeching and having him hold the cart back.
I'm sure we will be much more mobile now and be able to get out and about instead of just driving around the track at the barn.
Sounds like a wonderful drive! Is there a single thing from your lesson that you can pass on?
I took my boys to a friend's in a small town about 30 miles away. She drove Rowdy and I drove Dapper Dan. She is the one who helped me get Rowdy over his spoiled brat habits last winter. She did have some issues with things I'm doing, but I was okay with his drive. She concurred that I need to get him to the chiropractor, so I will get that appt made as soon as possible. I was able to observe him while she drove and I noticed a stiffness. She felt it was coming from the fore, but to me watching from the side it appeared to be the hind. After he warmed up, he was much better, but definitely something I need to follow up about.
I took my boys to a friend's in a small town about 30 miles away. She drove Rowdy and I drove Dapper Dan. She is the one who helped me get Rowdy over his spoiled brat habits last winter. She did have some issues with things I'm doing, but I was okay with his drive. She concurred that I need to get him to the chiropractor, so I will get that appt made as soon as possible. I was able to observe him while she drove and I noticed a stiffness. She felt it was coming from the fore, but to me watching from the side it appeared to be the hind. After he warmed up, he was much better, but definitely something I need to follow up about.
dalvers63
Well-Known Member
Nice to hear about your drive with Rowdy and Dapper Dan! After having body work done on Mikey I learned that horses tend to show stiffness bilaterally. So, if the left hind is stiff the right fore would tend to be, too. It's quite possible that he's a bit stiff in both due to compensation.
As for my lesson with Larry, the best thing I took away from the lesson was also one of the simplest. How to turn while supporting and bending. I imagine that it isn't new to some but for me it was amazing the difference in response and suppleness when I asked the correct way. When you want to turn, raise the inside rein which will cause the outside rein to keep contact and support the turn. By raising the inside rein the outside naturally moves forward and maintains contact. Using this when doing circles for my dressage test he also said it is kinda like driving a big truck - watch where you want to go and "turn the wheel". It doesn't take much to get a response and is very soft on the horse.
As for my lesson with Larry, the best thing I took away from the lesson was also one of the simplest. How to turn while supporting and bending. I imagine that it isn't new to some but for me it was amazing the difference in response and suppleness when I asked the correct way. When you want to turn, raise the inside rein which will cause the outside rein to keep contact and support the turn. By raising the inside rein the outside naturally moves forward and maintains contact. Using this when doing circles for my dressage test he also said it is kinda like driving a big truck - watch where you want to go and "turn the wheel". It doesn't take much to get a response and is very soft on the horse.
Strangeaddiction
Well-Known Member
Most people forget about how important the outside rein is when driving and riding too!! It is also the hardest skill to master! I am glad you are getting the hang of it! As with driving and riding a like, developing feel takes time, practice and patience! Please let me know when your event is and I will try and come watch you guys!!
dalvers63
Well-Known Member
It definitely is a skill that takes time!
The CDE will be August 12-14th in Ethel, WA. It is a bit of a trek but if you like driving it is well worth it in my opinion. Friday will be dressage, Saturday the marathon, and Sunday is cones.
You can get the address and tentative schedule here:
http://www.einw.org/schedule/07064537am_2016%20EI%20CDE%20Omnibus%20draft4.pdf
Feel free to message me for more info!
I'm just starting to learn about the outside rein, too. I have had some nice drives with Peanut since I last posted about him, but had to give him a break for a week as he had a tooth issue. I hope to take him out for a spin tommorrow. I have been doing alot of ground driving with the new mini. I found someone very local who is helping me and she has been great. We are still going slow and hope to introduce some poles for him to pull soon. We took Peanut to a show and he behaved very well. I was so happy! Maybe next time I will be able to show him in pleasure driving, I had hoped to this time but I wanted to make sure he was over his tooth problem.
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Took the horses to the chiropractor today. Rowdy had lots of issues. Hopefully he will be moving better now. He's more comfortable working in harness now so hopefully he won't be causing himself any more twists and torques. Until we see cows again...
paintponylvr
Well-Known Member
U and those cows, Marsha
It's amazing how even 1 lesson can make a huge difference in your handling of your horse and your horse's responses. And the "simplest thing" that you learned is actually one of the most important - BECAUSE it is so often forgotten (even by pros who know better, LOL). It's always nice to have a "nice, friendly" reminder of what you can do better and right. Encouragement (the positive kind) can go a long ways, too.
In 2012, I took a trailer load of ponies to SC and got several driving lessons. 3 separate ones (1 each day - Friday/Sat/Sunday morn) with my working pair (though the comments weren't exactly favorable re: my farm style harness
) - one of which included some work on an obstacle course and the other two work out in the open with our driving. And it's amazing how much you can get out of a ground driving session - both with different singles and with 2 different pairs (did get compliments that they all handled nice and had nicely started mouths - I was thrilled. Brought a HUGE list of things home to work on...). Took my camera and my phone, but only got a couple of pics. I took my own hay and feed, except for the stallion and his mare partner, my group were kept together and I fed/watered/groomed them while there from Thurs night thru Sunday afternoon. I had room/board in their home for the weekend. I think I paid about $750 for the whole weekend, but I could be wrong...
The last time I checked on lessons - I found some could be had for as little as $25/hour and on up to over $200/hour (yes, these were driving lessons) - depending on who the instructor was and what all the lessons were covering.
Also, when my girl friend and I took our lessons in 2010 - we each paid $25/hour BUT sometimes we were at his place for 3-4 hours and he never took more than 1 hours worth of pay. He always said that he knew what we'd done and how long and he made us put the $$ away (the extra hours were spent "helping" him with horses he had in for training - Vicki and I learned a LOT in a VERY SHORT amount of time) - but there were days after putting a 28" collar on a draft horse, that neither of us could move that evening and we'd groan about chores and our driving ponies the next day! I sure became thankful for small pony harness!!!! This particular trainer told us both that we really couldn't learn anything more from him - if we wanted to do more, we'd have to find different trainer/instructor to take us further or to do more than basic farm work with our ponies. I wasn't active at all last year or this one with the Draft Horse Club - hope to change that next year. Actually do miss going out to the different Draft Horse Events.
Sometimes a dressage riding instructor can help a lot with driving, some can't.
It's amazing how even 1 lesson can make a huge difference in your handling of your horse and your horse's responses. And the "simplest thing" that you learned is actually one of the most important - BECAUSE it is so often forgotten (even by pros who know better, LOL). It's always nice to have a "nice, friendly" reminder of what you can do better and right. Encouragement (the positive kind) can go a long ways, too.
In 2012, I took a trailer load of ponies to SC and got several driving lessons. 3 separate ones (1 each day - Friday/Sat/Sunday morn) with my working pair (though the comments weren't exactly favorable re: my farm style harness
The last time I checked on lessons - I found some could be had for as little as $25/hour and on up to over $200/hour (yes, these were driving lessons) - depending on who the instructor was and what all the lessons were covering.
Also, when my girl friend and I took our lessons in 2010 - we each paid $25/hour BUT sometimes we were at his place for 3-4 hours and he never took more than 1 hours worth of pay. He always said that he knew what we'd done and how long and he made us put the $$ away (the extra hours were spent "helping" him with horses he had in for training - Vicki and I learned a LOT in a VERY SHORT amount of time) - but there were days after putting a 28" collar on a draft horse, that neither of us could move that evening and we'd groan about chores and our driving ponies the next day! I sure became thankful for small pony harness!!!! This particular trainer told us both that we really couldn't learn anything more from him - if we wanted to do more, we'd have to find different trainer/instructor to take us further or to do more than basic farm work with our ponies. I wasn't active at all last year or this one with the Draft Horse Club - hope to change that next year. Actually do miss going out to the different Draft Horse Events.
Sometimes a dressage riding instructor can help a lot with driving, some can't.
dalvers63
Well-Known Member
The nice thing with Larry is he's done many years of dressage both driving and riding. He's quite the character and I highly recommend him if he's close to anyone and offering lessons.
We had a nice drive last night though I did find that Mikey had gotten a small rub from his boot on his right front. It's minor but because of that we didn't use his boots last night when we were working. I picked up an older Garmin GPS watch so I could judge pace and distance better than with a stopwatch. I always thought that he was slow but it turns out that even without boots (which slows him down a bit) we averaged just under 9 kph which is perfect pace. We did 4.14 kilometers last night and when we were done it was good to see that he wasn't even breathing hard. This definitely makes me feel better about the upcoming marathon.
I won't be able to drive again until Sunday morning so it will be good to see how he does after a few days off.
I haven't had Rowdy in the cart since the chiropractor, but we did our 2 mile walk this morning and I didn't hear hooves clicking. I trotted him over the poles a couple of times and he didn't nick one once. I think he is doing a lot better, able to pick up his feet.
Very cool to know your speed and distance with the Garmin!
One interesting thing when I saw the chiro. She does barrels competitively. When I told her I could feel Rowdy not moving well, she was surprised that a driver can get that without being on his back. It was a new thought for her.
Very cool to know your speed and distance with the Garmin!
One interesting thing when I saw the chiro. She does barrels competitively. When I told her I could feel Rowdy not moving well, she was surprised that a driver can get that without being on his back. It was a new thought for her.
Two steps backward with the little guy. Having a difficult time finding a bit that he is comfortable with. His teeth will be getting done soon, Aug 2, but when the vet checked him last month she did not see any glaring issues in the mouth. He does alot of "nose diving" when we ground drive him. And lugging. He is currently in a mullen mouth snaffle borrowed from the trainer and before that a light half-cheek snaffle. I think the half cheek was a little better but I am not sure. The trainer took the lines today to feel him out, and she will work with him the next few times. He is better with her. I think it is something he will work through in time. At least I hope so! He does try very hard to be accomodating. He seems to want more contact than I am used to giving. Or something. LOL!!!
Mine seem to prefer the french link over than the mullen. If he is wanting more contact, he may be looking to you for leadership. I think nose diving may be a kind of evasion.
The french link is our next stop. I had a riding pony that "nose dived" when I first got her. She was very insecure and I worked through it by exhaling and sitting deep and sending her on. She worked herself through it in about a months time and never did it again. You are right about him looking for "leadership". He is much more comfortable with someone firmly "in the driver's seat" so to speak.
Things are looking up though. We noticed yesterday that when the lines come into action the cheek pieces and blinkers gape. So I added a nose band, threading it through the cheeks down by the bit, and it made noticable difference in his acceptance of it all. I worked him maybe 10 minute and quit because he was so good and seemed happy. I did not have the noseband tight at all, just enough so it kept things in place. I could fit two fingers under easily.
So I guess we made a step forward
Things are looking up though. We noticed yesterday that when the lines come into action the cheek pieces and blinkers gape. So I added a nose band, threading it through the cheeks down by the bit, and it made noticable difference in his acceptance of it all. I worked him maybe 10 minute and quit because he was so good and seemed happy. I did not have the noseband tight at all, just enough so it kept things in place. I could fit two fingers under easily.
So I guess we made a step forward
MajorClementine
Well-Known Member
I would like to try Clementine in a french link as well. She seems okay in her basic snaffle but I think she might like the french link...
This may be a longer post... sorry about that...
We went out for a drive today in the "new" cart. It's new to me anyway. I picked it up this last winter. It's an older sulky cart. I was really excited to find it while browsing my local ads. It's almost (if not totally) exactly the same as the cart she was trained on 3 years ago. It was originally red in color but had since been painted black. The wheels had some light surface rust and the bearings were sticky. Both tires were flat and it was covered in dust and cobwebs. I offered the gal who had it $70 and she took it. After getting it home my dad and I got to work(he always helps me with my fix-er-upper projects. My house, horse carts, etc). We took the wheels and seat off and sanded the whole cart. We sprayed several coats of Rustolium Lime Green paint on the cart then moved to the wheels. Bearings were pulled out, cleaned up, checked for wear, and re-packed. Wheels were sanded with steel wool to get rid of rust and then painted white with pearl white over that. The tires were in great shape. We put it all back together and Voila!! I am in love with this cart. Hubby just installed footman loops on it for the holdback straps and today was the maiden drive.
Our drive today was good. It showed that we hadn't been out in an uncontrolled environment for a while because Clem was a little spooky about things she isn't usually bothered by. You know how it goes, after the first spook or shy they are on the lookout for "scary" things for the rest of the drive. The first was a big track hoe parked on a street we always take to get off of the main road. It wasn't running but it was huge and looked pretty scary with that big arm out front. I ended up getting out of the cart and ground driving her past it. The next was a ditch with a tiny ribbon of water. I ended up having to get out and lead her over that. However, on the way home she did both on her own with a little coaxing. We also did some figure 8s, circles, and weaving in and out of parking spaces in a church parking lot. That was really good for her. I could see a huge difference in the way she was responding to my cues before and after our 10 minutes in the parking lot. We don't do work like that very often and I can see now that we need to.
All in all it was a good drive. I'm glad I was able to get up a little early to get out and drive around town again. It's been too long. Happy driving everyone!!!
We are still working on getting this new cart to fit just right. The shafts are a tiny long but If I move her up they are too narrow... And we don't usually tie while hitched but when I'm working alone this is how roll.
This may be a longer post... sorry about that...
We went out for a drive today in the "new" cart. It's new to me anyway. I picked it up this last winter. It's an older sulky cart. I was really excited to find it while browsing my local ads. It's almost (if not totally) exactly the same as the cart she was trained on 3 years ago. It was originally red in color but had since been painted black. The wheels had some light surface rust and the bearings were sticky. Both tires were flat and it was covered in dust and cobwebs. I offered the gal who had it $70 and she took it. After getting it home my dad and I got to work(he always helps me with my fix-er-upper projects. My house, horse carts, etc). We took the wheels and seat off and sanded the whole cart. We sprayed several coats of Rustolium Lime Green paint on the cart then moved to the wheels. Bearings were pulled out, cleaned up, checked for wear, and re-packed. Wheels were sanded with steel wool to get rid of rust and then painted white with pearl white over that. The tires were in great shape. We put it all back together and Voila!! I am in love with this cart. Hubby just installed footman loops on it for the holdback straps and today was the maiden drive.
Our drive today was good. It showed that we hadn't been out in an uncontrolled environment for a while because Clem was a little spooky about things she isn't usually bothered by. You know how it goes, after the first spook or shy they are on the lookout for "scary" things for the rest of the drive. The first was a big track hoe parked on a street we always take to get off of the main road. It wasn't running but it was huge and looked pretty scary with that big arm out front. I ended up getting out of the cart and ground driving her past it. The next was a ditch with a tiny ribbon of water. I ended up having to get out and lead her over that. However, on the way home she did both on her own with a little coaxing. We also did some figure 8s, circles, and weaving in and out of parking spaces in a church parking lot. That was really good for her. I could see a huge difference in the way she was responding to my cues before and after our 10 minutes in the parking lot. We don't do work like that very often and I can see now that we need to.
All in all it was a good drive. I'm glad I was able to get up a little early to get out and drive around town again. It's been too long. Happy driving everyone!!!
We are still working on getting this new cart to fit just right. The shafts are a tiny long but If I move her up they are too narrow... And we don't usually tie while hitched but when I'm working alone this is how roll.
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