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Post by fantasykiger on Nov 3, 2008 13:33:51 GMT -5
I found a driving intructor and I think Wickee will have a knack for driving. Wickee has been acting a bit of the fool with her regular lesson and I decided to throw ground driving into the mix. I was shocked how she settled down paid attention, with an attention span longer then 5 min. as soon as she got between the driving reins. Wickee quickly got a grasp of what was expected of her and I decided I always wanted to learn to drive I just found my horse to learn with. So I will take lessons first to drive, then lessons with Wickee to teach her to drive as it takes more then one person to teach a horse to drive. We will also add my 2 yr old Mustang gelding in to learn as well because he does not care what you throw at him he will do it. I have no wish to train him to ride this early, he may as learn to drive as well. It will be my winter project I am very excited about, my lesson coach has an extra cart I can lease as well. If this works out I know what I will be wishing for on my next birthday.  Anyway that is the plan as long as nothing throws a wrench in it, I am going to learn drive.  |
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Post by nrly on Nov 3, 2008 16:16:07 GMT -5
so cool Tiffany, and good luck, you will do awesome...
nola
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Post by lwood92 on Nov 4, 2008 21:37:55 GMT -5
That is great Tiffany! I have always wanted to drive too! We don't have many people in this area that teach it. I want Solana to do it and will work on a lot of the basics with her and then find a trainer that can teach me the driving part. A lot of what we do in training will prepare her for driving, so I am not worried about her, I just want to make sure I know what I am doing! |
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Post by fantasykiger on Nov 5, 2008 14:41:28 GMT -5
Same here I need to learn to drive. Once I get that down and work with my trainer to teach Wickee and Chips it is my hope that I will learn alot thru' teaching them and when it comes time to train my Kiger mule I will have the knowledge I need to feel confident enough to train him to drive.
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Post by stlkigers on Nov 7, 2008 0:09:41 GMT -5
Tiffany:
My daughter has been long lining her mare and we want to teach her to drive and then in turn teach Cord to drive.....We think we have found an experienced teacher to teach us all....We are going to go visit him on Sunday! Wish us luck! We have a small cart, just need the harness, etc to get going! Keep us posted on how they do, I hope we too can learn!
Angela
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Post by fantasykiger on Nov 7, 2008 14:38:44 GMT -5
Oh wonderful, so I am not the only one I do wish you luck. As soon as I made the plans the weather took a turn and it is has not stopped raining every afternoon it seems but no worries I still plan to go ahead when the trainer can get the time and the weather is decent such is the way of winter projects. It just gives me more time to work here at home on ground driving and desensitizing. Before an actual cart is involved. |
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Leesa
Weanling
Cisco de Mayo - Kiger Stallion
Posts: 80
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Post by Leesa on Nov 11, 2008 7:13:14 GMT -5
May I offer a word of advice to those who desire to learn to drive their horses. Please please be very careful! Driving ones horse truely is a lot of fun, and while I personaly have never had an incident, I witnessed a horrible accident two years ago in a show driving class.
The shafts were too long to begin with (extending too far past the gelding's shoulders) and then a tug broke which caused the shafts to bounce up an down verticaly right by the horses head. He broke into a gallop and careened around the enclosed arena (thank goodness this took palce inside), the cart tipped and both the dirver and a child passenger were both thrown from the cart. At about this time the judge instructed the other exhibitor in the class to remove her horse from the ring in the interest of safety. This turned out to be an even bigger mistake as these two horses were from the same barn and when the gelding saw his buddy leaving he galloped around even faster. After the cart tipped, and the driver and child thrown free, the cart actually bounced back up onto it wheels and the gelding proceeded to follow the exiting horse going out the gate at the opposite end. The gate staff quickly closed the gate thinking this would keep the gelding in and maybe even stop him. Instead the gelding jumped the wall, which was a good three feet high pulling the cart bouncing behind him. He pulled it over the gate swerved to the left to make it through an opening in the arena wall into a warm up area and then in serving right to head out of the warm up area smashed the cart enough into the opening corner to destroy the cart and rip it from the shatfs. The force of the cart hitting the wall and then breaking loose actually threw him down outside the opening sliding onto the pavement. Considering all that happened it is a miracle no one was seriously injured. The driver was taken to the hospital and was very sore for a couple of weeks, the child was scared but fine otherwise and the gelding (who was treated by the show vet immediatley) came away with only scraps and cuts.
In a nut shell make sure your horses are trained to drive from the ground first before a cart or wagon is added. Always always make sure your equipment not only fits properly but is in good working condiiton. If considering a used harness or cart check it out throughly! Never drive with faulty equipment as even the well trained bomb proof horse can go nuts just as I described above. I knew this horse well and he was/is not a spooking type and never would I have thought he would freak out like he did.
I say this not to discourge anyone from the wonderful acticity of driving your horses but to just remind others to always be safe whether on the ground, up in the saddle or behind in a cart!
Leesa
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Post by fantasykiger on Nov 11, 2008 12:58:12 GMT -5
Thank You for reminder to play it safe and not to skimp on the ground work. I know you should spend alot of time to work on ground driving, before a cart is introduced. Not to mention alot of desensitizing. Which is why I did not feel a I could do this myself with a book and a few dvds. I really needed an instructor, to do it right.
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Post by angelsdream on Nov 11, 2008 16:50:07 GMT -5
There's a article in The Horse magazine this month on driving.
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Post by stlkigers on Nov 11, 2008 21:17:11 GMT -5
We went to a play day this weekend at a local barn....Found out that they are very well versed at training horses to drive....They breed Morgans and show them in harness.....We are going to talk to them about taking driving lessons....They are very nice and very experienced.....Now I just hope we can afford them! With the weather and cold, we will probably wait till this spring though....
Angela
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Leesa
Weanling
Cisco de Mayo - Kiger Stallion
Posts: 80
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Post by Leesa on Nov 17, 2008 7:39:56 GMT -5
Tiffany & Angela,
Good luck to you both. Hope you find good trainers and have lost of fun learning and then driving your horses. Angela, I don't know where you are located so this may sound like a dumb question but why can't you start training your horse from the ground now and then by spring you might be ready to introduce the cart?
Leesa
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Post by fantasykiger on Dec 11, 2008 15:18:52 GMT -5
I have been training my horses to ground drive and will probably continue to do so, just in case. But that wrench I mentioned before that might mess up my plans, well I got a big wrench thrown in. The husband has not worked in 4 weeks, a horse was badly hurt requiring 19 stitches to put the skin back on her head and it's the holidays no money will be spent for lessons or a harness. It would be darn depressing but we did get all the hay in for winter to feed the horses and for the first time I am training my own horses. I have started Princess my pintaloosa back undersaddle after she had a year and a half off from being trained with a professional trainer as a 3 yr old. It took me that long to get the confidence to ride a green horse. Now it is like starting over, I am really enjoying myself. So the driving will have to wait.
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