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  Discussion on Riding before driving, or other way around
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Member:
erika

Posted on Saturday, Mar 17, 2007 - 5:12 pm:

Cleo, my coming four-year-old is in training for a little more finishing up under saddle. I asked the trainer if she could start her in harness for light driving also. She said that she would never train a horse to drive until it is well under way with riding because it will ruin their self carriage.

I have had a horse that I bought for driving, then trained it for riding--no problem. And I also trained my last filly to drive at about the same time as we were working on riding. No problem there either.

This is the first horse I've paid to have trained. She got some basics last year at a trainer who did lots of ground work and trail riding. He does police horse training and used similar methods to get her backed and going out on trails.

The current trainer works more in the ring with longeing and English Pleasure type riding. She works with a lot of show horses, mainly Arabians and Saddlebreds.

Now my question is for all you higher level riders/trainers: do you see a problem with a horse learning to drive before it is "finished" under saddle?
Member:
amara

Posted on Saturday, Mar 17, 2007 - 5:21 pm:

poor training in either discipline will ruin a horse's self carriage...

a lot of people like to get a horse started driving first because it can make the riding part easier-the horse is more used to "stuff"... i've done it and never ruined a horse's self carriage...

improper bitting,harness, carriage or training is what ruins the self carriage...not whether riding or driving comes first...
Member:
ajudson1

Posted on Saturday, Mar 17, 2007 - 5:30 pm:

Erika,

Don't think I am close to being a higher level trainer or rider but I want to comment on a few things:

When do you consider a horse "finished"? Training is a life long process, and I think the more things a horse is exposed to and taught to do, the better rounded the horse will be physically and emotionally. Of course that don't mean throw everything at the horse at once!

I think that a horse taught to drive first would be better at self carriage as the horse gets muscled up from the work of pulling something. Plus you can teach so much from the ground! (well, some people can, I don't have my horses doing airs above the ground in the long lines, not on purpose anyhow, grin)

I've never actually had a horse in full harness pulling something, just long line work myself. I wonder if maybe she is used to being focused on having a horse ready for the show ring, and thinks the driving will put the horse behind schedule?

I am curious too as to what others think of your question.
Member:
mrose

Posted on Sunday, Mar 18, 2007 - 12:37 am:

A lot of people train young horses to drive before they are old enough to be trained under saddle. The two best trained horses I think I ever had were driven before they were under saddle. It is a great way to build muscle, get them used to stuff away from home, etc. You wouldn't want to over do, esp. driving on pavement as you wouldn't want to hurt their legs or feet.

If this trainer is used to Arabians and Saddlebreds, I wonder if she thinks of driving as the pleasure driving you see at shows, where the horse is really bitted up and is high stepping like a park horse? If so, I think I could see what she's talking about.

I'm talking about ground driving, then driving in a jog cart or something similar, much more relaxed than the park horse version. I suspect that is the type of driving you're talking about also.
Member:
erika

Posted on Sunday, Mar 18, 2007 - 12:10 pm:

Well Sara, I am talking about the same thing...light two wheeler with 48" wheels--I could easily pull it myself.

I've seen this trainer teach my friend's Friesian driving. His head is down and nicely held, not cranked up like a park horse. The Friesian is almost two years into professional training (another story!), and just began driving.

Melissa, I too have mostly seen driving first. Just wondered if anyone had any insight as to why she wouldn't do it.

Yeah, Angie, I agree "never finished". For lack of other words, when I said finishing, I just meant more reinforcement and consistency in her responses. Cleo was only at the police-type trainer for a couple of weeks last winter before she got strangles and had to simply hang out and recuperate. We just did a little trails for the summer.

I don't do winter well, so she was just standing here burning hay and I thought she would benefit from being worked.

This new trainer has beautiful, light hands and tends to turn out very light and responsive horses. Cleo was still a bit slow to respond to cues for me, and a bit stubborn sometimes. I knew there was no way I'd be out in the cold often enough to improve her.

I do want her to drive. It is something I can do with non-horsy people--like my husband. She's a pretty docile filly and I think she would be easy to train to it. I guess I'll just do it myself when she comes home this spring.

As always, thanks for all your input.
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