Breaking a pony to drive

[equestriansports]

Hi! My pony is currently off work and will be for quite some time whilst I get a saddle sorted for him. He takes everything in his stride, a bomb could go off and he's still be more interested in eating. He's very chubby, can feel ribs but still much larger than I'd like. Whilst I'm trying to get a saddle made I don't want to just leave him piling pounds on but I also don't want to lunge the absolute life out of him. I take him on walks in hand and do some ground work but I'm struggling to get the weight off without riding him. Today I had this bright idea of breaking him to drive. I've never driven before so would obviously enlist the help of a professional, the only problem is I have no idea where to look? He can be very nervous of new people at first so I'd like to really take my time doing it so it can be a good experience for both of us. He's a proper cob, built like a tank and has a back like a table. How much realistically would it cost for the harness, lessons etc? How long on average does it take to break to drive? He responds really well to the voice when ridden and lunging. Also, can I use a snaffle for this? He has a really soft mouth and I would like to keep it that way. Sorry for all the questions, just would like some info

 

[Equi]

Ride bareback. works wonders for your own riding skills!

 

[equestriansports]

Ride bareback. works wonders for your own riding skills!

Ive sat on him bareback a couple of times and he really objected to it. I'm not sure if he doesn't like my weight through small pressure points or what, but lets just say we parted ways haha.

 

[pennyturner]

You can get cheap harness for under £100, and a cheap cart for about twice that, second hand. BUT (underlined, bold) it's very easy to buy something that doesn't fit, rubs, or is otherwise unfit for purpose, and as a novice you have zero chance of getting it right by anything other than dumb luck.

You need to get hold of some good books (e.g. Breaking a horse to harness by Sally Walrond), and find someone locally who knows what they're doing to advise you.

Driving is fab, and your pony sounds suitable, but you will need some knowledgable help.

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

Hi! My pony is currently off work and will be for quite some time whilst I get a saddle sorted for him. He takes everything in his stride, a bomb could go off and he's still be more interested in eating. He's very chubby, can feel ribs but still much larger than I'd like. Whilst I'm trying to get a saddle made I don't want to just leave him piling pounds on but I also don't want to lunge the absolute life out of him. I take him on walks in hand and do some ground work but I'm struggling to get the weight off without riding him. Today I had this bright idea of breaking him to drive. I've never driven before so would obviously enlist the help of a professional, the only problem is I have no idea where to look? He can be very nervous of new people at first so I'd like to really take my time doing it so it can be a good experience for both of us. He's a proper cob, built like a tank and has a back like a table. How much realistically would it cost for the harness, lessons etc? How long on average does it take to break to drive? He responds really well to the voice when ridden and lunging. Also, can I use a snaffle for this? He has a really soft mouth and I would like to keep it that way. Sorry for all the questions, just would like some info

My pony was an exception she took 8 months so that is the minimum. What you can do in the meantime is long rein him till you find someone. This is what happened to me I was desperate for my pony to do something as hubby kept going on and on about her not working, now he shuts up about it and depending on her bloods she will start again in the carriage. It is great fun doing it, you need to find a trainer so check out local magazines or go onto the driving website. Here http://www.britishcarriagedriving.co.uk/introduction/have_a_go.htm

no you cannot drive in a snaffle you must have a correctly fitting driving snaffle

What county are you in???

my pony on a fund raising for SPANA

 

[ofcourseyoucan]

yes you can drive in a snaffle. please don't buy really cheap harness .. you will just have to buy better as you get into it. look for 2nd hand zilco, rene schoop, tedman. dragon driving has harness for sale and carriages. as he has already got steering and brakes, and is reliable to ride (?) you should be able to long rein in harness fr a couple of weeks then either pull a tyre or into a buggy fairly soon. he will dictate how fast you get him in the buggy. good luck its great fun. what area are you in?

 

[Sgathach]

My advice is keep learning. I did it the bad and naive way; got a cheap harness, longreined, got a cheap cart, pulled that twice, horse was fine. Then realised how bad cart was the more I learned. Uneven, unbalanced, unsafe. Realised harness is cheap and plasticky. It will be a long time before i can afford a proper cart but at least I know what to look for till then, and in the meantime I started helping as a backstepp with a lovely lady and learning more. Also volunteering at driving events got me talking to a lot of folks.
Its great fun and pony does really well in longreining and when I do have a carriage I will be asking an experienced driver to start pony off in carriage.

Edited to add: we longrein in a normal snaffle