Driving experience? Wonder whether I need a pro!

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fattylumpkin

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www.thestoryofhorses.com
My horse was broken to harness as a two year old and trained to race with a sulky until she was five. She's now ten and hasn't driven at all in the intervening years. I've long reined her in harness around the local countryside and she's a good girl, a bit fizzy and excited, but other than a bit of jogging she goes/does as she's told. I'd love to buy a rockard and drive out with her, just something that gives both her and me a bit of variety and fun. It's even possible to run with a sleigh here given that everything is under snow for 5 months of the year and that's more preferable to me as it's less work for her joints and I can bundle up warm in the sleigh.

There's just one big problem though! I have no experience at all of driving a horse. I've got people on hand who've shown me how the harness works, how to hitch up, and I've driven a few times with YO's shetlands, but that's about the extent of my knowledge and experience.

Is it enough that I send myself on a few driving courses and afterwards handle re-training her on my own, or would it be better to send her to a driving school for a month and follow along?
 
I found myself in a similar situation, never having driven but owning a pony that had been broken to drive some six years previously and then used as a riding pony. I booked myself one lesson with a BDS instructor on her own pony (who behaved appallingly!) and then she came out to help me set up the carriage and see how my pony drove. And that was pretty much it because I had the enormous advantage that the pony was an utter star, even remembering things like reversing and turning the outfit in its own length.
 
What you need to do is find out the pitfalls and how to be safe, and things to avoid. Why don't you go for a lesson and discuss it with the instructor? I suppose they are going to say "bring the horse here" as they will be charging you, but it might be money well spent. Do you have driving clubs in Sweden? If so, find out your nearest and go along and ask for advice.
 
The sulkie has no breeching ie no brakes, this is the difference, so you need to start again and get her used to using the breeching to slow the vehicle. Sulkie racing is not driving in the conventional sense.
 
As a racer, i'd be interested to see if she's in the habit of putting her tongue over the bit.
This can lead to problems driving if she does :)
 
She doesn't do that thankfully, though I'm planning to be careful of what I do with her mouth. There are certain practices here, like strapping down the tongue with a leather band (to prevent the horse swallowing it) which she has almost certainly experienced.
 
fattylumpkin said:
Thanks everyone, looks like I'd better start with some lessons so I have an idea of what I'm even dealing with!
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I think Sally Waldron has written a good book on driving, you need to learn the parts of the harness and the functions, saves a lot of time.
The sulkies are designed for racing and they are very light and simple, the horse pushes on the breast collar / collar
http://www.dragondriving.co.uk/harness6.php
 
Brontie said:
As a racer, i'd be interested to see if she's in the habit of putting her tongue over the bit.
This can lead to problems driving if she does :)
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I have driven in normal bits, and the only thing is that I would always use one with cheekpieces if there was any doubt about their temperament, but making a good mouth is down to breaking in properly, driving or riding it is the same process.
A lot of people use butterfly bits for good driving ponies, if you use anything like a liverpool bit use a piece of tubing between the parts, to stop reins getting trapped.
Lots of pictures on SCDA and BDS sites. Go along to a competition early and you will find people to advise and answer Qs
 
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fattylumpkin said:
She doesn't do that thankfully, though I'm planning to be careful of what I do with her mouth. There are certain practices here, like strapping down the tongue with a leather band (to prevent the horse swallowing it) which she has almost certainly experienced.
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Swallowing the tongue is not likely when driving at normal speeds, hopefully you will not be sprinting. What could be a problem is asking for a walk and a halt, as they will have been trained on a track and used to trotting only, not walking or cantering. Also they will not know "back" with the breeching, you MUST make sure they know about this as they might panic if they feel something tight around the bum.
I turned my yearling out in the arena with all harness on [not bridle], she bucked once or twice and that was all, lots of long reining in the harness, this is essential. Three weeks of this even with an experienced horse, to get you working as a team. Do not waffle on, the horse MUST be waiting for your next command, he relies on you, and you on him.
Voice commands are essential, as you actually are very dependent on working together, more so that riding, so practice the commands and make sure she learns "walk on" means just that, and trot on and so on, I don't know what commands they use but it is essential to find out and stick to them, the horse will know them already, but he will have been absolutely forbidden to canter, you may or may not get over this, but better to stick to walk and trot at the beginning.
 
Many driving people start this way. (myself included). If you are confident, and your horse is sensible, there's no reason why you shouldn't do fine. You've already gained a bit of experience and knowledge, and some contacts to help with any questions that arise. Do read Sally Walrond's 'Breaking a Horse to Harness', and enlist a friend to help when you put to. Find somewhere quiet to drive the first time and have fun.

Do make sure he's 100% in traffic before you go on the road with a cart attached!
 
Huge thankyou for all the insight Bonkers2 :) she's definitely not used to having either a breastcollar or a breeching strap, so the first time she felt that was a bit exciting for her. We're also having to relearn voice commands from the ground up since her formers trainers used noises rather than words and for the life of me I can't get the sounds to come out the same way (I can't roll my R's). I suppose I'll just have to go to a driving school and educate myself before deciding how to tackle all the various problems!
 
fattylumpkin said:
Huge thankyou for all the insight Bonkers2 :) she's definitely not used to having either a breastcollar or a breeching strap, so the first time she felt that was a bit exciting for her. We're also having to relearn voice commands from the ground up since her formers trainers used noises rather than words and for the life of me I can't get the sounds to come out the same way (I can't roll my R's). I suppose I'll just have to go to a driving school and educate myself before deciding how to tackle all the various problems!
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Yes, I would do that, take notes. so recall the order of work, I think the sounds are encouraging for go on and low pitched for slowing down, halt is essential, it is "stand at peace"!. When excited you cannot expect complete obedience, but when all is calm it is essential. Discipline. I have seen fit, International standard horses almost buzzing with anticipation, but they wait for the command, it is essential.
I make sure after exercise the horse is contained [eg in a shed, and remove the harness a bit at a time, walking away, and returning, so the horse learns to stand as you get on with your own bits and pieces. Obviously some will not be this type, but you can try.
Horses are very sensitive and will adapt, as long as you are consistent.
Always have an under headcollar, so that even if the bridle comes off [by accident or by forgetting], there is something to catch hold of, you never want a horse to take off with a carriage behind and no driver!
The horse needs to learn that the whip is for guidance, left or right, this will not be how it is used in racing.
 
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Please do get some lessons for yourself at the very least, and then if you decide not to send her away at least get someone knowledgeable to help at home with the first few drives. Many people do just try it and see, and many do get away with it, but having seen some pretty bad accidents with experienced drivers, I wouldn't risk either you or the horse - driving is fabulous when it goes right, but when it goes wrong it has the potential to go very very wrong, leaving the horse, yourself or bystanders seriously damaged. I would treat her as if she has never done it before and start from scratch - unless you have seen her in harness yourself there is no guarantee that she hasn't already had a bad experience, many drivers are sold on because they can no longer drive, but further down the line are advertised as "driven by previous owners but not with us". Please stay safe, hats and gloves are essential, then you can just enjoy the ride when the day comes! Good luck :-)
 
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