Driving people, a few questions.

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LauraWheeler

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I am currently breaking Merryn to drive and had a couple of questions I thought someone on here may be able to help me with.

Firstly i'm not shore what sort of driving bit to get. There seems to be so many diffrent types and i don't know what they all do :o He's ridden in a full cheek french link if that helps.

Also where is a good place to look for a cart? I'm keeping an eye out on NFED (my local website), Ebay and dragon driving but is there anywhere else worth keeping an eye out. I just want a two wheel excercise cart to begin with.

Thanks for any help you can give.

Here are afew pics from yesterday when he first tryed out his blinkered bridle. He wasn't bothered at all we did alittle inhand walk and then today I rode him out in it again he wasn't bothered at all :D.





 
Thanks the whole harness is blue and the reins are gold. Hopefully he'll look smart. Didn't fancy cleaning a leather harness lol. Good idea re wanted ad. I thought I wouldn't need to think about a cart for a while but he seems to be taking it all in his stride, I should have expected that realy Merryn is just so layed back and just excepts everything.
 
Good website to look at would be British carriagedriving - website and also the group on Facebook. The bit question is like a piece of string- depends what your horse likes! The traditional would be a straight bar Liverpool. You could also look at a Mullen mouth Liverpool as a nice comfy driving bit to try. Getting the bitting right is crucial in driving since that your main connection so many drivers play about till they find the bit that pony is happiest with.
 
Thanks for that jtriebs i'll take a look. :D Also will have a play with bits, maybe someone local may have some I can try if I ask nicely. From what I've seen the driving comunity seems nice :)
 
Thanks thats good to know. I thought you had to drive in a special bit. we are only planning to amble round the forest. Nothing fancy or fast. Even when riding Merryn and I hardly get out of walk. lol.
 
Fools Motto said:
Love the blue!! Sorry can't help re driving stuff, but maybe put a 'wanted' ad on NFED for an exercise gig?
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^^this^^ plus word of mouth, as it's amazing what turns up when you put the word out, and it's usually more local than ebay!

The nice thing about carriage bits is that they're designed to have different rein positions for different horses, so you can get, say, a mullen mouthed liverpool, and try with / without the curb until you and he are happy.

Mine all drive best in straight bar bits, despite being ridden in various snaffles. I have a barely used lozenge mouthed liverpool hanging in the tackroom if you're interested - tried it, and went back to straight bar.
 
Thanks pennyturner I've put the word out. I do normaly find thats the best way to get things and as you say often you find what you want just up the road. What size is the bit you have. (I assume he'll need the same size as his ridden bit)

Holly Hocks i'm so lucky to live where I do. Streight out our gate onto the open forest. I love it. :D Loads of cycle tracks around us so it's going to be great for driving.
 
The bit I have is 5 1/4 inch (just been to measure it). It's a fixed mouth liverpool with 3-slot white metal sides and a double jointed mouthpiece in yellow alloy with a lozenge. There are hooks for a curb, but no chain.
 
Love the blue too. No need to use any other type of bit if Merryn goes well in what he has.
You have donkeys too, do you drive any, I guess not, or you would not be asking about driving. Why not train them to drive too?

Anyhow, good place to look for a carriage, there used to be a fantastic website, but I can't remember it's name or find it now. Sorry, this post is useless to you.
 
I think Herbies bit is 4.5inch he takes a pony headcoller to. Merryn on the otherhand is known as MrAnvil head. He takes a cob size headcoller and that's only just big enough :o He also wears a 5ft9 rug. When he came to me and was very very overweight he wore a 6ft3 rug.

Moana the donkeys arn't mine. I live in the new forest and they are grazed out on the forest. They appeared again today while I was longreining Merryn. I think they want to be mine ;)
 
Moana, are you thinking of carriagelink? I think they're still going.
Then there's the carriage auction in Reading 4 times a year. Next one is November.
 
Have broken all mine in a straight bar Liverpool as they are so adaptable. Started off on first bar plus curb chain. Gives you lots of brakes out on the road if you need them. Then depending on how pony reacts and as his/your experience develops you can adjust it accordingly. All of mine were eventually driven on soft cheek with no curb. When you start your pony on the road you really can't afford to take any more risks than you have too.
Do you have a local BDS branch? People there might be the ones to ask about vehicle as they will probably have contacts in the know and will be able to advise you about the best sort to start off with. Like with a saddle, it is important that your vehicle fits your pony correctly.
 
I allways use a straight bar liverpool on my fjord. I learned the hard way not fun with bolting pony and no breaks. I ride my mare in a french linc fulmer snaffle but I would never drive now in anything but a liverpool.
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Thanks daughters groom will check out BDS and see where there is one local.

soltydog your fjord is georgous. How scary, pony bolting with a cart. I don't think Merryn would put the effort into bolting, it's effort for him to get out of walk lol. All the same I don't fancy the risk so will deff find him a driving bit.
 
That is true DanceswithCows, but some bits give you more control than others.
Ponies are animals with minds of there own and if one chooses to truly bolt there is little you can do.
If I thought Merryn would bolt I would never drive him :)
 
No horse is immune from bolting, it's always a chance you take whether you ride, drive or just lead. I'm not sure bits do give more control: "the biggest bit you'll ever have is the one in their minds". Personally, I wouldn't take the chance driving a horse that needed a 'strong' bit to be controlled. For me, 'big' bits are merely so you can make the cues lighter, as with western riding. I'll happily use the biggest curb bit you can imagine, but that's just to make communication easier/more subtle, not to add control, the control is there before the bit goes in.
 
DanceswithCows said:
No horse is immune from bolting,
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you've not met Merryn. lol. He deff doesn't need a strong bit to be controlled. A rocket up his bum maybe. lol.
But bits do give you better control not from true bolting but some help raise the head, some help lower the head, some help with stearing ect so yes they do help with control to a certain extent.
I've ridden many true bolters and I know full well if a horse desides to go there is nothing you can do about it weather riding, driving or leading nomatter what tack they have on or what bit they have in.
 
I have been run off with in the carriage by a very scared / freaked out pony, howeve i dont think a driving horse is any more likely to bolt, especially if trained correctly.. But a bit is no substitute for experience and this pony now has a year more experience under his belt and doesnt get scared so easily.

That very same pony is now driving happily on the roads and competing in trials in a snaffle. Less is more in many cases, this pony was started in a liverpool but is back in a snaffle as i cannot find the same mouthpiece in a driving bit
Every horse is an individual. OP only you will know if your horse needs more than his usual snaffle :)

Either way, having fun is the priority :)
 
I agree that if a pony is a bolter and wants to bolt it will whatever is in its mouth. I was driving at the time with a snaffle, and a rubber one at that. The pony was attacked by two dogs running out of the driveway of a house we were passing.
1. If I I had a stronger bit the pony would not have taken off in such fear, as she is not a true bolter just very scared as she could not see them due to the blinkers and they attacked her legs.
2. she was green at that time and much more training has been done over the years, but she is still worried by strange dogs.
As it happened to me I would allways advise to drive in a liverpool, you can always move back down to a wilson snaffle one the horse/pony has more experience. A runaway horse with a cart attached is a very scarey prospect. x
 
I've had several horses 'run away'. Only once was I unfortunate enough to have a proper bolt, and it was driving. NOTHING will stop a horse which is demented out of its mind in full bolt - except in my case a barbed wire fence which the carriage refused to jump.

A horse 'taking a hold' will be deterred by a stronger bit. One of my stallions gets a bit exciteable going through town, so he goes on the bar to give me more control when he decides to do his dragon impersonation. I have others who drive soft cheek (straight bar snaffle action), and would be hurt by a curb action. For them the stronger bit might well contribute to panic, and make a bad situation worse.

BTW, a wilson snaffle is not a gentle bit. Depending how it is attached it can pinch something aweful. Ask my shetland - if he could have spit it out and stamped on it, he would!
 
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