Four in hand - first try

[pennyturner]

We have just taken four ponies down the estate as a four in hand for the very first time. I am pleased to report that nobody died, though there was some serious wonkiness, due to driver looking at her hands, rather than keeping an eye on all of the horses whilst adjusting the reins. A very sensitive leader kept over-reacting to me trying to straighten the wheelers, and I'm so used to driving two that I didn't notice right away.

Ponies were very patient, as were the grooms, though at times all were pretty confused. Kudos to anyone out there who can make driving four look easy. It most certainly isn't!

 

[JustKickOn]

Picture of them all next time please! I've never tried driving but it looks so interesting!!

 

[Supertrooper]

I'd love to have a go at driving but would stick to just the one ����. I love watching the extreme driving at Olympia xx

 

[Destario]

Once and it was terrifying. The lady I drive with made it look so easy when we borrowed a friend's team! I get stressed driving the pair, think I'll stick to singles and backstepping for now.

Very well done! Did you use different colour reins for the leaders and wheelers? I can't get my head around how much slack there must be to take in with a horse team, there's so much with a pony team!

 

[respectedpony driver]

Well done,I have only driven a single and that is brilliant.I have groomed for a team once.it was fantastic.

 

[Leo Walker]

I'm impressed! I've yet to take my one and only out, the thought of 4 mind boggling! :lol:

 

[PorkChop]

I'm also very impressed, well done

 

[rara007]

Well done 👍🏼

 

[varkie]

Fantastic!

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

Well done!
Having done pony singles and pairs many years ago - and once had control of a unicorn of Connies for a very short while - I take my hat off to you pennyturner
Whats the plans with them later in the year, is this for fun/pleasure or are you competing ?
Hope things carry on well for you

 

[Rowreach]

I'd have been tied up in knots! I've driven singles at home and done a fair amount of competitive backstabbing, which I loved. Hoping to get back into it, but not with four! Very brave of you

Hahaha brilliant autocorrect, that should read "backstepping" obviously

 

[pennyturner]

Duke (my steadfast near side wheeler) won't be going out again for a little while, as he was gelded this morning. I feel a bit of a Judas.

With luck he'll be back in harness in a couple of weeks, and we'll be able to try again. In the meanwhile, I have some small adjustment to make -my team bar attachment is awkward, and I lack leader trace carriers. I will also do a bit of work getting my near side leader up to his work in a pair. He was 'going along' with it, rather than pulling, and my whip was too short to do much about it. He's a bit of a coaster in a pair, but it was much worse with 3 others doing his work for him.

I also might spend a few more hours watching Barry's videos, as it seems to me that the hardest thing is actually watching all four at the same time, and noticing who is doing what!

 

[rara007]

Make sure you don't get him so forwards he's actually pulling on the traces At this stage of rein handling its safest to have them always out of draft rather than in. (Especially as I expect your wheelers don't actually 'need' the help uphills?). Are you going coachman or 2 handed? Buckles or clamps? For a cheap whip for a backstepper to use convert a fishing line!

ETA. If you want cheap you can get 'normal' bungies for trace carrriers, if not the ideal elasticated ones are nice

 

[pennyturner]

Make sure you don't get him so forwards he's actually pulling on the traces At this stage of rein handling its safest to have them always out of draft rather than in. (Especially as I expect your wheelers don't actually 'need' the help uphills?). Are you going coachman or 2 handed? Buckles or clamps? For a cheap whip for a backstepper to use convert a fishing line!

ETA. If you want cheap you can get 'normal' bungies for trace carrriers, if not the ideal elasticated ones are nice

Thanks Rara.

One of my leaders is very forward, and was effectively pulling the carriage single handed, with just a little help from everyone else, which isn't ideal. That does mean that I could probably have got away with just steering him (his partner was behind the reins anyway!), the wheelers would have followed (too lazy to overtake), and it might have worked better!

Top tip on the trace carriers. I wasn't going to elasticate them, but actually bunjees would be better.

 

[ester]

Sounds like that's the leader you need to be having words with and tell him to stop pretending to be a wheeler
can't believe we didn't get pics! Next time thanks

 

[rara007]

Sounds like you might need a bit of a fiddle with the rein +/- trace length? Hard to see without a video from on the grond but it's likely you need to come in a good few holes on the leaders? It's imperative the leaders are not pulling around corners especially when you start venturing onto the roads for obvious reasons. Are your leader reins couplings stitched or are they buckles? Obviously you need to make sure the softer contact pony can still reach into the contact and it will only be a quick fix. Our exercise harness leader reins are stitched though. If he's a really strong puller you can literally take the traces off to see if that helps him chill but it's likely to unbalance the hand as obviously the other leader is not so into the contact (and neither do you want it to be!). Can you swap him back to wheel while you're just starting up? The other option if he has a big enough bit is a lunge line to a backstepper to half halt.....You'll probably find once he realises you do indeed just want him to carry the traces and relax he will slot right in but it's one of the hardest issues to fix in a leader. TBH we've always ended up with that sort in wheel.

 

[DanceswithCows]

What breed are we talking here so i can picture it? Cant wait to try four in hand one day...

 

[pennyturner]

Right. So: Reins are coachman. Fast leader is forward, but not strong. No issue with getting him out of draft. He has a mouth like butter, as do they all (rubber bits all round). I might need to hold him more than I did. At the time I was just happy to be going forward!

14hh NF in the wheel, with 13hh NF and Welsh in front, very closely coupled to both the carriage and each other (leaders are using their ordinary pair traces, and the wheelers are only just small enough for the pole), so I should be able to reach slow leader with a slightly longer lash. One thing I was very happy with was that we didn't have any issues with bum biting or kicking - especially considering 3 out of 4 were entire.

I didn't use clamps, but it might help. Hellish difficult keeping all the reins in the right order, although I was getting better, especially when I ran the leader reins through my right, in front of my left, which gave me instant separation, and felt natural, as it's the same move I would carry out when passing the reins from one hand to the other, with a single or pair.

Leader reins are stitched - I made them myself from 2 single sets I didn't use.

 

[rara007]

Maybe it's the traces then? It's about 3 foot longer you'd expect your leader traces to be for that size so I'm surprised you got that out of pair traces? I definitely advise a fishing rod or telescopic whip for the backstepper unless you're very confident wrapping the lash back up and have a holly type whip (a smooth whip wont 'catch' it, they're taped at the bottom- shh!) Even then an extendable whip gives you much more control than just a general flick unless you're a genius and you have the luxury of coach height seating! You can get someone to use it from the floor circling too so they can see the balance themselves (or if your wheelers are too sharp to have it overhead) but we find it easier from top step unless the wheelers silly strong! You can't afford to lean forwards at all (you'll drop your wheelers) and with so much 'else' going on it's tricky. I know I can't do it effectively!

 

[Dave's Mam]

Think I will stick to one! Rather jealous Pennyturner!

 

[pennyturner]

Traces much too short then. Only 3 inches longer than normal. That said, my 14hh's can easily see over their little leaders!
Wheelers are anything but sharp (I feel like an on-board cannon might be useful at times as a pair), so using a whip over them isn't a problem.
I have a long whip which I use for the governess car, which might just reach the leaders' bums.
Don't have a backstepper that I'd trust with a whip (grooms were 4 co-opted teenagers). I tend to pick it up out of the holder as and when I need it, which I know is bad, but means I'm used to grabbing it quickly. It generally it doesn't get used much - I grab it more often to keep it out of trees than anything

 

[ester]

Traces def short it sounds like you are trying to rival the coupling arrangements of the World Cup indoor driving some of home have their leader ponies quite tight to their comparatively giant wheelers!

 

[pennyturner]

Other than biting/kicking, why is close coupling a problem? I thought it would help me, reducing the rein yardage. They're no closer than they would happily ride out together.

 

[rara007]

Lack of being able to articulate, struggling to get that sweet spot where leaders are not in draft, risk of bars up the bum (even the best non kicker will get flustered if it happens enough!), wheelers forelimbs over traces/bars, wheelers rubbing bridles/blinkers on bums, risk of wheelers stepping on leaders heels. Better too long than too short, in short