How difficult is it to learn to drive (a pony)

[Spangie]

hi.

A friend of mine has asked if i'd be interested in taking on her Welsh A (on loan) as they don't really have a use for him. He'd be a good companion for mine, as i was after something anyway. Thing is he's sound and only young, so i wondered if he would like a job??! Wondered how hard it is to learn to drive (both me and him) he long reins beautifully. I have no driving experience though. Where would you go for lessons and what sort of weight could he pull??

apologies for garbled questions!

 

[YasandCrystal]

I did exactly this with my 10hh falabella cross years ago. We had both never driven, but he showed an interest in the driven horses going past at the yard. I did loads of longreining. I bought one of those little pictoral guide books to driving. I bought a cheap import harness and got him used to wearing it all and me used to tacking him up. I was more scared than he ever was. He wouldn't take to the blinkers so I always just used an open bridle.
I got him dragging tyres and I tied the breeching straps up to the breast part of the harness to get him eto accept weight on the breeching straps (this is something many ponies freak at when the breeching strap stops the cart wheeling into them!).
The best piece of advice I was given was to teach the pony a word for left or right from the out set, like for example 'come by' to turn right and I used 'wordy' for left turn. It's also good to teach them to halt verbally - just repetition of the words when you ask for the turn etc. This is incase you should lose your reins etc.

He was as good as gold. I had someone assist me the first time the cart was attached, but again he took to it like a duck to water as did I and I drove him happily without incident for several years. Have fun!

 

[trickivicki]

easy (if you have a good instructor!!)

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

one of my liveries has just started to teach her young boy 4 to drive she gradually got him used to harness and long reining and dragging things behind him she has just bought a trap from robinsons for him . she doing it solo so far he is a 13.2 new forest pony

 

[NOISYGIRL]

I had a 12.2 welsh mountain pony, he LOVED it. I was too big for him so used to long rein him in just a bridle around where I used to ride him, through the village, over foot bridges, he really was what I would call bomb proof ! took to it like a duck to water, I bought a book, but was lucky to have a farrier who's wife competed, I went up there and she showed me how to harness up, had a little go round the village and that was that ! dragged a log behind him for a while, then the cart (my dad made) with me still walking behind, I got my harness from zilco, I think it was the first company to make synthetic harness. I used to drive him from Caerphilly where he was kept to my house in Tongwynlais, he loved it because people would look at him and he'd show off, he thought he was chocolate, liked it better than being ridden.

 

[lily1]

My daughter has taught our Section A mare to drive she did all the ground work over the winter long reining, dragging a tyre then this spring we bought an exercise cart and then had help from a friend that has been driving for years to hitch her to the cart and shes been no problem, we live in a quiet lane so practised road work she was a bit dodgy going over the drains but soon got over that.
Last weekend we took her to a show at Trinity Park in Ipswich and after her class we put her in the cart and went round the showground which was brilliant.

 

[lily1]

just downloaded a photo of Honey

 

[Spangie]

super photo. thank you so much for all your advice. is there any type of vehicle that's better than others, been looking on line (quite excited about prospect of this!!) and you can pick up 2 wheel exercise carts fairly reasonably!

how did people attach the tyres/logs??

 

[NOISYGIRL]

super photo. thank you so much for all your advice. is there any type of vehicle that's better than others, been looking on line (quite excited about prospect of this!!) and you can pick up 2 wheel exercise carts fairly reasonably!

how did people attach the tyres/logs??

I tied them to the traces, a tyre would prob be best and easier to tie, just make sure its even and not pulling more on 1 side than the other

 

[Brandy]

I have a pony that drives, she was very experienced in driving before I got her and was great for me to learn with. Not sure I would have liked to teach a youngster to drive with my own lack of experience though.

Its a fantastic job for a small pony though and lovely to go out round the lanes on a summers day. I would definitely invest in a good book, and maybe go for some lessons with a good instructor with an experienced pony.

The first time I drove my pony after a long break - several years, I took her out in long reins several times, then had a very experienced friend help me put her inthe cart for the first time. She is good as gold and was no problem thankfully!

 

[nightrider]

Invest in a Sallie Walrond book (she has written several) they are brilliant books. I am in the process of teaching my gypsy cob - I also rescued and taught my lovely little welsh sec A to drive, her books have been and still are a god send!

Also see if there is a driving club near you - I'm sure they would be happy to help you

Good luck

 

[lily1]

We bought our exercise cart on eBay it was new and very reasonably priced. Robinsons sell them in Shetland or section A size. Depending on your enthusiasm & budget I'm sure you will have great fun with whatever you choose. But do plenty of groundwork it may be boring but it's better to have a safe pony you can trust. I gave up riding 3 years ago when I lost my big horse & this has given me another interest & it is so stressless!

 

[Orangehorse]

Just take everything step by step and don't move on until the pony is 100% happy with what you are doing. Don't try and rush anything.

When you do eventually get hitched, never take a novice, fresh pony out onto the roads without first going round the fields to get some energy off them.

Do try and find a local driving club. I was at one last year and someone brought a young pony out and just long reined him round and about all the others ready hitched up and ready to move out on their ride and when they left the pony went back into the trailer.

 

[Molly'sMama]

sigh.I wish Molly was still driven , but I am reliably informed, she was bought as a quite expensive *proper* gypsy driving pony , but when they tried to harness her , she went mental.Obviously horrifically broken in I dont know what she would do if I tried with her again shes still terrified of crops , backs away if passing one from ground to rider and if she slows or doesnt listen , i literally have to tap the saddle or my leg. And she'll go. Its a long road but..we're getting there

 

[missponymad]

hi.

A friend of mine has asked if i'd be interested in taking on her Welsh A (on loan) as they don't really have a use for him. He'd be a good companion for mine, as i was after something anyway. Thing is he's sound and only young, so i wondered if he would like a job??! Wondered how hard it is to learn to drive (both me and him) he long reins beautifully. I have no driving experience though. Where would you go for lessons and what sort of weight could he pull??

apologies for garbled questions!

Its not difficult as long as you get taught properly, have the right equipment and the right facilities but my dad is breaking horses ponies at the moment it obviously depends where you live but he is using my pony that i have grown out of he is a bit bigger than your pony but he is going to give driving lessons on him. he is such a good boy my little sister drives and rides him and she's 9.
i will give you my dads website but you will have to type it in on google and type in westways carriage horses and it is probably the first or second link and my pony is on http://www.joyton.co.uk/gallery.htm if the link doesnt show up then type in on google Joyton Stud and click on the third one down and my pony is the second pony down called Joyton Daffyd Ap Gwylim.
Oh my dads yard is in hounslow near heathrow airport by the way forgot to mention that lol
send me a private message when you reply because other wise it gets comfusing