How to try driving

TreeDog

TreeDog

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I think I'd like to try driving with my horse, just for fun not competitively, but don't really know where to start. There's Ashfields Carriage club near me so I'm going to see if I can get some lessons there, does anyone know what they're like? I don't want to spend loads while I'm how my horse will get on with it either, so have been trying to find a second hand harness to fit 15.2hh without much luck but I've seen cheap sets on ebay for about £70. I'm always wary of buying cheap rubbish on ebay but are these any good just for having a go, before I shell out on something better?

We don't have a school big enough to pull a cart in, though we do have a field used for jumping in summer that I might be able to use for training. But generally most driving would have to be on a road, how do people find that? Is it too dangerous? We have a single track lane I could go on but I worry about getting out of the way for cars as there aren't many passing places. The main road can be busy and people often speed so not sure how relaxing that would be either!
 
I think Minta does the novice lessons as ashfields and she's always come across as very lovely to me so I think that would be a good start for you.

As for harness are you on the local/national facebook groups people tend to sell a fair bit on those.

How small is your school, you might be surprised what you can do even in a smaller space. Roads very much depend on location, single tracks certainly aren't ideal.

(I don't drive, I have been co-opted as backstep and have been lucky enough to drive another hhoers ponies :) ).
 
I really dont like driving or being a passenger on a trap I dont feel s close enough to the horse to be in control. However OH loves it he has never really been a rider so doesn't have the same feelings as a former rider can have. Get good lessons they are not cheap but well worth it as a novice driver with a novice horse isnt exactly ideal anyway
 
ester said:
I think Minta does the novice lessons as ashfields and she's always come across as very lovely to me so I think that would be a good start for you.

As for harness are you on the local/national facebook groups people tend to sell a fair bit on those.

How small is your school, you might be surprised what you can do even in a smaller space. Roads very much depend on location, single tracks certainly aren't ideal.

(I don't drive, I have been co-opted as backstep and have been lucky enough to drive another hhoers ponies :) ).
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Thanks, I'll definitively try Ashfields to get a feel for it then :) our school is smaller than 20x40, might be 15x30ish. If I don't get as far as pulling a cart it might at least be useful to learn to pull a harrow round the school! I've tried Facebook marketplace but not found much that's near me, I'll join the local pages and see if I have more luck :)
 
There’s a ODE at the end of the month at Ashfields you could go and watch (or even steward!). Have some lessons and go from there :) 15x30 would be too small to ‘really’ drive my 15.2 in beyond just going round the edge but he’s quite forwards and big striding so you might find it’s ok :)
Ps. If you just want backstepping/grooming/harnessing up exposure I’m always happy for any help and depending where you are I might not be too far away. I do all my work in fields at the moment.
 
Get some lessons before worrying about harnesses for yours, and I would snap Raras hands off!

When you are ready to think about driving your own, you will then have some contacts to help you out. Dont waste money on cheap harness. Look for a zilco one. You can pick them up for about £200 second hand. They hold their value so you wont lose money if its not for you, and you can swap out the parts to get a perfect fit.

As for driving itself I use a small school occasionally, drive in the field and on the road. The school is about 20 x 30 and its fine. We practice cone set ups and bits of dressage tests in there. Mine is a bit smaller at 14.1hh though, but its still fine for basic use. A jump field would be ideal for driving though. I drive in the fields dodging alpacas, ponies, water pipes and electric fencing and its fine.

Im not a fan of driving on the road tbh. Needs must for me as my little chubby pony cob isnt a naturally fit or athletic creature! I find cars see you as a vehicle and tend to respect you more than a ridden horse, but the downside of that is they can forget that its a horse with a mind of its own and try and squeeze past you. Get a hat cam and a great big sign saying you are recording and that backs people off. You also need to learn to drive defensively and own the road. If I'm going down a narrow lane or passing rows of cars I will postion us so that there isnt enough room to try and squeeze past. I am also very careful to pull over and let people past whenever possible.

I find 99.9% of people are great and tend to get quite excited when they see you
 
windand rain said:
I really dont like driving or being a passenger on a trap I dont feel s close enough to the horse to be in control. However OH loves it he has never really been a rider so doesn't have the same feelings as a former rider can have. Get good lessons they are not cheap but well worth it as a novice driver with a novice horse isnt exactly ideal anyway
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Its funny as I love driving but really hate backstepping, and can tolerate being a passenger up front but I dont enjoy it!
 
Have a go. If you like it you will be hooked! My Highland and I do driving hacking on tracks and fields, rarely on the roads now though he is good as gold. My best investment was six weeks of proper training for pony and sometimes self, making us happy and confident.
 
Join a driving club and start by going to their events, there should be lots of people around to encourage and teach you. But you always need two people to go out with on the roads.
 
I was pleasantly surprised by the nylon harnesses on eBay when I ordered one to get the youngster used to wearing it. I’ve actually stuck with it instead of the posh set for everyday use - very bright colours, but surprisingly durable and cheap enough to swap out pieces for perfect fit.

We drive on the roads, having broken him to harness in the field. I find drivers worse with the trap than I do on my ridden horse, but that may be because it’s easier to just pull over ridden so cars aren’t near us for long enough to be a problem. Definitely drive defensively if you do get to driving on the road, cars regularly attempt to squeeze past us and it can be hard to manage if there isn’t room to get off the road. I taught my boy to reverse in harness (very doable in our exercise cart, I’m not sure how doable it would be with a carriage) and that makes life much easier. Admittedly, mine is a 12.2hh ride and drive with a very light cart, so he’s much generally very easy to manoeuvre and bombproof in traffic - an absolute must for driving on the road.
 
D66 said:
Have some lessons first, you may find you dont like the distance between horse and control mechanism! Wait until you can drive confidently before investing in training horse, and acquiring harness and carriage
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This! I hate driving, I was so nervous when my friend took me out that I asked her to stop so that I could get off.
 
ester said:
I've watched a lot of jack knifes in tests? unless you have a turntable brake (well they start too anyway so would be hopeless on a road as a functional manouvere.)
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Oh I get what you mean now, you mean they dont go back straight, when you were saying jack knife I was imaging lorries bent in half sort of jack knife. I wouldnt ever go back on the road so its not something I've ever thought about. If you want to go on the road with a carriage you need to drive defensively and plan ahead. I'm quite happy to pull over and do if anyone is stuck behind me, but I wouldnt be backing up for anyone.
 
Leo Walker said:
Oh I get what you mean now, you mean they dont go back straight, when you were saying jack knife I was imaging lorries bent in half sort of jack knife. I wouldnt ever go back on the road so its not something I've ever thought about. If you want to go on the road with a carriage you need to drive defensively and plan ahead. I'm quite happy to pull over and do if anyone is stuck behind me, but I wouldnt be backing up for anyone.
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Lol! I’ve had mine ‘bent in half sort of jack knife’ many times! One of the perils of a 4 wheeler.
 
Leo Walker said:
Rein back is part of the driven driving test even at the lowest levels so its definitely possible to teach them.
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Interesting, I’ve never had proper lessons (taught by an elderly farmer quite some years ago) but had been told you weren’t meant to reverse in certain vehicles by someone. Glad to see I’m not driving in as gung-ho a fashion as I’d thought!
 
The only dressage turnover I’ve seen was a rein back in a 2 wheeler! The horse kind of jackknifed himself... With a single horse, 4 wheeler and no turntable brake it’s pretty tricky to not jackknife going any distance. This is my first year with a turntable brake!
 
I was amazed when I found out turntable brakes were a thing. I'm awful at using my brake full stop but thats definitely a time I would use it!

Mines got a stop on it, so it only allows it to bend round so far. Enough to be a terrible rein back but not enough to get stuck or tip over, not at a walk anyway
 
Talism4n said:
Interesting, I’ve never had proper lessons (taught by an elderly farmer quite some years ago) but had been told you weren’t meant to reverse in certain vehicles by someone. Glad to see I’m not driving in as gung-ho a fashion as I’d thought!
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Theres people who still say you shouldnt canter a horse in harness so you have to be careful who you listen to. Rara and KK are two of the people you can always listen to though
 
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