Skateboarding behind a horse

[AntiPuck]

For various reasons I unfortunately suspect my horse may not be cut out for a ridden career, which is a story for another thread.

However I saw a photo of Emma Massingale on an off-road skateboard being pulled along by one of her ponies and that looked really fun and like a good way to keep the exercise up without riding.

Has anyone tried this?

I'm wondering what sort of minimal kit I'd need to get started, as I know nothing about driving kit (or skateboards!).

And is there anything (perhaps lots of long-reining?) I could do to start prepping and testing out my horse's suitability for it?

 

[Red-1]

I didn't know it was a 'thing' until my insurance specified that it wasn't covered on renewal!

 

[SilverLinings]

If the horse's health problems don't preclude it from pulling you then it would probably be easier (and safer!) to break it to drive, there are some very light weight vehicles around these days and the wheels are larger than those of an off-road horse-board/skateboard so the load on the horse wouldn't be greater. Horseboarding looks great fun but I expect you would be quite limited where you could do it as I'm not sure insurance would cover you on the roads/in public places.

Otherwise Horseboarding UK has info:

Extreme Sports | Horseboarding Uk

'The phenomenon that is horseboarding' At the Races. Horseboarding is an extreme sport which combines horse riding and mountain boarding. Voted 'the sixth most extreme adventure sport in the world' by Travel Supermarket. A rider on a horse tows the boarder on an off road skateboard or ATB...

www.horseboardinguk.org

Horseboarding usually involves a rider to do the steering though, as your body shouldn't be attached to the horse and you can't hold on to traces plus steer with reins with any ease, and obviously can't be pulled by the horse's mouth. How did EM get round the lack of rider issue?

 

[AntiPuck]

If the horse's health problems don't preclude it from pulling you then it would probably be easier (and safer!) to break it to drive, there are some very light weight vehicles around these days and the wheels are larger than those of an off-road horse-board/skateboard so the load on the horse wouldn't be greater. Horseboarding looks great fun but I expect you would be quite limited where you could do it as I'm not sure insurance would cover you on the roads/in public places.

Otherwise Horseboarding UK has info:

Extreme Sports | Horseboarding Uk

'The phenomenon that is horseboarding' At the Races. Horseboarding is an extreme sport which combines horse riding and mountain boarding. Voted 'the sixth most extreme adventure sport in the world' by Travel Supermarket. A rider on a horse tows the boarder on an off road skateboard or ATB...

www.horseboardinguk.org

Horseboarding usually involves a rider to do the steering though, as your body shouldn't be attached to the horse and you can't hold on to traces plus steer with reins with any ease, and obviously can't be pulled by the horse's mouth. How did EM get round the lack of rider issue?

Interesting, thank you - horse boarding seems to be a bit different, though, as it looks like that involves a rider and a strap from the saddle.

I did think about breaking her for driving (or, rather, getting someone else to do it) but that is limited to the roads, is it not? I prefer to avoid them, if possible, but it is an option.

It looks like EM is holding a strap that seems to split and attach to either side of the breastplate, and then holds the reins separately with her other hand, but it is hard to tell from the video.

 

[LittleLegs&Co]

Have a look for Pontus Hugoson (sp?) on Facebook etc - he's done quite a lot of this too. The horse needs to pull from a harness/collar, not the reins. Often thought it looks like fun but never got as far as trying it with my littluns (I think my balance would let me down on a skateboard )
I think Emma has one hand on the traces (the long straps which attach to the collar) and then the other on the reins, and Pontus has a rein in each hand which attaches to the trace for that side with a handle (you'd need a bit of practice with this set up to make sure you get the balance right and don't end up pulling on the reins too much!)
Prep would be similar to starting out carriage driving - so long reining, dragging a tyre etc
Driving definitely doesn't need to be limited to the roads - there are loads of groups across the UK who do various driving activities all year round (Showing and pleasure drives through to trials and scurry if you prefer the speed). Where-abouts are you based?

 

[AntiPuck]

Have a look for Pontus Hugoson (sp?) on Facebook etc - he's done quite a lot of this too. The horse needs to pull from a harness/collar, not the reins. Often thought it looks like fun but never got as far as trying it with my littluns (I think my balance would let me down on a skateboard )
I think Emma has one hand on the traces (the long straps which attach to the collar) and then the other on the reins, and Pontus has a rein in each hand which attaches to the trace for that side with a handle (you'd need a bit of practice with this set up to make sure you get the balance right and don't end up pulling on the reins too much!)
Prep would be similar to starting out carriage driving - so long reining, dragging a tyre etc
Driving definitely doesn't need to be limited to the roads - there are loads of groups across the UK who do various driving activities all year round (Showing and pleasure drives through to trials and scurry if you prefer the speed). Where-abouts are you based?

Thank you, lots to take a look at here! I suspect you're probably right about the skateboard and balance, it might be wishful thinking, but it looks so much fun.

Based near Stroud

 

[SilverLinings]

Driving is no more limited to the roads than riding, you just need to find somewhere appropriate. Local BDS groups organise regular drives on private estates, and most competition takes place on grass.

 

[nagblagger]

In my mad youth, we grass skied behind pony and trap across the field..

 

[LittleLegs&Co]

David Broome's in Chepstow do a lot of carriage driving competitions - worth keeping an eye out and heading over to have a look as you're not far away! The driving community are really friendly and will gladly chat to you about it, if it's something you think you might want to get into?
(I think there's probably a lot more in your area too - but I'm over in Bucks so not up to speed sorry! Look up BDS, British Carriage Driving, Indoor Carriage Driving (winter) etc)

 

[paddy555]

have you considered a saddle chariot? you can go off road with that.

 

[Caol Ila]

This looks like fun.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=553186416835026

 

[Jenko109]

You're bonkers

 

[ester]

Driving is no more limited to the roads than riding, you just need to find somewhere appropriate. Local BDS groups organise regular drives on private estates, and most competition takes place on grass.

It’s is just based on the width of the turnout, there’s plenty of off road options I can ride on but you wouldn’t get a carriage down (including some byways)

Also, to be safe you really need a friend/groom.

 

[SilverLinings]

It’s is just based on the width of the turnout, there’s plenty of off road options I can ride on but you wouldn’t get a carriage down (including some byways)

Also, to be safe you really need a friend/groom.

I have a few green lanes I drive on locally and I school in the fields. There is a network of forestry commission tracks I box to about 20mins away that are great for driving too, but I have lived in other areas where the only off-road driving that didn't need boxing to was driving in my own fields. The BDS meets vary depending on your local branch/part of the country but I have driven on some lovely private estates and a couple of beaches this way.

 

[Parrotperson]

surely skateboards need tarmac or concrete? any ruts or uneven ground and you'd be straight off?

 

[Gloi]

In my mad youth, we grass skied behind pony and trap across the field..

In mine there was a game where you hitched the pony to a shovel and had to stand on it with rope tied to the handle to help with balance.
I also used a plastic sledge in the snow.

 

[Gloi]

surely skateboards need tarmac or concrete? any ruts or uneven ground and you'd be straight off?

There are large wheeled off road ones. Mountain boards and long boards.

 

[Gloi]

have you considered a saddle chariot? you can go off road with that.

I'd fancy one of they weren't so expensive.

 

[Parrotperson]

There are large wheeled off road ones. Mountain boards and long boards.

ah! who knew!. I'm not a skateboarder!!

 

[Gloi]

ah! who knew!. I'm not a skateboarder!!

I'm not but I've seen them.

 

[Widgeon]

This looks like fun.

I saw this years back and thought it looked great

 

[ester]

I have a few green lanes I drive on locally and I school in the fields. There is a network of forestry commission tracks I box to about 20mins away that are great for driving too, but I have lived in other areas where the only off-road driving that didn't need boxing to was driving in my own fields. The BDS meets vary depending on your local branch/part of the country but I have driven on some lovely private estates and a couple of beaches this way.

Of course there are areas it works, but in all the locations I have been you will have been more restricted driving than riding so I don’t see how you can say blanket there’s no difference when you’re twice as wide and have fields. The byways round here atm you’d disappear down the cracks in a carriage

 

[ester]

Also I think a skateboard will be significantly cheaper to buy and transport

Let us know how it goes OP! Footage requires obviously

 

[AntiPuck]

I'd not heard of a saddle chariot but that looks like a lot of fun as well!!

I'm going to see if I can beg or borrow some kit to start trying some of these things out, I'm very curious as to how well she will take to pulling things, she likes pushing gates with her chest so hopefully the will is already there.

Watch this space!

 

[AntiPuck]

I believe you, but I don't have transport so will be limited to what I can get to nearby, and it's mostly narrow and rocky forest tracks, some of which feel tight even just to ride down, but an off-road skateboard could probably tackle most of them if I can absorb the bumps well enough

My YO used to drive a lot around here, but mostly on the roads, for the same reason.

 

[Gloi]

I believe you, but I don't have transport so will be limited to what I can get to nearby, and it's mostly narrow and rocky forest tracks, some of which feel tight even just to ride down, but an off-road skateboard could probably tackle most of them if I can absorb the bumps well enough

My YO used to drive a lot around here, but mostly on the roads, for the same reason.

You can carry the skateboard over the bad bits too.

 

[LadyGascoyne]

This is one of the moments where I question the reasonableness of free at the point of use healthcare.

 

[Cloball]

I do wonder what would happen on the down hill?

 

[toppedoff]

i cant remember her name nor find her, but someone has a miniature pony and are learning how to horseboard with her. just without the rider.. long reining instead!

 

[toppedoff]