Tips please for starting a horse in harness

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Daisy2

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I have decided to learn and teach Marley to pull a trap, just something to work on for 2011. Any tips where to start would be appreciated. I will also join the Cotswold Carthorse Society as they seem a really nice bunch and I may make some like minded friends and learn something from them. There is a local guy who scurries if thats the right term but he is awfully expensive and a bit scary.
Thx
 
Mmm, I've known a few people who're into driving, and they always say the best way to start is to get the horse long reining confidently and working on the ground first, and that driving is actually ninety nine per cent long reining, so if you've cracked that, then you're there.

I'd get on to the British Driving Society, or the HDT (Driving Trials) association and see if there's anyone local who could give you some advice on getting started; if you're gonna go out driving on the roads you'll need a backstepper/groom as well, plus there's the whole business of fitting harness correctly, getting right carriage for horse, etc etc., which needs to be got right coz if you don't get it right results could be horrendous.
 
Heya,

I'd say your horse has to completely trust to firstly and secondly it needs to be completely dependant on voice commands! Practise this by walking along with him, lunging long reining....

He needs to get used to something behind him and ristricting his movement, dragging a log or a tyre is usually a good start use a Surcingle and bailing twine to attach the tyre, make sure you have enough people around and someone is by his head whilst doing this for the first time.

This is going to sound random, but a bicycle is another good way of getting him used to a carriage. The noise of the tyres on the road can startle a horse, so getting someone to cycle behind him is a good indicator on how he will react.

You also need to teach him..... Whoa (Very important if you need him to stop at a busy junction) we use a kissing noise for upward transitions, you will also need to teach him "come round" (Right) "Come over" (Left) they soon get used to the commands.

I hope this helps ;-)
 
Hi thanks for that really helpful and practical things to start. He is a french comtois and built for logging. He is 95% bombproof, great with traffic etc but theres always something so I never say 100%. He knows whoa but need to sharpen that. I have a very large field to practise in.
I want to start because I want to learn something new, we are happy hackers and schooling etc bores me so thought it would be a nice way to spend more with them.

I am in the Cotswolds, anyone near me??
 
Ah the one I was training was a arab cross, so not a steady neddy.

As long as you have the voice commands and the long reining I recon you'll be fine.

I'm teaching 2 Warmbloods at the moment which is probably slightly more high risk.
 
Hi, i've been through this training this year with my 3 year old WB X Welsh D, we spent ages and ages long reining her which definitely helped, we got her long reining perfectly on roads etc, but COULD NOT get anything behind her, as soon as something came up behind her she would tank off frightened so in the end sent her to a professional to finish the job for us, it only took them 3 weeks to get her to near perfection since we'd done all the ground work before she went, 8 months later she is absolutely brilliant we can take her anywhere and am thoroughly enjoying her, good luck and hope you have loads of fun.
 
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