My gelding is rising 17 months old and typical Arab very intelligent. he has the perfect laid back non spooky temperament for driving and my plan is to break him to a light Cart and drive him before he starts his riding career as not planning to break him for riding til at least his fifth/sixth year. What age should I start training him at as I know many driving ponies are started at 18 months but with him being an Arab I was thinking that would be a bit young? He wouldn't be doing any fast work just plodding aout and not constantly and then maybe in a few years do a driving show class. There's someone at the yard that has a few carts and harnesses that I have use at and Its something I always wanted to do with his sire and but never had access to all the gear to do it. I was thinking of starting to mouth him over the next three months then get him used to wearing the harness then start long lining in the spring/summer. Maybe get him pulling light objects after his 2nd birthday and introduce the cart properly when he's about 3. Do You think that would be ok for him? I know there's a lot of long lining involved. I think it would give him something to think about
I took some driving lessons with a lady near Matlock who was a fantastic horse woman and also judged driving at HOYS as well as supplying all the period dramas filmed in the Peaks with horses/carriages. She was very good at describing what type of horse to go for when driving and said arabs could drive like any horse but to look at the length and slope of the shoulder. She had also driven an arab many years earlier... I think she said the shorter the shoulder the better (less likely to have problems) and she said, like any horse regardless of breed, there's no guarantee they will drive. Could be worth talking to someone like her for advice. It's also the contact thing with driving (couldn't get used to that - not sure if it leaves you with a horse with a hard mouth) and the 'shafting'... guess they learn to circle once broken though. Good luck with driving it's great fun!
There's someone at the yard whose into driving for pleasure and my partner has driven his welsh pony so I have help. I've retrained a few driving horses for under saddle and do expect them to steer through there mouth ect but they all require the same training as a horse starting out under saddle. Pacers I have found tend to be a little harder in the mouth but they would be driving totally different than to a pleasure horse I would of thought. Where abouts in matlock as in inottingham now
It's Caroline Dale-Leech from the Red House Stables at Darley Dale, which is on the Bakewell side of Matlock. They also have a Carriage Boot Sale there every year at the end of September which I thoroughly recommend - you can get all sorts of horsey bargains there, not just driving stuff :)
My concern about doing much work at such a young age is that he may not have the concentration to stay focused for very long. Going out for long walks wearing a gentle bit would probably be fine, and a little long reining, but you don't want him to get bored this young, or you will have trouble later. The one thing Arabs can't cope with is being bored!
Minhe that's why I wanted to do something with him as he's too intelligent to stand in a field I play with him in the sand school a lot give him different things to play with ect he's gone completely off his ball which he used to love. He's very patient for his age as it is and very laid back. Down side is he's obsessed with food not so much grass but buckets he expects to be fed everytime he sees you as he was on four feeds a day when he wasn't able to eat grass.
Minhe that's why I wanted to do something with him as he's too intelligent to stand in a field I play with him in the sand school a lot give him different things to play with ect he's gone completely off his ball which he used to love. He's very patient for his age as it is and very laid back. Down side is he's obsessed with food not so much grass but buckets he expects to be fed everytime he sees you as he was on four feeds a day when he wasn't able to eat grass. I wouldn't get him into a routine with long lining ect as he then would learn to expect just enough to keep him thinking but not enough to let him get bored
driving
N. Ireland
Posted - 31 Oct 2012 : 10:18:40 PM
