Driving folks please read and advise :(

[hackedoff]

Hey wheels brigade, I need some advice.,
If you saw my last thread about Banjo you may have seen we had a crash and ended up stuck in a ditch :( Waiting for her harness and vehicle to be fixed I've been long-reining her out and after some initial bucking she's been behaving well. She's been tender around backside and nervous of that area being touched so I've been de-sensitising her rear end with parreli stick and hands and getting driving reins around her bum like engaged breeching. Plus she's had the equine chiro out.
Put her to the vehicle today with my YO on the end of a lead rope walking beside and all looking very promising then I asked her to turn around so we could go home and wham! up she went plunging and rearing and striking back at the cart in a total panic. Got her back under control then nearly home and she threw a total fit for no reason whatsoever bucking rearing plunging then lay down !!!!!!!!!!!
Basically, do you think she is fixable? Should I just carry on the work I've been doing? Will I ever be able to trust her on the road again? Will she get over it? I'm so depressed I've broken my diet with beer and chips!!!!!!! Please advise, and please be honest.
:( Hackedoff (Hacked off!)

[chev]

I can't really offer much advice but I can tell you a story whihc might cheer you up a bit.

My instructor started driving 4 years ago. She broke her own pony to drive, and joined the local harness club, who arrange social drives out together. The pony was going well, instructor and her groom were doing well and feeling good. Out on this particular drive, three pheasants flew out of the hedge and accross the road. Two flew just under her pony's head, and one underneath his belly. Pony spooked and took off, tipped the cart, and crashed into teh cart in front. It took a while to untangle ponies, bits af cart, and drivers. The driver in front was taken to hospital with a bad break to his arm. The resulting insurance claim cost thousands.

The crash was bad enough that the pony freaked even wearing harness. Now this is where I can't offer advice because I've never dealt with anything of this sort; but I can tell you that the pony is now driving out with my very novice husband very happily, and competes with instructor whenever she can. He's absolutely fine, loves his driving, and this is a part-bred Arab who tend to be a bit sensitive for driving purposes too.

I think with time and understanding you'll overcome this. Perhaps some drivers out there could help you out with the how part, but hopefully that'll give you some hope at least. :)

[Esther.D]

All I can offer is similar to Chev - time and desensitization are the answer :) I too have met ponies who have had accidents and recovered despite loosing their nerve initially. However as none of them have been mine I cannot really offer any really useful advice, mine have had a couple of accidents but thankfully never lost their nerve, my suggestion would be to go back to square one, at least initially and start as if you were breaking her to drive - find a point that she is comfortable with and then move on from there. Wally might be able to help as I'm sure she has dealt with a very nervous one before. I would have been in this position with Rupert after he tipped the cart first time in it and scared himself (reacted similarly to Banjo next time in harness), I got him back to being longreined completely happily in full harness with a bit of persistance (and he can be a flighty creature and had really upset himself and was panicking at anything behind him or harness over his rump) however we stopped there as I discovered I was pregnant and decided trying to desensitise a flighty airhead of a pony to a cart after an accident probably was up there with the 'high risk' things that I shouldn't be doing! ;)

Good luck, it is possible, be very careful, very slow and you should get there :)

[hackedoff]

Thanks for the help and good wishes :) My driving instructor is coming out next week to help me he is optimistic we can get her over this. Broke my heart yesterday when my kids asked if they could take her out for a drive and I had to say no :( I want my pony back!!!!!!!