first driving lesson

[iccle_me]

being blessed with a horsey doctor!!! he has advised that since i have back problems i should look into learning to drive (so i can still get my horses fix without damaging ma back even more :D )

ive never driven before but have been looking around for somewhere to drive, but what do i look for in a good driving school??
i know what i'd look for in a riding school but is there anything particular i should look at in learning to drive??

also what should i expect in my first lesson??
any advise or help would be much apprecited.:)

[Purple Hugs]

Congrats on joining the site.. you'll love it here i'm sure.
There is a section on other disciplines which includes driving so you may want to post there too ;)

I have no tips.. but will be following your progress with interest! We have a 2 year old we are hoping to drive next year.. as he's only likely to be 11-12hh thought it'll be a good way of making him last in the family! ;)

Good luck!

[doris]

Good luck with your driving. I'm just in the process of breaking my 20 year old pony to harness, so far, so good. She's been really cool about this so far. The place below is in Suffolk, so may be too far for you to go, but I took my hubby there for a surprise driving lesson on his birthday in March, and they were very good.

www.valleyfarmonline.co.uk

[doris]

Forgot to say, they took hubby through the whole process of harnessing up, showing him, them getting him to do it, then took him for the actual driving lesson.

[iccle_me]

valley farm was one of the places i looked at the websites before and i like the look of it. it is a tad far but OH has been v. nice and said he'd drive me. can i ask what there prices were like??

any idea how many lessons i'd need before i'd be good enough to drive my own?? i miss having a horse lol

[Wally]

First find out whether they teach coachman rein handling, if they don't teach this don't bother to learn with them as you won't get a proper insight into driving.

The most important thing with driving isn't really the actual sitting on the cart, it's understanding the cart and how the harness works, sorting the balance of the vehicle and the fit of the harness.

What we do is tell you all the names of the harness parts, how to put it on and how to put the horse in the cart, then how to balance the vehicle and the harness so it all works to the benefit and welfare of the horse and for your comfort. If you have a bad back it is even more important to get the balance right or you'll get a rough ride and a bad back as will the horse. Your head will reel first day, but don't worry, you'll soon get it straight in your head. Coachman rein handling is a very, very useful skill to have, once you can drive like this then you can go on to hold the reins two handed if you progress to faster things like obstacle and cone driving.

Get hold of a copy of Jane MacInnes' DVD "Between the Shafts", there are others for sale on the British Driving Soc. web site, But this one is excellent as you can watch it over again and get things straight in your head.

[doris]

Hubby was shown the Coachman method. So far, he has only had the one lesson, but we have got a video and some books. I can't remember the price, but needless to say, it wasn't cheap. If you give them an email, they are very helpful. I really don't know how many lessons you would need. I do have some friends who do a bit of driving and they have been a help, but as I'm a complete novice driver, I cannot be much help as I just don't have the experience.

[iccle_me]

thanks for the help you guys.
i'll give valley farm a ring on monday see how soon i can book my first lesson. do you think i should let them know about my back problems?
will have a look on amazon for that DVD too

[Wally]

You can buy the DVD direct from Jane at Maryculter Carriage Driving Centre.

Yes let them know you have a bad back. It never hurts to let instructors know you have problems with your back.

Have fun, it is a very civilised sport/

[RobaDob]

good luck :)