learning to drive - me!

[lisae]

I have a very calm 5 yr. old Haflinger mare who despite her young age is suitable for a beginner driver - me. We hitched up over the weekend and even though she has a two month old filly (who was safely tucked into their stall, hollering murder) mare heads happily down the road. My boy and I were more worried about the foal than she was, so we turn around and head home after only a half mile, turn baby lose with us, and decide to work around the house (limited three acres total, lots of obstacles in lawn, and high grass with paths mowed.) The problem is that mare didn't want to stop trotting! I thought a walk would be more suitable to the "course" and with foal everywhere at once; mare used to go out driving 3 - 5 miles every day with the previous owner (owner's stress relief) and we got into a quite a conflict about which gait to be in. Verbal commands were out the window (although the steering was still in place even with a light hand) and the brakes were gone! She wasn't trying to run away, she just wanted to trot on. I didn't want to ruin her mouth by hauling on her, so kept up with half halts but to achieve a stop I finally just had to pull. Ack! I note that my brotherinlaw, who drove her the week before, used a much tighter rein at all times, and thought I lacked enough tension on the reins generally. So, I guess my question is, a tighter hand before she takes up the trot? Ground driving to establish what the proper tension should be? Ignore the baby's nerves and keep working on the road? I don't want to ruin my relationship with the horse by being heavy handed.

[maverick927]

I would wait till the foal is a bit older and then get her on the roads. My pony loves driving too as he was a gypsy pony in ireland so is well used to it. I however don't have the roads or nerves to drive. Maybe i'll get a shetland and cart when I older and live in the country and have a field or school.

[Wally]

Don't be afraid to hold in what the horse takes...if you see what I mean. If she's pulling you need to be in control.

Most driven horses will have been encouraged to go everywhere in a good working trot, if she is a forward going mare you will have to take up a good contact to keep control.

If you drive with both reins in your left hand as they English drivers do and the whip in your right then you can automatically shorten the reins by feet if you need to simply by taking the reins with your right hand in front of your left.

Are you holding the reins in two hands? if so this is not an ideal way to drive as it takes too long to shorten the reins in an emergency, hold the reins in the left hand and the whip in the right with the right hand assisting the left all the time, unless you are driving a totally trustorthy horse on a track off the road.

It's good fun though, I used to drive my 2 Haflinger Stallions in pairs.