I live in an area where there are quite a few people who drive and I know the majority of advice is never ever drive on your own, but there seem to be a lot on my area that do and I'm starting to think I could do this myself with my horse anyway, just do the usual thing like I did before I went for a ride and make sure people knew what area I was heading off to in case of an emergency. I have access to miles and miles of off road tracks on the forest so just pondered .... would you ?
Do people drive on their own ?
- Thread starter Ruskii
- Start date
I think I will, Hank won't manage 2 people I don't think, I guess I might be able to get a friend to ride along with us but I doubt their speeds will be well matched so will be unlikely to do that for pleasure. I guess I'll just have to put some extra effort into training him to stand perfectly while I clamber in and out of the cart, I don't see I have much other option.
Personally, no I wouldn't go without company, even if it was someone on foot or a bike etc. If something goes wrong it's difficult and dangerous having to deal with a horse and cart on your own. You really do need a second pair of hands. And a loose horse with a vehicle attached can cause a lot of trouble - there have been cases where it's been fatal.
I don't really see it being much difference to going on a hack on your own to be honest. Obviously you need to make sure your horse is well behaved and used to the cart etc. but as long as you have taken all necessary precautions then I don't see it as a problem, especially if you are off road.
I don't drive, though I've been driving a fair few times. I wouldn't want to drive on my own & would only consider it if I was an experienced driver with an experienced & extremely saintly horse. You'll get away with it if nothing goes wrong, but if it does then you need that passenger.
can you imagine the damage a bolting horse attached to a cart could cause to itself and everything in its path?
Oh dear, I have broken every rule in the book. I have broken mine on my own and am now driving him in the cart on my own. Always have your mobile phone with you. Also I was recommended to always carry a penknife with you (I dont always do this), if something goes wrong you can cut the harness with a knife in an emergency if you cant get undone under pressure. A friend of mine also broke her horse on her own and regularly drove out.
Personally I wouldn't, in part because if something was to go wrong is never be able to get out of the carriage (mine is high) while keeping full control.
A bolting horse with or without a cart can cause havoc I agree, but once the horse has bolted it really doesn't make much difference if there is one person or 3 people in the cart as they will all be left behind anyway.
I am the most safety conscious person and am not a huge risk taker but I don't like hard and fast rules about what you can and can't do. You have to take the horse, drivers experience and environment into consideration and if the handler feels confident to take care of the horse and cart, I don't how this is much different to hacking out alone.
Whilst I agree MP, there are different risks when riding/driving, the first that pops to mind is if you need to get to the horses head quickly to effectively control a situation, when riding you hop off, maintaining contact/control and you are right there, driving it is much harder to get out of a moving vehicle without injury, then you have the added issue of trying to maintain contact down very long reins whilst jogging along that distance, and gathering the reins up as you go, to get to the horses head, the idea of a groom is that the driver can maintain contact/control while the groom hops out and gets control of the head or cuts the harness if need be. As groom with young horses I've had to bail out several times to get to their head.
What Jessey says makes a lot of sense to doing an emergency dismount off your horse and
jumping out of a cart and trying to get to their head.
I don't drive but it seems the safer choice would be to try to have a second person if you can.
jumping out of a cart and trying to get to their head.
I don't drive but it seems the safer choice would be to try to have a second person if you can.
Funnily enough I made sure the cart we brought was one that could escape from easily and quickly from the back with no open areas around the back step that an ankle or foot could slip through. It's a 4 wheel cart but quite a low one but the drivers position is about the same height as if I were riding.
My thinking is similar to MP's about it, but I think it would be wise to have a groom at least at the start while I build experience and hours driving.
When I was at my instructors we had lorries slamming their brakes on a blind bend and missing my horse by a hairs breadth, (I was driving him close to the side as instructed though) and he was fine, bit of a snort but I was prepared for it, we've been overtaken by Harley Davidson's that cut in on him as well (this was all on the same drive !
) but it did show me my horse is pretty bombproof as he was driven in very heavy traffic and he's got a solid education and I feel from his background and just being the type of horse he is that he about as safe a horse I can get (or nearly).
Obviously I know a horse is a horse and they can all be silly / get spooked and accidents happen. But driving alone in the future I don't think I'll discount it all together. We'll see.
My thinking is similar to MP's about it, but I think it would be wise to have a groom at least at the start while I build experience and hours driving.
When I was at my instructors we had lorries slamming their brakes on a blind bend and missing my horse by a hairs breadth, (I was driving him close to the side as instructed though) and he was fine, bit of a snort but I was prepared for it, we've been overtaken by Harley Davidson's that cut in on him as well (this was all on the same drive !
) but it did show me my horse is pretty bombproof as he was driven in very heavy traffic and he's got a solid education and I feel from his background and just being the type of horse he is that he about as safe a horse I can get (or nearly).Obviously I know a horse is a horse and they can all be silly / get spooked and accidents happen. But driving alone in the future I don't think I'll discount it all together. We'll see.
You find the more experienced the driver, more situations they have seen and dealt with, the more safety awareness they are. It is not the same as a bolting horse (which is yes bad in itself) when there is a vehicle stuck to the back and massess of harness and long reins to contend with. Driving safety and experiemce is all about knowing what to do when things go wrong.
So, on a hack on your own your horse sees something, and starts backing up and spins. If you are a good rider you stay on the spin and regain control, In a 4 wheeler a spin will tip the cart, tip you out then the horse will take off. With a cart attached and nobody to get him back under control I can tell you from bitter experience the consequences are massive. A horse will go through a gap he thinks he can fit through, there are few horses who make allowances for the cart, and once it's on its side the dimensions and handling change.
You fall off your horse ridden and he can get himself home. He has no blinkers on, a carriage horse relies on the driver to judge gaps for him, a blinkered horse is a totally different kettle of fish to one not wearing them,
Take it from the experienced carriage drivers, riding and driving only have the horse in common. So many riders think that all they do is attach a horse to the cart and they are driving. there are so many factors to be taken into consideration.
Your comment is scary. The fact that you don't see a problem speaks volumes
A neighbour of mine, experienced driver with a well-trained horse, had a nasty accident when he was just about to set off on a drive - a dog spooked the normally steady horse, who took off, and he was thrown out of the cart and knocked unconscious. Luckily his wife was there, on the ground - she had to deal with the unconscious driver, the galloping pony with the empty cart, and the dog who'd been kicked and had a broken leg. Bad enough, but far worse if he'd been on his own. She had her phone and was able to call for help so the pony was caught before she managed to do any damage to herself or the cart ...
They guy that stepped in to stop this team got a lifetime free pass to the venue.
Blimey Wally that was a scary video!
What puzzles me is where the second person should be. Aren't they usually on the carriage? So if the driver is spilled out, won't the other person be? How can they help then? Sorry if I have missed something.
What puzzles me is where the second person should be. Aren't they usually on the carriage? So if the driver is spilled out, won't the other person be? How can they help then? Sorry if I have missed something.
The second person is to prevent things reaching spill point.
Statistically carriage driving is safer than riding. Carriage drivers generally demand a much higher standard of manners, folk think we are maybe harder on our horses, no we just expect Wembly manners every day.
Esther.D and I were just discussing how many genuine real scares we have had over the years, I think hers was 2 true bolts and a few rude cartings, but during the hazards in HDT (so plenty sea room to get back under control) and I have had one true bolt and one rude carting on the road that could have been bad had we traffic to worry about. The bolt was my own fault, pushing a green horse beyond their ability, and the rude carting was in pairs, over excitement lead to racing.
The second person, if they know what they are doing can balance the cart and limit its tipability too. to a degree.
Statistically carriage driving is safer than riding. Carriage drivers generally demand a much higher standard of manners, folk think we are maybe harder on our horses, no we just expect Wembly manners every day.
Esther.D and I were just discussing how many genuine real scares we have had over the years, I think hers was 2 true bolts and a few rude cartings, but during the hazards in HDT (so plenty sea room to get back under control) and I have had one true bolt and one rude carting on the road that could have been bad had we traffic to worry about. The bolt was my own fault, pushing a green horse beyond their ability, and the rude carting was in pairs, over excitement lead to racing.
The second person, if they know what they are doing can balance the cart and limit its tipability too. to a degree.
I hadn't even got to your post containing the video before I read your paragraph about a bolting horse thinking it could fit into difference places and making allowances for it.
I hadn't even thought of that and now feel a bit foolish asking the question as my driving is in a lot of enclosures and not on roads, but the thought of it going wrong as per your post is enough for me to banish the idea out of my head ! If anything it's highlighted how much of a novice I still am !!
As like you say when it goes wrong it goes WRONG.
I've got an experienced friend coming with me tmw for our first drive since has come home so I'm rather excited !
I hadn't even thought of that and now feel a bit foolish asking the question as my driving is in a lot of enclosures and not on roads, but the thought of it going wrong as per your post is enough for me to banish the idea out of my head ! If anything it's highlighted how much of a novice I still am !!
As like you say when it goes wrong it goes WRONG.
I've got an experienced friend coming with me tmw for our first drive since has come home so I'm rather excited !
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