Congratulations Esther.D and Ollopy Backwards!

Wally

Wally

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Apr 16, 2000
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Once again they won the cone driving and came second in the driven Shtetland class.

They was robbed, truly they were.

Steven.R Frances and I were standing like greyhouds on the blocks waiting to pile into the arena and grab the several accidents waiting to happen.


Thanks to Esther.D, letting me into a little bit of info, I took up fags again and hit the gin at the nearest opportunity!

Who, in the name of everything sensible, puts their horse into a cart on the Friday, (having everything pearshaped) then on the Sunday takes it to a ruddy show to try it out in comapany???????

I pointed out to the ring steward that there weer a number of things dreadfully wrong, but was ignored.

If someone offered you advice to keep your child from a hospital visit, (a potentially life threatening one) would you take it, or just ignore it, saying you'd "get around to it"?????

At last I was ringside and not a competitor, so was able to voice my concerns about turnouts without it looking like sour grapes!

Seriously, Esther and Ollopy Backwards should have won both classes.
 
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Doesn't look good???? Doesn't look good, you should have seen it from where we were standing.

It's Esther's fault, telling me that one particular horse had only been in harness for a day! Poor Claire, lost her last fag to me, it's all Esther's fault, ignorance is bliss, I'd have been happier not knowing that one!
 
congratuaaaaaaaaaaaaalations and celebraaaaaaaations .. :rolleyes: .okkk I wont sing any more

seriously ...... well done esther :cool:


its incredulous Wally the stupidity of some folk ..... the mind boggles. Its stories like this that gets to me when I am turned down before being seen just because Taz is bitless and blinkerles .... yet nothing is done about blantantly dangerous harnessing and no notice taken of warning of potential disater re pones one days driving experience !!!!!!!!!

That "driver" wants to have a sharp reminder of ....... well everything really !!!!!!!!!!!!
 
I totally agree Tazz.

Take everything on it's merits, there is nothing wrong with bitless, treeless, blinkerless or whatever, so long as the basics are understood.

This wekend we intorduced a horse to the cart. On Sat. ( as were were at a lose end not being able to compete at the Scottich Carriage Driving show) we put Essie to, and got her going in the shafts.

There is no way on this Earth that I'd have taken her to a show on Sunday or Monday.....or even this year! She is used to having driving horses all around her too!

Until I have driven at home in all possible forseen circumstances, there's no way I am putting anyone elses turnout at risk.

Okay, I cannot put heavy horse turnouts to the test, but I would want to at least see what kind of general disposition the horse has!

Andy and Charlie met their first Clydesdale, heavy turnouts this year, they did look liie they'd swallowed a button each, but they know enough to beleive me when I said STAND!
 
i am the same wally ... I am nowhere as experienced as you but currently introducing a 17 year old to harness ......... taking it slow and making sure she totally happy with whip, harness , things falling around her back legs etc and will try loads things before actually putting between the shafts. She has seen Taz driving etc so know that carriage itself no fears, but know it may well be a different kettle of fish when its actually right behind her !!!! I will have her a week or so in the field before we go out on the roads...... and feel totally happy with that before we think of doing anything else !!!!

also supporting a friend on the yard introduce her 8 year old to harness...... and reminding her ALL the time she has to have the basic sooooooooooo there before putting horse to carriage !!!

eg just because gg happy with a whip from the front does not mean they happy with it coming from the rear ... to get them to know when whip just moving and when it means do something !!! lots lots and lots groundwork !!!!

I have shown them both SEVERAL times how to put harness on and how to adjust it for each horse......

to me its not just what someone tells you , most of it is just common sense :rolleyes: ...... or am I just not living on the same planet ;)


well done andy and charlie ........ those huuuuuuuuuugeee horses are so noisy and frightening !!!!

as you say , we cant prepare for everything ..... prior to the 3 counties Taz had never been near hot air ballons to my knowlege , and certainly not pack of hounds, helter skelter, parachutes etc ..... .... she had eyes on stalks the other day as we came round bend to children flying in the air on huge trampoline ( now where can I get one to desentitise her LOL)
 
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Well done to Esther D

I'm cringing. Rhi went out with Saphi before I took her on a memorial drive for a friends friend. Mind you I would have had to take her even had she not been out with other horses but as she had not been out with so many we did make sure that we were at the back of the drive
 
Olopy backwards did live up to his name in the private driving, plus a sneaky rear when he had a argument with my groom as to whether backwards was really the direction to go in the line up, it depends whether you place the fit of vehicle & harness or the horse's behaviour first....first place went to a very well mannered (if less schooled and flashy) Shetland but whose vehicle and harness were not as well fitting, but were posher than mine..but mine all fitted and balanced well. I'm not sure whether I would have placed me first...which is the worst of the two evils - a pony who won't stand properly in the line-up and reared in harness or a pony who is good but whose vehicle and harness are not well fitted..interesting dilemma!

I would have been mortified if we didn't win the cones - we have our reputation to keep up you know! :D

As for the potential accidents, I just prayed and was glad that I have a very good pony who can be relied on in a crisis, other than that I kept my head down, cringed and hoped for the best and being a wimp I allowed Wally and Frances to make the comments! :eek:

I was out with Bobby today (when the rain stopped), just took him for a walk in blinkers to remind him of the whole thing as am aiming to put him too again this week (he was put-to before I was pregnant with Beth but never driven as I fell pregnant and couldn't risk bringing on a youngster and since have been ill off and on for nearly 2yrs with -recently diagnosed- hypothyriodism). But despite the fact that he has been put-to and led in the vehicle before I am still starting a run through of blinkers, longreins, pulling, and then putting-to before I even consider anything further and his first show will be the Viking show next year (thats because there is only one driving show a year up here)!

I am *aiming* to take Gallie and Bobby as a pair to the Viking next year so this was probably Polo's swansong at the Viking, unless he ends up going as part of a multiple...I have considered putting the unicorn together again and taking all three....
 
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Oh and what Wally hasn't mentioned is that I am especially proud of him is that he has achieved this at the grand old age of 22 yrs old - not a bad cones round for a veteran...in fact I had to slow him up a few times as I was worried that full gallop was not terribly safe on slippy grass :D
 
Esther, had the proverbial happened, we were all in aggreement that you would have been the only turnout to have left the ring in one bit!

The scenario we had was that big posh green turnout would have freaked and kicked the botom out of the cart. Causing the short shaft brigade to launch into the harness losing the shafts and tipping kids into arse-end of pony, inflicting other injuries, the other turnouts were in no fit state to exit anywhere, or find a safe spot with the harness int he state it was. I had visions of lgs over traces, breeching under back legs...you name it!

....all I saw was Esther and Ollopy Backwards emerging from carnage.....in one bit,

breeching.jpg

This is suppose to work ????? How????
 
Shafttip.jpg

I was holding my breath waiting for the shafts to drop out.

tracesbreechingetc.jpg

Too long in the traces and too long in the breeching, poor pony
 
Gads!! That is scary...if someone is not sure how to harness their equine..why not ask someone? I mean,, most folks that drive are more than happy to help.


Esther congrats on your win!!
 
They got worse than that!!!!!

and those shafts were TERRIFYING!
Click to expand...

At one point there was about a half inch grace and Esther's OH and our German student and I were like greyhounds in the slips ready to grab when it all went wrong.
 
that poor chestnut , you can actually see the skin being pulled by the shafts .... he must have a heart of gold not to be objecting !!! of course then poor sod would have tangled itself in the too long traces .......
 
I know nothing about driving, point me at a harness and I run to the hills ;) but I can say that those harnesses looked damn right uncomfortable and cruel :(
 
The only saving grace, if it is one, is that none of these ponies seem to be driven regularly, most are just put into harness for the show each year and an occasional potter - that is probably what has saved them from coming to grief. I wish there was a tactful way of putting this right without offending people - but then I think the only answer to that is a diplomatic but honest and knowledgeable judge...I don't think the throw them all from the ring type is the answer, they need a judge who will have quiet words but is respected enough for them to listen to..eg a LHHI or similar, but then an LHHI wouldn't allow them in the ring, so I don't know the answer to that one!
 
I would happily drive out with more people up here...but not unless their harness was safe and their ponies had been driving for more than 2 days! I have been there, got the t-shirt and been bolted past by a turnout that was too inexperienced and unreliable in company (it was a club drive so we didn't know in advance that the pony was only 4 and very inexperienced, that only came out after the incident) and I value my neck too much to repeat it (as it was my ponies were fine when it bolted past us and didn't bother but I still don't fancy repeating it)!

What worries me is that if I took a novice pony to the show and one of those accidents waiting to happen did happen...
 
Just want to say Esther that it is good you are feeling better and posting and doing stuff again. It took me a long miserable time to recover from having my kids and this thread has given me joy.
 
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