Not mini...but driving related

So I took my coming 2 year old filly out for her first drive off the proporty. She was so good. She startled in place the first 2 times she saw a vehicle...then nothing! Good girl. She was a little irritated that she did not get to partake of the neverending snack bar...the nerve of me right? I view her like a spoiled kid that now has to clean their room. She is like WHY??? I never had to do this before! I am a baby! Let me do what I want to!

So I convince her that the green grass is for walking on, not eating...no easy task! LOL Then we get on down the road and she is getting the lesson...go forward at the walk, not trot, and whoa. So as we get a little down the road, a new neighbor with mules that drive comes out to talk. Time for the paitence lessons...sprinkled with some whoa. Oh my...was she mad. We were standing NEAR grass and she was not allowed to partake?

As we talked, we laughed as a very smart filly pulled out all the stops trying to convince, manipulate, intimidate me to get what she wanted. Then we did some figure eights and then I lead her to their place to see the mules up close. She was not really that interested...it seemed that she still was wanting to graze. So I took off her bridle and let her out on her leadrope to graze. That was not good enough apparantly! She wanted to be free!

So now she is walking around me...nibbling and then she would let out a squeel, jump straight up in the air and calmly continue to walk around. She was not impressed about this situation in the slightest! So my neighbors drove us back home...well I got a ride, Lilly had to walk/jog home. For her first time behind a truck like that she was AWESOME! So we get to the part where the gravel changes to pavement and she stopped...the truck kept going, so I jump off. So there are a few vehicles coming so I decide to wait on the side of the road until they pass before I reclaim my throne on the tail gate. As I am waiting ....my silly filly is squeeling and jumping up in the air again. I guess it is a good thing I got a ride!!! It would not have been fun waking THAT back! So we get home and she follows me right on to the ramp into the tack room. I let her stand there while I deposit her tack and then she "I spies" a random bucket of rain water and attacks it like she has not had water for days!

I love this filly but man is she opinionated! The first time I ground drove her, she got so mad that she could not do what she wanted, she threw herself on the ground...only once... Once I channel all this energy into a positive direction...watch out world!

The beast...my 3/4 Welsh 1/4 QH filly, Lilly

What a pretty girl she is. I have a young gelding who is, like your girl, a man with a mind of his own. Sometimes these smart horses make the best team mates but oooh the challenges they throw our way while we show them the path to a better life lol. Good luck with her.

Very pretty but, I have to say, if she were mine your baby would be sitting in the field for at least another year. Not yet two and you are driving her? No, not for me, sorry.

rabbitfizz, I think she is ground driving not hitching.I have ground driven many of my saddle horses from their first birthday until they were old enough to back. It allows me to have a very good handle on them before I am actually in the saddle. She says she led her home from the back of a pick up and I assumed (yes I know... never assume) that meant she was not attached to a cart and when she pulled her bridle and allowed her to eat grass, there was no mention of unhitching so...I hope I got that right or I too would say she is too young to be hitched.

Oh my...did I forget to mention that I was only ground driving her? LOL No, no only a bridle and a driving saddle on her. I have saddled her and lounged her with and without sidereins. She has not had a real hard working job yet. Ordinarily I don't fuss with them this much, but this filly is begging for a job! She really needs the stimulation. When I do hitch her, she will be helping her mother pull a 4 wheeled Hardwick Puddle Jumper. It only weighs 300 lbs. She is going to be about a 14hh and her mom is 13.3hh or so. So if you divide the work between her and her mother...she will be working a whole lot less than her mini counter parts!

My puddle jumper



Filly's mom~Candy (my favorite pic)



I have plenty of horses, ponies, minis to drive so the "work" is split up enough that no one is getting it too much. Well except the ones that are super fun...poor Starbuck. I can't help it if he is a blast to drive! I will probably ground drive her for 6 months or so...depending on how she does. I hope to take her and her mother out for a fun day of exploring CDE obstacles at the end of the year. No worries rabbitsfizz. The gelding I "broke" to ride at 2 had 8-12 times under saddle by the time he was 3...almost all walk with a little trot. I am in no hurry. It is however easier to get them to think you are bigger than they are, when you are still bigger than they are! Not as big of a deal when you are bigger than them their entire life!

Oh man! Can I drool all over for both your gorgeous buckskin girls but also your CDE marathon 4 wheeler?? Really awesome picture of your mare, I can see why it's your favorite.

I started ground driving my youngest at about 1.5 years, just slow simple stuff too. I think they do enjoy the stimulation and time spent with their people. It seems to make them feel self important......they spend so much time watching their older cohorts getting all that cool attention! Probably they think better of it later!! Just like my 15 year old daughter who thinks she wants a job.....just wait, my dear, I tell her, you have your whole life ahead of you to work!

I love love LOOOOVE the color of your buckskins! My first mare was a similar shade and I drool over that coat to this day!

I also started ground driving my mare very young. I'd like to think that when she is finally hitched she will have a slight advantage because it will be so natural to her. One of the first things I ever did after I bought her was put some lead lines on her halter (bad bad I know) and 'drive' her to her pasture and back to the barn. I agree it makes them feel really important/fussed over

It was very misleading, yes- I always worry on a forum purporting to be about driving when something like this comes up and someone might read it and think "OK, I can drive my 18 month youngster too"

Could you maybe amend the first post to make it plain?

I love the cart- yes, drool worthy!