Tail Tying and Roans

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MajorClementine

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Okay guys, I need your help. I have to different possible teammate options for Clementine. One is a 9 year old brown and white mini very close to her in size. The only problem with this horse is that it twitches it's tail when it drives so you have to tie the tail to the breeching. Does anyone have experience with this?? The price on this horse is around $1,100.

The other is a 2 year old Blue Roan mini who is currently 4" shorter than Clem. He's a strong puller, wide chested, lots of heart, and strong. Clem is finer built so they would be an odd team in color and build. The up-side to him is that he has no vices and seems to be a better horse at 2 than some horses are at 6. However his price, being a blue roan, is higher. He's around $1,600.

Any thoughts???
 
When someone says "You HAVE to do this" it just makes me want to try without doing it. What happens when the horse's tail isn't tied to the breeching (and how does he poop if it is tied)? Have you driven this horse? Maybe this horse is twitching because he's unhappy about something. Maybe he's being a really good boy and NOT kicking! Maybe tying his tail works like a bucking strap with him!

A 2 year old already in serious work? Do you think he'll get close to Clem's height in a few years?

Yes, you can drive animals that aren't similar in body type but for your first pair it's much easier if they're close. I tried to drive two horses within an inch of height but their body lengths were different. I kept having to push the short coupled horse up into the collar. They never worked well together. When I've put two horses of similar body type and size together they tend to make their strides match without a lot of tweaking from me. In my opinion I'd wait for a better match unless the brown and white pinto drives well for you.

My humble opinion - DON'T BUY WITHOUT DRIVING FIRST!
 
Tying the tail just means that you braid the end of the tail and secure it to one side via the breeching so it can't flick the tail up and around the reins. It does not inhibit the movement of the tail in any way. They can still easily lift their tail to poop. It is just a safety measure. It is also sometimes done on driving horses with tails long enough to drag the ground or get caught in wheels. It's not something that I personally have had to do with my driving horses but I have seen it done. I was mostly wondering if anyone else here had a horse that they did this with.

Thank you for your comment about horses with a similar build matching stride better. I hadn't thought of that specifically and it makes sense.
 
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I think matching would be better. I've never had two horses at the same time that moved well together. I would think that would be critical for a team. I always thought tail twitching was a sign of unease or nervousness Doesn't sound promising. But not sure I would take a chance on a youngster without knowing how he'll mature.

You are certainly having some interesting horse experiences!
 
I've found a third possibility a little closer to home. About an hour away actually. A 7 yo mare (same age as Clem), 38" tall (same height), and a leggy build (same as Clem too). About the only difference is the color. This is an appaloosa and Clem is a bay.

They say she drives but they have only ground driven her because she was pregnant and foaled 3 months ago so they hadn't gotten a cart yet.... I plan on going out and ground driving her but I'm thinking maybe I need to take my cart as well and see how she does with actual driving..... Maybe Monday.
 
I like the sound of the blue roan, but that would be for me driving a single. So I guess I am no help!

I would be concerned though that he may have been in hard work too young.

Good luck with the one on monday!
 
They say she drives but they have only ground driven her because she was pregnant and foaled 3 months ago so they hadn't gotten a cart yet.... I plan on going out and ground driving her but I'm thinking maybe I need to take my cart as well and see how she does with actual driving..... Maybe Monday.
If it isn't too much trouble, I would definitely take the cart, even if only to see if she has ever wrecked and is terrified of it. Good luck!
 
If it isn't too much trouble, I would definitely take the cart, even if only to see if she has ever wrecked and is terrified of it. Good luck!
We are headed down tomorrow with harness and cart to see if this little mare is a good fit for us. I'm pretty excited! I'll post how it turns out either way.
 
Update: I text the owner of the mini I was going to see today to let her know what time I would be there and that I was bringing a harness and cart. She text back that time would work. An hour later she text me saying the following :

"Hey, I'm sorry to do this and it was completely out of the blue, but a guy that I didn't think was serious about the mare just came and gave me more than what I asked for to hold her for a couple of days. If something falls through would you like me to let you know?"

I text her back "No thank you. I will try to find another horse."

So is this common practice? I let her know when I contacted her last Thursday that I would be out of town until Sunday and could come Monday or Tuesday this week. She said Tuesday was better. I also let her know that I was bringing my horse trailer and a harness and if she drove well for me I was planing on taking her home. I let her know these things so she would know that I was serious. I thought that if you had a serious buyer you had already talked to you let other buyers know that you had someone interested and would let THEM know if the sale fell through. I guess I'm old fashioned but offering me more money to bump the buyer who contacted me first doesn't impress me.

Oh well. While I am bummed about this I figure it wasn't meant to be. I'd like to find a teammate for Clem but I'm willing to take my time to do it. We'll see what I think of the other two that Raymund has found me in Iowa.

In the meantime, if anyone has or knows of someone who has a 38" driving mini of a finer (more thoroughbred less draft like) build let me know. Bay is preferred but is not the most important factor. Thanks!
 
MajorClem, my cynical side is saying that the mare does not drive or has a big issue with it and when you said you were bringing the cart, they went "uh-oh" and scrambled to find a reason not to show her.

Maybe they tried driving her in the time between you setting up the appointment and the time they called you and it went badly so they needed an "out".

Or maybe someone really did offer them more money and hope you will offer more. Either way, continuing your search sounds like a good idea.

The right one will show up ☺ and when he/she does it will all go smoothly like its meant to be.
 
MajorClem, my cynical side is saying that the mare does not drive or has a big issue with it and when you said you were bringing the cart, they went "uh-oh" and scrambled to find a reason not to show her.

Maybe they tried driving her in the time between you setting up the appointment and the time they called you and it went badly so they needed an "out".

Or maybe someone really did offer them more money and hope you will offer more. Either way, continuing your search sounds like a good idea.

The right one will show up ☺ and when he/she does it will all go smoothly like its meant to be.
Funny you should mention that because I wondered if she was nervous about me bringing the harness and cart too. It was only a short while after I text her to confirm the time that she sent me the text about the higher offer.

I figure the right one will come along at some point. Maybe it'll be a bay and I'll have a matched team. A girl can dream can't she?
 
If she really was not a driving horse, they did you a favor, saving you the trip.
Agreed.

I was more annoyed with how it was handled than with not getting the horse. Especially having a cold and not really feeling like driving 2 hours to test drive the horse. In the meantime I'll just enjoy driving Clem as a single
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I'm heading to look at a small group of minis that a guy, who is no longer breeding, is selling. He says they are "halter broke" so we'll see what that means. If I can find something 4-7 years old that has a good willing temperament and is the right size.... I was hoping for a horse already trained to drive but I am willing to teach the new horse to drive if it's the right horse. We'll see what tomorrow brings.
 
I'm heading to look at a small group of minis that a guy, who is no longer breeding, is selling. He says they are "halter broke" so we'll see what that means. If I can find something 4-7 years old that has a good willing temperament and is the right size.... I was hoping for a horse already trained to drive but I am willing to teach the new horse to drive if it's the right horse. We'll see what tomorrow brings.
What will you look for? I am always in the same boat. I think I will be looking for nice large eyes, width in the chest, tail set. Sellers want to run them loose in a round pen and say "look at that movement!" The horse has to have the right mind. Good luck. Hope your foray is successful.
 
Good luck tomorrow! Seeing them in a group is nice, you can check out the herd dynamics, too. See who's Boss and not. Hope you find a good one ☺
 

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