I agree with Reignmaker. So that you know ahead of time - this is a long post and the next part in response to one of your comments may be offensive to you. I don't intend it to be...but not sure how to re-write it better! IF you make it thru the post - lots of info for you...
Each of us on this forum has developed our own ways of starting horses. Pros or ammies that have access to many more horses than 1 or 2 will have a wider variety of experiences with different temperments and personalities within their training styles.
Not every trainer makes a good human instructor.
You don't state if you know what type of driving your own mini's do/did or what type of driving you are aspiring to. You also don't state what type the trainer you have access to does. You may not know... I understand that. Here's a basic list that you may or may not already know:
Show driving for AMHA/AMHR and ASPC. That is in the ring and involves much lighter harness and 2 wheeled show carts. There are different levels or styles of driving - classic, country, pleasure, western pleasure, fine harness and roadster. There are also Draft Hitch classes - different harness, different vehicles.
Pleasure or recreational driving that can be done outdoors. Usually done with much heavier harness that includes different parts such as breeching and takes away the overcheck and training martingale.
CDE - similar to 3 day eventing. Originally done over a course of several days - now there are different formats. Again - heavier harness - synthetic allowed and used, no overcheck or training martigale, breeching on. Heavier duty carts, presentation carriages, marathon vehicles. At lower levels - one vehicle can be used for all sections of the competion - upper levels you will see different vehicles and styles of dress for each section.
Draft driving - there are hitch classes at AMHR/ASPC shows. Also there is just the enjoyment of using your mini (s) for "working" on your farm/property. There are big Draft Horse Clubs that you can attend for trail driving and "working". Harness is with collars and hames - can be leather, nylon, bio or beta-thane. Can be "plain" or have "farm spots" or "parade/heavy spots".
I have a harness for 2 minis and a harness for a larger mini, plus a small cart that the minis used to drive with. The minis have not been driven in over a year, and no I do not plan on trying to hitch them up myself and drive them, I'm just not that crazy lol.
If they have already been driving - why wouldn't you start with them? Why would you want to start with an immature, baby mini that knows nothing when you also know nothing about the sport you wish to enter? Or are you not telling your "trusted" forum members what you really know about the past on these "driving" minis... This really leaves me perplexed!
Now if it's because you want to train your own 2 yr old, that I DO understand. BUT I don't recommend that you start there.
You state that you have 2 minis that already drive. You could learn much by taking either or both thru a refresher course of driving - learning the basics from them - as you learn how to do the refresher course for them. That may help you to learn where they may have "holes" in their previous training. I'm not saying - throw the harness on them, hitch them and head out! That's asking for problems since you've admitted you know nothing about harnessing, fitting the harness, hitching or ground driving, much less driving.
I have a trainer to help me out but I haven't talked to him yet about this, mainly because I value everyone's opinion on this forum and I want to be pointed in the right direction
! That being said, I am 99.9% clueless about driving horses, and I could really use some help.
Is this a driving trainer? Have you not asked questions due to $$, lack of trust in this trainer (in which case - keep looking!) or time constraints on the trainer or yourself?
I'm not saying you can't do this on your own.
YOU CAN! BUT it's better to get instruction from a knowledgeable instructor and trainer. If $$ are an issue, keep reading this forum and studying all that you can get your hands on - DVDs, books, other groups and forums. Find out if the instructor will give you beginner lessons with a well trained driving horse - including harnessing, hitching, mounting/dismounting the cart/wagon. Then go into ground driving.
Google driving clubs in your area. I believe there are several out of Indiana. The National Drive was held in Indiana a few years ago but that would have been in 2010 (? - during WEG). Usually held in October at the Kentucky Horse Park.
If you want to do your own training (I do, because I enjoy it!!) or can't afford to put your horse(s) with the trainer (yes, I started out this way) - find out if the trainer would do "driving checks" on your already trained driving minis. Work thru a schedule where you work on some specific exercises to cover in a week, 2 weeks, 3 weeks, a month and then schedule another lesson (at any point in there that you can afford and get to). Especially with your already trained minis, you don't necessarily need to put them with the trainer, tho some trainers will always prefer that you do.
Find out if there is anyone doing any driving clinics that you can get to - even advanced clinics you will take something home with you to work on if you can learn that way. If you don't learn well that way, that will be a waste of your time and money.
Even just "auditing" others' lessons and driving times - w/o asking questions (most instructors today may not be willing to do this - a lot due to time, other clients and insurance issues) - BUT take notes and write up anything you have a ? on to ask about later. Even if you then come on and ask here.
I know this is a long process for driving, but since I've been out of work, I really want to start ground driving my 2 year old. I have never ground driven a horse before and I have the equipment for it, I just don't know how to get started. I know how to introduce a bridle and bit, and I know how to create good ground manners. I was given mixed reviews my whole life about riding horses, and breaking horses, and now that I want to get into driving, I don't really want mixed reviews. I want someone to straight forward tell me best methods, and proper techniques. My 2 year old is so willing to learn and I love that about her, and my 13 year old and I have fallen in love. I swear, that little gelding has stolen my heart, and I'm so happy to have him in my life, so I want to do something with them. Teach me your ways oh great cart gurus
There are a great many GOOD DVDs and Books out there that deal with starting a driving horse. Probably the two best that I would recommend starting with - Mary Ruth Marks' DVD - Teach Your horse to Drive (which is actually 2 parts in one DVD) & Doris Ganton's book - Breaking & Training the Driving Horse (now has a DVD which I haven't seen that goes along with the book). They are available thru many different sources - including some that are w/i the LB forum advertisers. Other sources are thru the American Driving Association (ADA) and thru Rural Heritage (on line and also in print magazines available at Tractor Supply, book stores and some feed stores. Amazon also has some good ones available - if you are a preferred member, you won't have shipping charges.
The above two above sources are actually fairly short and sweet but cover A LOT in amazing detail. Even with the addition of many other books and DVDs to my own driving Library - they are the ones that I go back to. There are a couple of mini trainers who have also put out both books and driving DVDs for starting in harness, hitching and driving. Some are related only to the showring and one or two give you other options for going on or some differences in training.
While searching for those titles on Google, i came across a new link to sources and see there are a couple of new DVDs and books I hadn't seen or heard about yet. Hmmm - new fodder for my own library to be added to my Bday and Christmas lists... LOL. I've sold a couple of DVDs that I didn't feel fit my own ideals or style of training. I have a couple of books that I might be selling, too.
I guess this is good to start...
I start with basic ground manners. I have incorporated a lot of NH style training into my handling so use that style of "lounging".
I use voice commands and start with them from the time our ponies are babies. You want to be able to move around your horse while he remains standing still. Once able to lounge, you can graduate to line driving - first w/ one line and then introduce an outside line (since you are starting w/ lounging on a circle, an additional line will be on the "outside"). Teach your horse to stop using the halter or bridle bit contact along w/ your "whoa". No matter what, some type of "whoa" is going to be your most important voice command for any type of driving. I lounge and ground drive at a walk, trot, canter and gallop. The more advanced training you do - the more gaits you can get. Collection and extension at each gait is my goal - I haven't attained that yet with any of my driving ponies!! I haven't been driving them enough yet to get to that point.
I have a tendency to use the draft or teamster speak - so mine also hear - "stand", "step up" - literally meaning to take one or 2 steps forward into draft or to be hitched, "ha" - sharp turn on haunches to the left, "gee" - sharp turn on haunches to the right. When I first started using haw and gee, I had to tie a string to my fingers to remind myself of left and right, LOL. I'm starting to include "over" and combine it with left or right. They also learn their names. I've been told that a single syllable name is best - I have a tendency to like 2. It does make it difficult when you are talking to 4 horses in a hitch! Except for "whoa", I usually preface or precue a specific horse with their name. I use a "cluck" for trot and a "kiss" for canter. For voice commands, i use walk, walk on, ter-rot, can-ter. Try not to use names on your horses that will sound like the voice commands you expect to use. (I mistakenly used "GG" before I started doing draft driving and language and it does get interesting sometimes. Helps that she doesn't actually know "Gee" very well yet).
Go from 1 line driving/stopping to 2 lines contact for stopping. Practice turns. You will probably get tangled up. An enclosed area is great - always choose which way you will lounge and if you "get into trouble" - turn the outside line loose and return to lounging to regain control of either the horse or your lines.
Gradually keep working - you should be able to do large circle figures 8s around your pen/arena/work area - w/ you crossing behind your horse. I don't start w/ 2 lines run thru a surcingle - but coming first over the top of the back behind the withers, then behind the haunches (be prepared for bucking/running away - the less you've handled the horse, the more chance there is of this. Preferably you avoid it). Then graduate as I learn to handle the lines and the pony learns to respond to cues to 1 line run thru the shaft carrier w/ one loose (again - if you get into trouble you turn the one loose that is run thru harness), then two lines thru shaft carriers. Then 1 line thru rein terret, then both...
Introduce your harness. Lounge with the different parts on and "flopping", but keep loose straps hooked up so that they aren't going to be stepped on. Some folk put each piece on individually until the horse is used to it, others introduce more than one piece at a time. Make sure to work in both directions.
That's a very basic start. It's far from all there is.
I started out with watching the ground driving of a pony before riding it in 1970. I used ground driving techniques to start QH & paints during the late 70s thru mid-80s - but other than a couple of rides in carriages, I didn't do any driving. When got back into horses in 1995, I used ground driving to start our first two ponies in RIDING before our 5, 3 & 2 yr old daughters rode the ponies. I finally got my first cart in 1997 and managed to get some basic lessons in driving some of our ponies - but our children were growing and we couldn't afford to do both riding & driving, so driving put into the background. I still used ground driving w/ saddles to introduce all of our horses/ponies to riding. I've now been driving regularly since Jan 2010 and I'm constantly expanding my knowledge. I didn't start out taking regular lessons - then did every week from April thru November 2010. Since - I've attended various clinics, several more advanced driving lessons w/ instructors and have had the opportunity to put a couple of our ponies with other trainers. I'm still learning and have more to learn. Just like with riding - there is much more to aspire to.
I hope that I haven't put you off of driving or upset you too much. DRIVING IS ONE of the funnest sports with your horse, I think!!