3000 ways to get killed driving?

[MelissaAH]

If I had read this thread before driving, I never would have started.
Melissa, maybe you need to read a NON scary experience--

I've been driving for 6 years. I've trained 3 horses to drive, and am working on a 4th. I have never wrecked in a cart. I do parades, cruises around town to give rides, jaunts in the country with tractors and combines, cows and stray dogs, quail and snakes. A little showing, too.

I love driving! It is such a wonderful way to share my hroses. Giving a ride to some delighted child or amazed adult is so much fun!

If you are looking for a first horse and thinking you want to drive, you may want to broaden your ideas about flashy color and consider temperament as more important. You might combine both, but you need to choose the priority.

I am aware that I MIGHT wreck someday. But if we sit around worrying about what might happen, we might not ever do anything at all. So, don't give up on your idea to drive! It is so much fun!

uh..yeah OH!

You know what caused me to be so afraid of riding these last 3 years? I bought my first horse, a barely turned 5 year old at 39 and had none...zilch...zero experience

Yeah, it was a very stupid thing to do. But I got darn lucky because he really took care of me but I was such a timid rider and I played mental games with myself....the "what if" games. If I had taken lessons on a bunch of horses before him,lost weight (because I really think my weight came into the picture)and built my confidence on lesson horses I would probably be keeping him right now. And because of all those mistakes I will probably never ride again.

So with driving. I do not want to make the mistake again. I want to learn all about it by taking lessons doing it first and make darn sure if I like it buy a well trained mini from a breeder that has trained the horse themselves. Aty least if I take lessons I will know if it's what I want to do. I am timid by nature (wasn't when I as young) but at 43....you have a lot more to lose when you have family. And true about color. If I want to drive the most important thing for me would be the horse not all the flare. I can buy flare for pets!

 

[ErikaS.]

After reading this thread, I was considering selling my easy- entry cart and giving up on the idea of driving. I don't have money for a trainer. Can't find one anyway near where I live... My nieghbor drives Morgans. She gives me pointers once in a while but she has her own busy life to lead. I have trained saddle horses and didn't get killed... Well, I read Marsha's post and I'm going to keep going on ground -driving my Trigger and take my chances. He's any easy going guy and I don't ever push him too hard, just enough so he's not bored. I don't believe in artificial training aids. I won't put him to cart until we're both ready.

We all know there is always an element of danger when dealing with horses. If we wanted to stay safe, we'd all stay in bed.

 

[BannerBrat]

[SIZE=12pt]Hello there Melissa.

[/SIZE]

First off welcome to the wonderful world of driving!

I think this thread is very good, as you need to know what can happen.

I think if you do your homework there is nothing wrong with training your own horse to drive.

It's a great way to develop a good working relationship with your horse.

I'd suggest for you, having no driving expirience, is buy a horse that isn't just trained for show ring driving, buy one that is really well trained, and was trained without shortcuts.

If you can get a mentor to go with you to look at him/her, that would be awesome!

Then when you get your new horse home, let him/her settle and get into a good routine with him/her. Work on basic manners and such. When you hitch up you are definently going to want this horse to think of you as his/her friend, & have him/her have some faith in you.

Is there anybody around you that drives? possibly the lady buying your TWH?

I'd see if she'd let you see how she hitches, trains & etc. Maybe she would even give you lessons.

I'm 15 now & I'm training my gelding to drive.(always room to improve, training never really ends.

) He's already been hitched since the beggining of summer & we are doing very good. I started him as a 2&1/2 yr. old & took my time & we did ground driving for a long time, we hitched him late fall when he was 4. He did great, but I mentally wasn't really ready, & I most definently didn't trust him, simply because this was all new to me & him. But now we've been hitched & driving pretty much all summer & he doing awesome. He'll be 6 this september & I'll be 16 the same time.

I say don't so anything until you are both comfortable, & if you come across a problem take time to figure out the source & fix it.

You can always ask here on the forum for help, or hopefully you'll be able to get a mentor to help you out.

I say go for it!

[at your own pace.]

 

[rabbitsfizz]

Only 3000???

Honestly, I think I was really lucky that the second pony I trained to drive ran off with me, wrecked the sled, wrapped me an him round a fence post and no-one was killed!!

Lucky because I learned a lot from it, especially that starting a three year old colt, on your own, in the middle of a field, is really not such a good idea, and really really lucky that I was only 17 years old and still bounced!!!

He and I both lived to learn from the experience, and he went on to be a brilliant driving pony, but in hind sight I do think it was probably in spite of me and not because of me!!

If you are willing to seek help (I had no Internet, but I did have people who had driven when that is what you did to get around) if you are willing to use the common sense God gave you, and if you have the courage for it, then I can see no reason why you cannot teach a horse to drive...the accent is on "teach" here, of course.

No shortcuts for me, nowadays, I do not bounce any more!!

Being run away with is terrifying, I still remember the scenery whizzing by, all these years later, but crikey it made me respect the power, the sheer raw power of the animal I was training...all 11 hh of him!!

I think Jill made a very good post, right at the beginning, and I can see a number of other very salient points.

Buy a trained horse, one that has been trained to drive, not run in front of a cart in a ring...a horse properly trained can show, a horse that has only been taught to run in front of a cart will be no joy to drive outside the ring.

Biting , proper, trained, bitting is paramount, unless a horses mouth is "made" it will not be able to respond correctly...this is one of the reasons I do so much of my training without a bit....BUT I would NOT suggest someone who does not have the experience I do attempts this.

The colt that ran away with me all those years ago was not bitted, it did not stop me driving unbitted horses but it taught me to do a lot more work before I did it, in future!!

A bit is no safeguard of control, I know this from riding horses bitless that have been trained to do it, TRAINING is the way to control a horse, and only TRAINING will get you a safe, pleasurable driving horse.

But you do have to remember that anything to do with horses is potentially dangerous, as is crossing the road, especially these days.

I get a lot more pleasure from my well trained horses than I do from crossing the road, BTW

 

[hobbyhorse23]

Personally I like starting horses in a jog cart (or roadster type cart without a basket)...coming from the big horse world..I like stirrups to brace myself for anything that happens. I think its good for a beginner driving too...closest thing to your riding skills.

I like using jog carts as they're lighter and have a good "feel" for a beginning horse but they are very difficult to get into and out of quickly and someone with short legs like me cannot brace reliably against those stirrups because they're too far away. Plus if a foot slips off during a spook, you're in trouble!

Easy Entry carts can indeed become easy exit carts but there are easy ways to prevent that like putting rubberized shelf liner between you and the seat or having the seat recovered in Sunbrella or the fabric used on snow mobile seats. If you don't slide, you don't come out. Been there, tested that, felt much safer than in a basket-less jog cart.

You learn things that can help...like a horse that might start to rear in the cart...if you can stand up in your basket...lean forward over front of the cart some...putting all your weight on front of the basket...will put weight on the shafts ...on his back...and put his feet back on the ground.

Putting weight on the shafts, yes. Standing up to do so, no.

It wouldn't work with anything but a mini anyway! A better way might be to understand that when a horse starts to go up, they need to be driven forward. Don't bottle up a horse who is thinking skywards! Move them forward briskly before they start to go up then ask them again to stand quietly. This isn't "letting them get away with it," it's having good common sense. If you're making them work when they go forward they'll soon figure out that standing still is the easier option. Connie is absolutely right that there's lots of little things you can learn to help keep you and your horse safe. We'll help you!

Suggestion: For those using easy entry carts..make sure you have an area to brace your feet...thats critical in a bad situation...other wise you have nothing to hold yourself with...becuase your hands are using the lines. Wood floor easy entry...put some of those peel/stick grit papers down that they use on steps to keep people from slipping walking on them. Can the seat be moved forward and bolted tight...so your legs can brace on front of the floor grid. May have to build up the floor some with wood so you can reach it for short legs. Then put grit paper on it.

Excellent advice overall. It's far better however to build a wooden floor box like Connie mentions then to bolt the seat in a forward position; that only unbalances the cart. The seat slider is meant to be used and shouldn't be disabled in any way.

Driving can be scary- so is life! It's fun and wonderful and undertaken with sufficient respect for the potential dangers can be (ironically) a source of great relaxation and enjoyment. None of us want to scare off a new driver but what Melissa was told is true and we won't hide that either. Again- respect the rules and your animal and make wise choices. You'll be fine!

Leia

 

[AceyHorse]

In the wreck I had, I was driving in an easy entry cart and I was very grateful it was easy exit too. The horse I was driving took off flat stick around the arena and headed straight for a spot where the lower rail was missing. The horse could fit under the top rail, the seat of the cart could fit under it, but and I certainly couldn't, not even had I been able to lay down on the seat. I had absolutely no turning and no breaks we were completely out of control and at a flat out gallop. If I hadn't been able to quickly bail out before we got to the railing the best outcome for me would have been a broken back, the worst........

. So I learnt two lessons, never EVER drive in an unsecure arena with a "suspect" horse, and sometimes easy exit is good.