another driving question

[js1arab]

I would love to hear from anyone whose not exactly a size 2 as to how they condition their minis to handle the added stress of pulling in the sandy rings. A few of the arenas I would be showing in around here are pretty deep. Both my stallion and my gelding pull me just fine on the flat firm ground, but I know it will be much harder on them in the sand. Will lots of miles condition them enough or do I need to look into other ideas. I thought about hill work, but I worry about that too, I wouldn't want to over do that either. Also, with my own health problems and my son's activities, how long per session and how many sessions per week will give the most benefit without being over done for any of us? Also, I realize each individual is different and I will need to adjust to meet their needs, but I was just wondering if anyone had specific routines that seemed to work well for them. Thanks for any input

 

[MiLo Minis]

I hate to say it but if the footing is sand and it is deep and heavy I would advise foregoing the driving on that day. There is nothing harder on a horse than driving in heavy sand and they could easily be injured no matter how fit they are. I am not a big person and I LOVE to drive but when it is a choice of hurting my horse or missing the show you know which I would choose.

A good conditioning program starts off slow and gradually builds. I do 20 minutes work alternating every 5 minutes between walk and trot. Ask for a good steady walk and a good working trot. I do that for 2 weeks every other day and then up it to 30 minutes every other day with loose running on the off days. If you have any reasonable hills (not too steep) walking and trotting them is good exercise for building a back end.

 

[Sandee]

Drive at least 3 times a week working up from 20 minutes to 30, 40 min. or an hour. Up and down hills (they don't have to really steep ones) are good for the muscles and make sure you are using breeching.

It's easy to say but not so easy to do! Consistancy is difficult for me.

 

[Minimor]

I'm with Lori; if the footing is too heavy, I would not drive--I am not a big person, but I am also not a featherweight.

Conditioning on the roads, even on hills, or on other firm footing is not the same as driving in sand--a horse that is fit for driving for an extended time on firm footing may still be hurt by driving in sand.

Of course conditioning helps, and so does common sense--on show day, be aware of how hard your horse is working. He may be able to do one or two classes, but don't expect him to do 4 or 5 classes if the footing is heavy.

 

[Katiean]

We are lucky. In the arena I have shown in they remove part of the heavy footing. The arena is not hard to walk in. However, I went to a local arena to train in. It was hard for me to walk in. The arena is so deep that I would not ask a horse to do a halter class in that arena.

 

[StarRidgeAcres]

and make sure you are using breeching.

Sandee,

Help me understand what role the breeching plays. I'm new to driving and hadn't been using the breeching. That's the part that looks like a breast collar but goes around the butt? Maybe I've got it confused with another part.

 

[Keri]

I don't drive in deep sand. I'm not super skinny, but skinny. Either way, its too tough to "show" a horse in that condition. They are more focused on pulling rather than actually showing off how well they look in the cart (no matter the size of the person in the cart). Is there a way to ask the fairgrounds to flatten the arena before carts enter (or not plow it up at all since its not truely needed except for jumping)?? We've had people drive cars over the arena to help flatten it down so that we can actually drive.

 

[MiLo Minis]

and make sure you are using breeching.

Sandee,

Help me understand what role the breeching plays. I'm new to driving and hadn't been using the breeching. That's the part that looks like a breast collar but goes around the butt? Maybe I've got it confused with another part.

Breeching IS the "breastcollar" that goes around the butt. It is your braking system. The breeching straps are wrapped on the shafts of the cart. When you stop, or are going down hill, as the shafts move ahead the breeching comes up against the horses haunches and holds the cart back preventing it from slamming into the horse or pushing him off his feet. A lot of people remove it for the show ring because it sort of looks like too much harness on a Mini, which is okay only because you are out there for just a short time on level ground but, in fairness to the horse, it should be used at all other times. It can also help your horse with backing as it gives him something to push into.

 

[hobbyhorse23]

The best way to condition for driving in deep footing is to do it. As someone else said, even good long works on firm footing do not prepare a horse for hard pulling. This is something you have to approach with real care and great concern for the horse's welfare but it certainly can be done and in my opinion is far kinder than sparing them during training then throwing them in the show ring and expecting them to deal with it on top of all the stress of showing.

Start lightly by roundpenning them in loose sand or deep footing once they have gotten basic conditioning on firmer ground. Don't push the horse- rather than stopping after a set time, let them stop when they're puffing and take a walking break, then do a couple more minutes once they've recovered. Let the horse get used to a routine of this until they're able to work without strain, then up the time. Our goal is to slowly build muscle and toughen the ligaments and tendons. Once the horse can work comfortably in deep footing it's time to ask them to drag something in it. You can roundpen with a light tire or long-line in the empty cart, whatever suits you and your situation. Start out slow and easy and don't ask them to do it for more than a couple of minutes if they're clearly having to work at it. Even just walking in some footing is a real workout!

This should be treated like strength training for a human, meaning short sets of intense work with increasing repetitions rather than asking them for sustained effort in one long session. Keep these workouts very short and only attempt them after the horse is thoroughly warmed up; I'll do a full dressage lesson in my trainer's indoor arena then go cool out on the mud track and at the very end we'll enter the incredibly deep hog-fuel outdoor arena and make one walking lap then quit for the day. Do not overmatch your horse! It takes a long time to toughen a horse to this kind of work, like at least a year of steady conditioning to build bone density and muscle fiber.

The majority of your conditioning work should be done in good footing so that the horse is building muscle, wind and stamina in a non-stressful manner. The heavy pulling is a brief adjunct added a couple of times a week when the horse is mature and already in good shape. You can never have too many types of workout when you're trying to create an athlete! My seasoned CDE horse gets roundpenning, treadmilling, road driving (including some trotting on concrete once his legs were toughened for it), dirt driving, mud driving, clay driving, driving in water, driving in tall grass, walking up a series of short hills, trotting or cantering up a steep hill on firm footing, flatwork in deep footing...you get the idea. A truly fit horse can handle unpleasant arena footing for short periods and still show fairly well but there is definitely a point where it's too much and that's where you withdraw from your classes. No ribbon is worth potentially injuring your horse! The younger the horse or the less they were conditioned for that sort of work, the lower that threshold is.

and make sure you are using breeching.

Sandee,

Help me understand what role the breeching plays. I'm new to driving and hadn't been using the breeching. That's the part that looks like a breast collar but goes around the butt? Maybe I've got it confused with another part.

The breeching is the brakes of the harness system. As MiLo said, it holds the cart back off the horse's hindquarters and prevents the vehicle from slipping forward through the tug loops and potentially clipping the horse's heels. On a show harness, shaft stops, thimbles or really tight wrap straps perform the same function but unfortunately put all that pressure on the harness saddle to which they are attached. This wouldn't be so bad except that most show saddles are thin little things with not much padding and virtually no clearance for the spine which means that as the cart pushes forward against the harness, the saddle digs into the horse's back and pushes against the withers. Depending on how heavy the cart is and how boney the horse is, that can be quite painful!

Think of it as a thin purse strap versus a padded diaper bag strap or backpack. Which one would you rather carry a lot of weight in?

On the flat it usually isn't too bad but if you get going on a long steep downhill and that cart keeps pushing forward and pushing forward and it starts to hurt his back and the horse is clamping his tail against the crupper to keep the saddle back and it's all pinching and pushing and slipping and hurting and...what do you think that poor horse is going to do?? If you're lucky, he's simply going to learn to dislike hills. If you're not and he's green he may decide he can't hold the cart back and bolt to avoid the discomfort and feeling of insecurity.

Breeching takes all that pressure off. If it's correctly adjusted it should come into play just before the tugs would have been pushed forward by the shafts so the weight is taken on the large muscles of the horse's hindquarters where he can "sit down" into it and hold the cart back comfortably. The crupper does not become bowstring taut under his tail, the saddle stays where it belongs, and there is no chance (barring a broken holdback strap) of the shafts slipping forward. Horses do have to be trained to hold the cart back this way and to accept the feel of the breeching but it's much more ergonomic for those heavy loads and also keeps the cart from "slamming" the horse in the saddle as the traces slacken. I wouldn't drive any other way in the Real World. In the show ring, sure, but not for real work.

Leia

 

[StarRidgeAcres]

Holy Schmoly! Thanks for the explanation. I'm going to put the breeching back on my work harness. I was advised to removed it and also advised to work him up and down hills so I'm thinking that might be a contradiction. We're still in the beginning stages so hill work isn't in our plans yet, but I'm sure glad I asked.

Thanks!

 

[MiLo Minis]

Holy Schmoly! Thanks for the explanation. I'm going to put the breeching back on my work harness. I was advised to removed it and also advised to work him up and down hills so I'm thinking that might be a contradiction. We're still in the beginning stages so hill work isn't in our plans yet, but I'm sure glad I asked.
Thanks!

There are diagrams on my website on how to properly wrap the breeching straps onto your cart if you want to go take a look.

 

[StarRidgeAcres]

Holy Schmoly! Thanks for the explanation. I'm going to put the breeching back on my work harness. I was advised to removed it and also advised to work him up and down hills so I'm thinking that might be a contradiction. We're still in the beginning stages so hill work isn't in our plans yet, but I'm sure glad I asked.
Thanks!

There are diagrams on my website on how to properly wrap the breeching straps onto your cart if you want to go take a look.

Thanks Lori! I'm going to check it out now. (I was kind of wondering how in the heck am I going to know how to attach that thing!

)

 

[sfmini]

I am a very big person and I won't drive if the footing is deep. I know most of the places we go show so it isn't really an issue but one time at an AMHR show, they had us showing halter in one location, looked fine for driving, but they moved the driving to another area. It looked ok, but was deep. He did fine on the move, but when we went into the center ring, I felt the cart sink and he tried, but couldn't back. I stopped him and shrugged at the judge. We placed pretty high in the class, but I went right out, unhooked and scratched and told them why. Got my money back, no problem.

My horse comes first, if I think the going is too heavy, not worth it.

I do trail drive him on rail trails, we build up to trotting most of the way, six miles each way. I use breeching on my work harness, and a Freedom Collar.

My driving horse is AMHA/AMHR, around 33 1/2"

 

[hobbyhorse23]

Holy Schmoly! Thanks for the explanation. I'm going to put the breeching back on my work harness. I was advised to removed it and also advised to work him up and down hills so I'm thinking that might be a contradiction. We're still in the beginning stages so hill work isn't in our plans yet, but I'm sure glad I asked.
Thanks!

There are diagrams on my website on how to properly wrap the breeching straps onto your cart if you want to go take a look.

Thanks Lori! I'm going to check it out now. (I was kind of wondering how in the heck am I going to know how to attach that thing!

)

You ask the forum, of course!

A couple of people got photos while I was teaching this subject at the NWMHC clinic a few weeks ago (I asked for photos of the horse and I for my scrapbook, I got a lot of closeups of my holdback and wrap straps.

At least I know they were paying attention!

) so I could post those on a separate thread. Check the "Best Of" forum for the "Pet Peeve" thread too, that's got some great advice on harness adjustment including breeching.

Leia