Anyone interested in charting our horse time....

[drivin*me*buggy]

I have seen this on other boards (Recreational Equine Driving) and I think ADS has a program where you log your driving time and earn a pin or something(Hours to Drive Program) and wondered of anyone would be interested in doing something like that here, where we report once a week with our horse time- mainly as a motivator to keep us working this winter- and to see what we are all doing.we don't have to have an award unless anyone wants to do something like that....

Any interest?

Angie

 

[Dontworrybeappy]

A lovely idea, but I'm hardly organized enough to keep track on a daily (or weekly) basis!

OTOH, I can "report" on 20 minutes today with my black "First Knight's Redi or Not" daughter, "Nightie" in her first honest-to-goodness, hitched up good and proper, solo cart ride today! (solo meaning *I* was alone - she's been learning to drive as a single!)

"DRK's What's the Buzz" - our snowcap tobiano Pintoloosa stallion, has been started with a bit and bitting rig now for 2 days... he's not thrilled with the concept, but isn't arguing and started learning to turn yesterday! He'll move into the long-lines within the next week or so.

 

[susanne]

This does sound fun, but I'm far too left-handed to keep track of driving time (or anything, sadly) on a regular basis...

If it is cumulative, I'd be interested in reporting in when I remember.

I have to say, though...while I read Recreational Equine Driving regularly, I never read anyone's challenge reports. Perhaps we could come up with a new twist on the idea?

 

[drivin*me*buggy]

We could report in once a week or something....I could jot it in a notebook.

We could come up with some guidelines.....like deciding if ground driving counts. I kinda think it should- to encourage more people to participate. And stress that it is just for fun

 

[Riverdance]

Unfortunately, it is going to be too cold in our area soon to take horses out driving. I just HATE the cold!! Iknow, I live in the wrong area for hating the cold.

 

[drivin*me*buggy]

LOL, come on!- I am in upstate NY, so we will be cold too. I plan on bundling up and still playing with them. At some point the footing will get too messy at times to drive- so then I will ground drive and do in-hand stuff plus lungeing and jumping in the round pen.

That's why I thought we could be flexible with the rules in terms of actually being hitched- so if ground driving counts then we can go all year...and those who aren't actually hitching yet can still play

 

[Krazee bout Kasspur]

Hey I drove today!

45 minutes

. Would have been much longer (sometimes all day), but just tweaking some harness adjustments and sun was getting low. It's finally tolerable weather here, but I still find myself saying...Is it hot or is it just me

. I might have to move to a cooler state!

 

[targetsmom]

Well, it sounds like a good idea, but I am afraid I would not keep up either the record keeping OR the driving when the weather gets too cold. Plus it would be obvious how disorganized I am, as I have 4 of our 8 minis in various stages of driving now! Today I got as far as taking the cart out of the garage to get the photos I promised of the singletree in its new position. I thought about driving Ruby.... I bet thinking about it doesn't count though????

 

[Minimor]

LOL, come on!- I am in upstate NY, so we will be cold too. I plan on bundling up and still playing with them. At some point the footing will get too messy at times to drive- so then I will ground drive and do in-hand stuff plus lungeing and jumping in the round pen.

If you can still ground drive & do longeing and jumping in the round pen then you don't have it very cold, nor do you have much snow! Here I'm quite certain it will soon be too cold and/or we will have too much snow to do any of that. Ground driving is no fun if you are wading through 3 feet of snow or stumbling over hard, frozen snowdrifts & then falling into the soft snow in between drifts....and nothing outside is fun when it's 35 below and there's a wind blowing down off the polar ice caps! I don't do anything in the way of harness work once it's winter time.

Brrrr. Like Riverdance, I HATE WINTER.

 

[drivin*me*buggy]

No biggie, just thought it might be a neat idea. We will still be out. Here's my daughter and Banner from last year.

I hope everyone enjoys the time they do get out.

Angie

 

[Krazee bout Kasspur]

That looks fun!

 

[susanne]

Angie,

I think you should still go ahead with this idea. While some of us are organizationally-challenged and others are winter-challenged, I'm sure those living in fairer climes would enjoy this year-round. Some may only be able to participate part of the year. Still others -- me, hehe -- are full-time dorks, but always willing to make the effort.

We don't have ferocious winters, but I'm considering buying water wings for Mingus and pontoons for the cart after yesterday's rain. It is, however, good practice fording mud puddles!

 

[targetsmom]

Well, I just want to add that we had PERFECT weather here in Southern New England today - balmy 60 degrees/shorts and T shirts so I drove 2 horses!!! I did not keep track of times but we did get some photos of Ruby looking adorable. The other mare is REAL green and also has Lyme Disease, so I have a helper and take it real easy. Lots of walking....

 

[Minimor]

We had lovely weather here too--would have been lovely for driving but I had a big load of hay to unload. I did try two ponies on the new pony cart yesterday, just to see how it fit on them. Wish this was our winter, then after Christmas it would get nicer! Some hope.

But for sure, go ahead with the idea--I'd think there are plenty who would participate--you won't know until you actually try it how many will take part.

 

[Margo_C-T]

I think it's a grand idea! I would participate...and I think you have a very good point about the motivating factor!

When I was an APHA member, and riding my APHA mare, I signed up for their 'trail riding' program, whereby you kept track of your hours of riding and after you achieved so many, you got some sort of recognition. I'll admit, I lost my impetus after awhile, so I have only one embroided arm patch as a result(now, if I could just remember to put it a jacket!)Even so, the patch was nice-but even MORE satisfying was my "log" of the happy hours I'd spent in the saddle and on the trail!

I have not driven much in the past year or so, for a variety of reasons. Now, last week and this, I've driven almost every day, and ground driven my new, 'greenie' larger mini. It has been SUCH a joy; if I am to do some of the things I'd like to next year, I HAVE to get these horses back into condition; this is a first step! I am the first to admit, I WON'T be trying to drive if there's much snow, if it's muddy,if it's really COLD, and ESPECIALLY if there's 'our' frequent ICY northwesterly WINDS; I am just too old for that! But, I am going to try HARD to require myself to get out there otherwise this winter and try to keep everyone going, in some respect.

Margo

 

[Krazee bout Kasspur]

I thought folks that lived in the snowy states simply converted their buggys over or just hitched up the sleighs!!!???

 

[drivin*me*buggy]

OK- should we try a start date of this Sat? Or Maybe Dec 1 or wait til Jan 1?

Any ideas on guidelines?

*I say stress the fun part of this-no sour grapes or taking it too seriously LOL..it's main purpose is as a motivational tool.

* I think ground driving should count- so that those who are new to driving are encouraged to participate and work their horses.

* You can sign up with more than one horse.

Any more?

Rats- I just had 3 hours of driving over the weekend I could've charted LOL guess that means I get to enjoy some more driving time.

I could keep a notebook here and we could update one a week- Saturdays or something, maybe I could start a post Sat. mornings and you could check in with check in with your time for the week.

Any ideas on what we should call it?

 

[Minimor]

I thought folks that lived in the snowy states simply converted their buggys over or just hitched up the sleighs!!!???

Nope, not here! Once upon a time we had a cutter--actually 2 of them--for our Morgans. We even used them one winter, but it's a rare winter that allows us to go sleighing around here. Even if it's not too cold which it often is (at least I think it's too cold when we get 2 weeks of -35 (for a high, try -40 for a low, colder still if the wind is blowing)-- There's no way I'm going to go out and do anything with the horses in that kind of weather, other than the routine chores of feeding, cleaning and watering. Truth is, it doesn't even have to be that cold for me to not bother trying to drive or do any sort of training or groundwork with the horses!
Anyway, even if it weren't too cold, most of the time we either have too much snow, or not enough snow. Here we either have to drive down the roads or across the pastures or fields--roads are usually scraped bare, which is no good for sleigh runners...hard pulling and NOISY--and pastures/fields usually have too much snow. I'd never expect a Mini or even a pony to pull a sleigh through that kind of snow--it was usually too deep even for the Morgans. Or, if it's not too deep then it's too uneven--you get going through soft snow, then hit a hard drift, then fall back into the soft snow 10 feet further on.

I used to always see wonderful sleighing photos from Morgan people in New England--maybe pictures are deceiving but they seemed to have nice snowy roads to drive on. We don't have that here, and so don't bother with a cutter nor runners for our carts!

Yep, I really do hate winter.

 

[Margo_C-T]

Sleighing, while it sounds like a lot of fun, requires more than one might think! As mentioned, pretty specific snow conditions are needed, for both ease AND safety, and, you sort of have to learn a 'different' approach to maneuvering...runners do NOT handle like wheels; you can turn over in a heartbeat!

I have driven my Frontier on snow here, under 'good' conditions...meaning firm ground underneath not-very-deep snow, or snow that has been packed, but not made icy, by autos. Frontier makes 'runners' you can buy to change off with the wheels, but a 'heads-up',years ago, from the gal I ordered my first Frontier through, about how flimsy and unstable they were, turned me off the idea of buying them. I DO tie my little string of 5 antique cast brass sleigh bells(what a wonderful tone they have!)onto the harness saddle when I drive in the snow, or around holiday time--sounds very festive!

Did you know that the saying, "I'll be there with bells on", came from the days of the huge Conestoga freight wagons? It was common practice for there to be bells, with a distinctive tone for each wagon, on one of the team; it helped notify others on the usually-not-so-great 'roads' of the time of a wagon's approach, allowed them to 'plan' on how they might pass upom meeting (Conestogas were HUGE things!), etc. If a rider(there wasn't a driver, but instead, a person riding 'postillon' on the left wheeler, to direct the team) had problems and had to have the help of another wagon 'rider', he customarily was to relinquish his bells to the one who'd helped him. Hence, if he then arrived at his destination w/o his bells, he was seen as one who hadn't been able to 'make it' on his own...so 'being there with bells on' came to mean 'I made it by myself', needed no help!

Google Conestoga wagons for some fascinating info on these mammoth vehicles! They are NOT the same thing as the 'family' wagon, or 'Prairie Schooner', often seen in movies about the 'old west'...about the only thing they had in common was the canvas-over-bows top!!

Margo