How do you hook up your mini when alone?

[Max's Mom]

I've really appreciated reading these ideas and ways of doing things, as I, too have wondered what the safest way of doing it is. I can imagine horrible accidents happening, and unfortunately, I think that I limit what I do because of fear. Max doesn't always stand as patiently as I wish he would. I don't hitch him alone. Usually my daughter hitches him (he is really her horse!) and I stand by his head, loosely holding the reins and ready to stop or steady him if needed. I have never had him tied while hitching him to the cart, though we do have him face a fence when possible.

However, my daughter and I do want to be able to hitch him up alone, and are working towards that. One question I have is about where the safest place to put the reins are. Some of you have said that you must hold them, but how can you hold them while putting the cart to or off the horse? Also, I've seen lots of pictures where people put the reins over the dash or back of the cart and just harness up. I wonder what would happen if the horse spooked and the reins got caught in a wheel? Could that happen? I was thinking that folding and placing the reins over the horses back would be a safer option, but is it? Maybe they should always be held?

 

[Max's Mom]

By the way, I do realize that standing is absolutely important! He stands quite well while being harnessed but isn't perfect 100% of the time, especially if there's a lot of activity around. He's more of a go than whoa sort of horse. And once you get into the cart, he can get antsy. We're working on that.

 

[shorthorsemom]

My trainer did not allow me to place the reins over the horses back once harnessing. I had to hold the reins at all times. I hung them over my arm like a handbag while moving around my horse. I shifted them to each side while holding them and they stayed attached to me for the harnessing process, even when putting the cart to. I practiced it a lot and after a while it felt natural. Initially it drove me crazy but every time I hung my reins on my horse even for a minute, she would correct me to pick up my reins. I didn't attempt driving alone for a very long time and prefer to have a header person even now, but I do know how to work alone too. This could have been newbie training too but I remember the lesson and thought I would mention.

 

[BSharpRanch]

I usually have to hitch alone. Very seldom do I have any help. Green horses are hitched while tied, then as they gain experience I will hitch while they stand facing the fence, then out in the open.

I usually place the reins over the dash, however they are always within reach should the horse move. Long straps, attached to a horse belong up off the ground, wether they are reins, ropes etc. NEVER wrapped or placed in a why that they cannot be easily dropped, and NEVER on the ground where they could become entangled around feet/legs. It is no fun being drug around by a panicked horse, thus why I place the reins over the dash, but within reach on the horse.

 

[Minimor]

Yes, absolutely do not put the lines down--I would not lay them over the dash & hitch that way, and I do not leave them draped over the horse's back while I'm hitching. I do fold them over the back if/when I change sides, but at that point I walk around the front of the horse and can have one hand on the lines closer to the horse's head. If I cannot hold the lines in my hand while I am doing up buckles, then I have the lines draped over one arm while I am hitching. Draped over the arm means the lines are right there, easy to grab if I need to. Practice, practice, practice--even when you have someone holding the horse, practice holding onto the lines as you would if you were hitching alone. That is the best way to get comfortable with doing it. With someone else holding the horse if you are clumsy with the lines the first few times it won't matter--someone else is still in control of the horse. With practice it will become easy and second nature to you.

 

[CZP1]

I always have the reins in my hand while hitching. I know my horse will stand and as minimor said practice, practice. Everyone learns a different way. Pick and choose what you feel comfortable with your amount of experience.

What I did while training my gelding is to make him stand and then while he is waiting I will give him a treat (no bashers) to stand still. Actually got him trained when doing a halter class to stand parked out and wait, crinkling the wrapper on the peppermint treat. He know to park out and stand for the treat. Again was told, not to let your horse graze while being hitched, but mine does. I just take the grass out of his mouth and off we go. Sometimes I will let him have his "chew" ewww! in his mouth as a reward also. Do what ever works for you and again that you are comfortable it!.





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[Marsha Cassada]

Some drivers believe one should not hitch and unhitch in the same place every time. This helps the horse know that where ever he is, he must stand still for the routine.

I think ground driving behind a hitched cart is very dangerous. I've seen a training video where this is taught and it surprised me.

 

[shorthorsemom]

Minimor, your description.... better told... is exactly what my trainer taught me about the reins and hitching.

As far as letting a horse graze while being hitched. My boy's former owner allowed him to do this and it was a pain in the patookie to train out of him to the point where he expected grazing and he would bite at us and bite the cart shafts and he got very angry when not allowed to graze while hitching. We had to do extensive retraining. I even had to put a rubber mat down in the hitching area. Took awhile but eventually he stood quietly, didn't expect to eat and is easy to hitch. Every horse is different, but my boy in particular is a food hog and it got out of hand and I lost control and he was scoring too many points so we eliminated it. Harder to retrain than train something from the get go. I am glad we finally eliminated the biting defiance. For awhile it was like hitching a shark.

The head down position of grazing also made my harness adjustments different. If you measure heart girth with head down vs head up I get a different measurement on my chubby boy. I prefer head in relaxed natural position while hitching, not down where he can get a leg into the reins and all my adjustments are easier to check and double check if my boy is not surfing for grass. His "stand" training greatly improved with the work we did to teach him no grazing during any part of driving including harnessing. Treats and grazing only when completely finished and unharnessed.

 

[Minimor]

Not only the harness adjustments are a factor when the horse is allowed to graze--but if the horse has his head down then he has a lot of extra rein--it's one thing if he is grazing while having the harness put on, but if he is allowed to

graze while the cart is being put to him--if something startles him so that he shoots his head up and takes off--even if you have a firm hold on the lines he gives himself a lot of extra rein just by raising his head. That gives him way too much time to take off--because you will have to reel in that extra rein before you have control. This is a huge safety issue!!

 

[Marsha Cassada]

No grazing while hitching for me! Very bad habit to break (been there done that). Grazing is for playtime. Hitching is for work.

I would not drape reins over my arms. It is too easy for them to loop and if the horse bolted, one's arms would be caught in the reins. Absolutely never put them around one's neck! I tuck mine under the back strap as I am harnessing. Keeps them off the ground, but they are easy to get to when needed.

As the OP may see, lots of different opinions. We all have to try things and see what works for us.

 

[Max's Mom]

Thank you! I'm glad that so many of you emphasize what is safe and not safe. I have always wondered how to do it safely with one person. I will now have both myself and my daughter practice doing the whole thing while holding the reins while the other person acts as a header. With practice, practice, practice, we'll get comfortable with it.

As a safety oriented person, I really cannot understand some of the things I see others do. One of the scariest things I see is people proudly posting pictures of their 2 or 3 year old horse that they just hitched for the first time, standing totally "on its own"- the owner taking a picture while no one is within 10 feet of the horse or in the cart. And ads for carts where the horse is just hitched up to the cart, again, with no one in sight. Or driving the horse from behind the cart (I did this once years ago when I didn't know better, with a full sized horse and there was a "spectacular" accident which totaled the cart and put me on crutches for weeks)

 

[Foxhaven]

Some drivers believe one should not hitch and unhitch in the same place every time. This helps the horse know that where ever he is, he must stand still for the routine.

I think ground driving behind a hitched cart is very dangerous. I've seen a training video where this is taught and it surprised me.

I've ground driven Legend several times pulling the cart. The first time he was put to, in fact, under supervision of my trainer. Part of the reason is, going up a hill that is just a bit much for him. But the other day I found another reason: there was a short section of trail that was quite rough and muddy with snow, and downhill and off camber. I just did not feel safe (for me or for Legend) being in the cart; I thought he would have trouble controlling the cart with my weight in it. Since this was not the first time he had been ground driven pulling the cart, he was unfazed and we got down the hill safely (I even slipped, but he was steady).

Same logic cantering in the cart. I don't want his first time to be in a panic situation. He is quite comfortable cantering, then coming back down to a trot.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I have ground driven behind mine also. I had one bad experience doing it, so I know what can happen. I was surprised a training video advised it. As a rule, it isn't something I would suggest to someone who is inexperienced.

 

[studiowvw]

I think it's great to hear so many different stories and ideas. Probably at some time we're all going to have to do almost everything, so it's good to be aware!

Re: tying. A friend has a cool, level-headed, well-trained pony stallion that she rides and drives. She has good calm leadership and gets along great with him. She hitches with him untied, which she was doing one day as usual.

Then a chainsaw started up at the neighbor's unexpectedly. He was hitched to the cart but did not have his breeching done up.

He jumped a little bit forward and stopped. Because the breeching was undone, the cart rolled up and whapped him in the rear legs. He jumped again and stopped and the cart hit him again. Off he went down the road.

She got in the truck with her husband and followed him and when they caught up and passed he was trotting calmly down the road. Had no problem stopping him, got back in the cart and drove home.

So the moral I see here is that IF sometime I have to hitch while my horse is untied, I will be sure to have a good grip on the reins.

And it's obviously good prep to train the horse to stop and stand as part of its education.

And for tying: good prep to make sure the horse is used to being tied and standing patiently, before tying is used as part of the hitching process.