I have some driving questions...

[RAPfrosty]

I just ordered my harness and am going to start Fever's driving training full on but I have a couple of questions before I begin.

1. Is a bitting harness essential in the driving training of a horse? I only ask because if it is not, I would rather not invest $200 or so dollars in something I'm only going to be using a couple of times.

2. My harness does not come with a running martingle but in the books and video I've looked at, they all talk about it and about how it helps a green horse establish his head set and gives you better control. Should I order one?

3. Splint boots- I think I'm going to order some but do you/did you guys find them useful/preventative?

Thank you so much!

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I probably shouldn't be replying to this as I have limited driving experience. But I will tell you my experience with a running martingale.

I bought one for one of my horses and even had a harness maker put the attaching rings on my harness. I was hoping I could use it to teach my horse a better head set. I am sorry I invested in it, however. I get better results with correct rein contact. I am coming to believe more and more that artifical aids are not the answer for long term rapport with my horses. Sometimes they may work well, but I think most of us non-professional drivers do not have enough knowledge to use artifical aids properly. (I am not sure "aritifical aid" is the correct term)

Marsha

 

[Reble]

We did not have any aids just our harness.

Ground work is a big must, make sure the horse will do everything before trying to hook up.

They are easy learners, and are usually very willing.

When you go to hook up your mini should stand completely still well being hooked up. Must listen to all commands and especially to stand. For safety reasons.

:

And old driving expert told us, to get the right pressure on the bit, try putting your rope or binder twine on a tilted chair balance the chair in place that is how much pressure you should have on the reins. ( hope you understand what I am trying to explain. )

Good Luck and enjoy

:

 

[_minihorses4ever_]

3. Splint boots- I think I'm going to order some but do you/did you guys find them useful/preventative?

I would also love to know about this. I have been wanting to try some, but I have never seen a mini use any kind of "performance" boot.

 

[Wiggy]

If I felt my horse needed the protection.... driving outside of a ring in a pasture or something maybe... I would prefer to use polo wraps over splint boots... don't know if that comes from my riding horse experience or what... but polos are my choice for light protection..... ONLY if you know how to wrap correctly though... if you dont, or arent sure if you know... then go with boots...

 

[Steph G]

I second wiggy on the "only if you know how to use polo wraps". They can actually cause more harm than good if put on incorrectly.

 

[HGFarm]

Both of my previous stallions drove nicely with no martingale, and I am not using one to train the 3rd horse either.

We have used big horses for performance of all kinds, and when training at home or competing in speed events, working cattle, etc. have ALWAYS used splint boots. They are quick and easy to put on and yes, do provide protection. They are much simpler than wraps. I do have a Mini pair also, though dont use them often as we are not doing quick turns, spins or other things of that nature that might leave them open to injury from the other leg/hoof.

 

[Fred]

#1 I have always used the saddle of my harness to ground drive. I don't even bit a horse until he knows

what WHOA means. It takes time and patience to set a head properly usually about a year.

#2 Unless you KNOW what you are doing with artificial aids DON'T use them. If you must use them have

someone who knows what they are doing help you.

#3 You can use the smaller shipping boots if you are concerned about injury but I would not use polo

wraps.

The biggest things are proper fit of harness and time and patience. Hope this helps. Linda B

 

[RAPfrosty]

Thank you all for your suggestions. I think I will nix the martingale unless he starts yanking his head up and I think I'll go order the splint boots.

Does anyone have any input on the bitting harness? Who has or hasn't used one when training?

 

[Boinky]

I agree with Linda.

Honestly i think bitting rigs are a big waste of money and a way to JAM a horse into a frame which is just a quick fix and not a true fix. And you can do the same thing with a regular harness you can pretty much do with a bitting rig. just get a pair of sidereins ect. why waste the money??? I rarely use training aids such as that and when i do there is a good reason for it, not "just because everyone else uses them". I don't think martigales are nessissary with all horses and i hate to see horses that have their heads cranked up with the check then cranked down with the martingale forced into an "on the bit" frame (not true on the bit of course) ..sure it gets the head set but it can't be any to comfy for your horse and it LOOKS stiff and uncomfortable as well as it's nothing but a way of cutting corners and "cheating". I would not bother with the martigale and bitting harness and learn to hold your reins correctly with the right amount of pressure and you'll get the same results with a MUCH happier horse!

 

[HGFarm]

I have never used a bitting rig, and dont know anyone that has. I have, however, seen the result of it used to much on other horses. Either it was used incorrectly, or too much or something, as the horses travelled with their heads up and seemed to have developed big bulges at the bottom of their necks- not a pretty arch and nice headset like they should have had.

 

[hobbyhorse23]

Hi there Becky. I drive ADS style so we don't tend to use appliances or anything artificial to get our horses into a frame. That's one reason I drive ADS, actually. But I know you're looking at a different discipline so I'll tailor my answers accordingly.

1. Is a bitting harness essential in the driving training of a horse? I only ask because if it is not, I would rather not invest $200 or so dollars in something I'm only going to be using a couple of times.

Nope, I'm with everyone else- use your harness saddle and ground-drive the horse.

2. My harness does not come with a running martingle but in the books and video I've looked at, they all talk about it and about how it helps a green horse establish his head set and gives you better control. Should I order one?

Running martingales are pretty specific to the breed ring and to me often do not seem to be adjusted to actually do anything. The only way I can see that they would give you more control is to prevent the horse from doing what comes naturally when he is stressed and his head is being held way up in the air and bolting. If you train him carefully and only tighten the check as the horse is ready to carry himself that high, then you shouldn't have any problem. They don't do any harm but they're mostly decoration unless you have really checked your horse up.

3. Splint boots- I think I'm going to order some but do you/did you guys find them useful/preventative?

Ya know, I've always been more of an au natural person when it comes to my horses' legs. I had Arabs and they were always very surefooted and quick on their feet so I never had any problems with clipping or slipping or overreaching. The only time I used splint boots was in a local fun reining competition where they required that you wear them. When Spyder bowed a tendon in the pasture at 27 or 28 years old I got him some Sports Medicine boots at the vet's recommendation to help support his leg, but he hasn't used them since he healed.

Most horses wear protective gear on marathon at a CDE but the minis generally don't because it's hard to find splint boots that fit well enough to not slip around. They have some cute sports medicine boots for the minis now but I'm not sure how supportive they really are as far as the suspensory ligament. I still want a pair because at least they fit better and will protect the whole cannon from impacts. I worry more about my horse bouncing off an obstacle than off himself! LOL.

In any size horse using boots depends on what you do with the horse and what kind of footing you have. If you do fast spins, stops, whirling, etc., you should definitely use boots. Otherwise I prefer them to go bare so that the tendons strengthen themselves. Constant support means the structures of the leg never toughen up and if you ever take the boots off....uh-oh! Besides, with a barefoot horse they aren't as likely to injure themselves if they clip a hoof and the sting will teach a klutzy young horse to be more careful.

: The only time I'd use boots without hesitation was if I was driving a team. One horse cannot be expected to know where the legs of another are and accidents would be all too easy in fast turns. I paired them, it's my responsibility to protect them.

Leia

 

[gatorbait4sure]

On the topic of bitting rigs, I leaarned to use one correctly and safely so am very happy with mine. As I do not drive every day, my horses in training go into the bitting rig to learn bend and comfort. I use it in the round pen, adjusting it to whichever direction I have the horses going. The inside one is always shorter than the outside. My side reins on the rig are rubber tubing with snaps at the ends which "give" much more than the elastic straps with leather ends. This allows my horses to learn where their heads are comfortable in a driving position.

I must also point out that my experienced horses wear the bitting rig NOT my newbies, just learning. Using this saves my harnesses from scrapes and scratches while round penning. When driving, I always use the harness, and they start out with HOURS of ground driving before even seeing the rig.

 

[Boinky]

if used correctly i don't see a problem with a bitting rig..i just don't see the purpose of paying over $200 for something when you can get a cheap harness cheaper than that and use the same way. I see no problem with using sidereins when lunging or round penning, many of my horses big and small learn to lung wearing side reins.... but i do think they need to be used correctly and i don't think they should be used in conjuction with a check to hike the head up and in at the same time. I can see using it to teach the horse to take a contact and to go into that contact..but other than that i think in many cases they are used to crank the poor horse up and in and not really TEACH it anything.

 

[Fred]

I don't use a bitting rig on my guys not because I don't know how but because I feel its not necessary. I prefer to ground drive in the round pen and it works just as well. I prefer this because I have more contact with my horses. You will get a better headset if you have light hands and a lot of patience. Look at a lot of dressage horses and you will see the type of frame you should aim for in driving. Linda B

 

[RAPfrosty]

How exactly do you achieve a good headset? What am I to be doing with my hands ect. and how exactly do I want his head and neck to look?

 

[Fred]

Do you ride? What I have learned over the years riding I have applied to setting my horses heads driving. Basically I let them move forward freely and then gently bring them up into the bridle. It takes time but this way the horse will set their head naturally. Linda B

 

[hobbyhorse23]

Linda said it perfectly. You want the horse arching forward onto the bit, not sucking their heads back and up. The sign of a nicely-trained horse is that the muscles on the top of the neck should be well developed. A horse with a bulge on the bottom of their neck is using the resistor muscles and that tension will show all throughout their body, restricting their stride and making them sore and cranky much sooner than a horse who is moving freely and carrying their weight on their strong hindquarter muscles. Granted this applies more to carriage style driving than ring driving, but the goal of training is to teach the horse to move freely and beautifully in a sustainable manner. This means they must stretch forward in order to free up their back and create a swinging long stride.

Be soft, teach the horse the bit is his friend, and ask for forward movement into those soft hands.

Leia

 

[MiLo Minis]

How exactly do you achieve a good headset? What am I to be doing with my hands ect. and how exactly do I want his head and neck to look?

This isn't something you can learn by reading or in a post on the forum here. From the sound of it you have no experience either riding or driving a horse and I would highly recommend for your and your horses comfort and safety that you get some lessons on a well trained horse with a good teacher.

I do have a bitting rig although I don't use it as such. It does have many uses other than creating a head set which will do your horse no good anyway. I have one for Minis and one for ponies as they are far more adjustable to fit many sizes of horses than a harness saddle is and I get all sizes of Minis and ponies in for training. I don't use the harness until I am at the point of hitching up and I can ground drive and train them to yield with the bitting rig. I don't believe in the use of side reins or martingales or checks and won't put one on a horse until the end of its training and only then if I know it is to be used in the breed show ring. I don't recommend any beginner to use any of these appliances on their horses as they don't know the correct and proper use of them and will do more harm than good.

 

[Fred]

Becky I commend you for wanting to teach your horse to drive. You CAN do this and do a good job. The only thing I will say is NEVER EVER HOOK YOUR HORSE ALONE! My kids train all their own respective horses and do a good job. They show at a national level with their own horses and pin. The key to training is working in partnership with your horse and knowing when you need help and asking the proper person. Good luck, have fun and I know Fever will make a good driving horse for you. Linda B