Looking for Combined Drivers in MA/NH area

[Indy's mom]

Hi Everyone,

I am sort of posting for a friend so please forgive me if I confuse my facts a bit!

I am in Massachusetts on the North Shore and a friend of mine who has a Mini (whom she mainly does therapy work with but just started driving her) just called me and asked if I might be interested.....

She is taking driving lessons with the world renowned driver/trainer, Marc Johnson. He wants her to get a few mini people together who are interested in doing combined driving with their Mini's! At least the dressage and obstacle cones for now but may even add the marathon if enough people show an interest. He said there has to be at least 3 Mini's interested to start a mini division with the American Driving Association and so far he has 2! I unfortunately am about a year away from having my gelding ready for that!

SO, I was asked to spread the word and ask that if anyone is interested in A LOT of fun with their driving Mini's to please send an email to Marc and just let him know you would be interested!! This would be so great to get this ball rolling in this area!!!! If you are not familiar with combined driving (I hope I'm saying it right), ask some of the forum members to post some pics, it looks like so much fun!!!!

Marc Johnson's email is [email protected] he is in Hamilton MA.

Thanks so much!

Tammy

 

[Indy's mom]

Hi Everyone,I am sort of posting for a friend so please forgive me if I confuse my facts a bit!

I am in Massachusetts on the North Shore and a friend of mine who has a Mini (whom she mainly does therapy work with but just started driving her) just called me and asked if I might be interested.....

She is taking driving lessons with the world renowned driver/trainer, Marc Johnson. He wants her to get a few mini people together who are interested in doing combined driving with their Mini's! At least the dressage and obstacle cones for now but may even add the marathon if enough people show an interest. He said there has to be at least 3 Mini's interested to start a mini division with the American Driving Association and so far he has 2! I unfortunately am about a year away from having my gelding ready for that!

SO, I was asked to spread the word and ask that if anyone is interested in A LOT of fun with their driving Mini's to please send an email to Marc and just let him know you would be interested!! This would be so great to get this ball rolling in this area!!!! If you are not familiar with combined driving (I hope I'm saying it right), ask some of the forum members to post some pics, it looks like so much fun!!!!

Marc Johnson's email is [email protected] he is in Hamilton MA.

Thanks so much!

Tammy

I just wanted to add....if you ARE interested and plan to email Marc, could you just drop a note here so that I know if we are making any progress!!! Thanks!! Also, would LOVE to see some obstacle and marathon pics posted here!! I just can't wait to be able to do this with my Mini's!!

~Tammy

 

[targetsmom]

I am in northern CT (3 miles from MA) and am interested. For one thing, I would just LOVE to have a lesson with Marc Johnson!! I just joined ADS and a driving Club in CT that has a number of members with minis, so I think there may be interest down here. I can also try to spread the word to the other mini clubs I belong to, although many of those people might read this here. We have 2 minis that currently drive and 3 more in training, with a huge interest in CDEs. We have 4 carts (one with wooden wheels) and have actually run a cones course as a demo against teams of big horses (our 32" mini didn't win but had fun!). I will contact Marc.

 

[Champ]

I've been to a few events at the Carriage Barn in Newton NH (they too are looking for more mini people) and have done cones & hazards with my mini, I don't know who enjoys doing them more him or me

dressage we aren't very good at

I'll mention that Marc is looking to get more minis to some friends of mine, has he tried sending out any kind of emails to the mini clubs around the area asking them if they have any one might be interested in doing CDE's ?

 

[Indy's mom]

Champ, that would be great if you could mention it to your friends!! I don't believe Marc has done anything yet, I think it's in the beginning stages. He has just mentioned this to my friend that he needs at least 3 interested mini drivers to get the American Driving Association to add a seperate Mini division. It would be great if you could just drop him an email telling him you would be interested and to send you more info!

Thank you, thank you!!

~Tammy

 

[Indy's mom]

Ooooop's I think I have to clarify! Marc Johnson is not looking to get you all together for training/lessons/clinics, he just needs some people to say that they are interested in competing in CD events here in New England so that he can get the American Driving Association to add a seperate Mini division!! So all you have to do is email him and say, "I want to do CD with my Mini!"

Sorry if I was unclear!

~Tammy

 

[Indy's mom]

I am in northern CT (3 miles from MA) and am interested. For one thing, I would just LOVE to have a lesson with Marc Johnson!! I just joined ADS and a driving Club in CT that has a number of members with minis, so I think there may be interest down here. I can also try to spread the word to the other mini clubs I belong to, although many of those people might read this here. We have 2 minis that currently drive and 3 more in training, with a huge interest in CDEs. We have 4 carts (one with wooden wheels) and have actually run a cones course as a demo against teams of big horses (our 32" mini didn't win but had fun!). I will contact Marc.

Targets mom, Thank You!! Let us know if Marc has anything interesting to say about this!! Can't wait to have this offered around here!

~Tammy

 

[hobbyhorse23]

He has just mentioned this to my friend that he needs at least 3 interested mini drivers to get the American Driving Association to add a seperate Mini division.

Hi Tammy! That's great that he (and you) are trying to get more interest in your area.

Just to be clear, the American Driving Society already offers a CDE division for equines under 99cm (38") at the withers called the "VSE" or Very Small Equine division. The problem is that many individual event organizers refuse to offer that division due to lack of entries or a belief that minis can't do it or somehow aren't real horses, so in some areas it takes a lot of work to get the division on the show program. It sounds like that's what's going on where you are and I hope you and Marc are able to round up enough support to get it going.

You asked for some photos so here ya go. Believe me, the minis can do the marathon too!

Dressage:

The end result:

I don't have most of my pictures from this year uploaded yet, sorry.

Leia

 

[Kathy2m]

Good Luck, We have a VSE division down here but it is combined with the Small ponies. If they were not run togeather there would probably not have enough entries. The next one I'm going to is in 2 weeks an ADT and we have 4 entries. Here is Abby at our first HDT......

 

[Champ]

Thanks for clarifying that Tammy

I'll start asking around now but I think I'll get more people possibly interested in early spring when people are starting to get back to working there horses.....at least the people like me who don't have an indoor

 

[Boinky]

well darn... too bad i'm in Kentucky now... i'd have jumped on that!

 

[Indy's mom]

If you and people you all know can email Marc NOW and just say, "I would definitely be interested in competeing in CD with my Mini in this area" it would be VERY helpful so he can start planning on it!! He is also a course designer/builder so he wants to get to work on those plans asap!!

I just heard back from my friend who trains with him and she called Marc to tell him about this post, she said he is very excited to hear that there is an interest!!!! yeah!!! He did also just say that he IS interested in doing a clinic type thing for Mini people wanting to learn dressage and cones!!

So come on guys email him!! There's no commitment, just a show of interest!!

Thanks!

~Tammy

 

[Indy's mom]

Thank you Leia for the info and the great pics!!!! How fun!!!!!!

I think we are headed in the right direction!! yeah!!!

~Tammy

 

[Indy's mom]

Good Luck, We have a VSE division down here but it is combined with the Small ponies. If they were not run togeather there would probably not have enough entries. The next one I'm going to is in 2 weeks an ADT and we have 4 entries. Here is Abby at our first HDT......

Thank you Kathy2m for the great pics!!! What does HTD and ADT stand for?

Good luck in 2 weeks!!

~Tammy

 

[hobbyhorse23]

ADT: Arena Driving Trial, a one day event with all three phases performed in the arena. There isn't an actual marathon at all, just two hazards set up that you go through twice and are timed in (even at Training Level) for your final score.

HDT: Horse Driving Trial, a shorter two-day version of a CDE where you do dressage and cones on the first day then a short Section E course on the second day.

CDE: Combined Driving Event, a three day competition with dressage on the first day, a full-length marathon the second day (Sections A, D, and E), then cones on the third day. Minis used to only do Section E so essentially every show was a HDT but now we do the full course with the big guys.

Leia

 

[Champ]

Thanks for that info Leia and for both you and Kathy for sharing your pictures

Okay Tammy let me send out some emails and then email Marc.

 

[PHF Fancy]

Champ, I bring my mini to the Carriage Barn as well. I haven't been there in a while)I started working) but I plann on going back this year. Maybe we'll see you then. I'll email Marc as I'm very interested.

 

[DrivinTime]

I'm very interested in CDE for VSEs! I am located in east/central Vermont, but that's still pretty close to MA and NH! I would be willing to drive to MA to take part in CDE events, so hopefully my "vote" will count...

I'm hoping to take driving lessons this winter and maybe help out some friends (who have large ponies) at CDEs this coming summer, but my eventual goal is to do CDE with my little guy.

So - I'll send Marc an email, and hope for some fun events this summer!

Lori

 

[Champ]

PHF Fancy, hopefully I'll see you at the Carriage Barn next year at some of there events, have you ever gone to watch the "Frost Bite series"?

 

[Champ]

Tammy can I copy your post and put it on another mini driving forum, hopefully it'll get more people interested??